Till the end of the line

As close to home as it gets

Gunshots sounded all around him. Never ceasing as he stared down into the darkness that had enveloped the one person who had mattered to him more then anything. "BUCKY!!!" He screamed, ripping his throat raw as tears welled in his eyes. It was his fault. If he'd just reach a little farther, been a little quicker. His best friend, his Bucky.... Steve shot up in his bed, sweat beading down his head. A soft sob racked his body as the dream flashed through his mind, constantly rewinding before playing all over again. It had been over 70 years since the incident, and he couldn't escape the horrid nightmare. Letting out a heavy breath he slowly leaned back, head sinking back against his pillow. an hour passed as he continued tossing and turning in his bed. Before he knew it, sunlight had begun seeping in through the window panels and he let out a groan, rolling out of bed and throwing a plain grey shirt on. It had been a month since they'd all moved back into Stark Towers, and everyone seemed to be settling in well. The rift between Captain America and Iron man had vanished, and for the most part, everything seemed to have fallen back into place. Steve rubbed his face tiredly, though knowing there was no way he was falling asleep again. As the man made his way into the kitchen he blinked in surprise seeing Natasha sitting at the table, cup of coffee clutched lightly in her hand.

"Hey," He greeted softly, pouring himself a glass as he sat down beside her. Lately he had been the first one to get up, no match against his nightmares.

"Dreams again?" She asked, meeting his gaze with a knowing look. She was the only one who knew about the dreams that forced him awake, early in the morning. "They've only been getting worse lately." He admitted with a tired sigh, scratching the back of his neck. "Always the same scene. i get closer and closer each time, but never close enough." He took a sip of his coffee, letting the warmth calm his beating heart.

"You can't blame yourself, Steve."

"Then who else do i blame? I could have saved him..."

Natasha fell silent, at a loss for words. 'he knew that getting on that speeding train might cost him his life,' She wanted to say to him, but knew Steve didn't want to hear that. So instead, they lapsed into a comfortable silence, her presence alone comforting.

"What about you," He finally spoke up, breaking the silence.

"What about me?"

His icy blue gaze met hers, only breaking contact as she leaned back with a sigh. "Why are you up so early?" He said, finally voicing his thoughts into words. Natasha usually slept late, until almost 9 on most days.

She laughed, though it was forced. "Not used to seeing me up at 4:30?" Grinning, Steve rolled his eyes.  "Don't get me wrong, you know how much i love seeing your pretty face as the start of my day."

"Mhmm," she replied with a smirk, pulling out her laptop. "Just trying to catch up on a bit of work is all..."

Steve knew that couldn't be the whole story but he decided not to push it. If she wanted to tell him, he knew that she would. "So, you and Banner," he offered, attempting to change the subject.

"What about us?"

"You're very closed off lately, Romanoff."

"Well Rogers, i like my privacy."

Steve couldn't help but laugh, nodding slightly. "Can't say i blame ya there. But really, how's it going with you two? You really... You seem to open up around him. Let loose a bit."

Natasha smiled, cheeks turning a light shade of pink.

"You're not blushing are you?" Steve laughed as Natasha's eyes widened, before hitting him on the arm. "Shut up, Steve." She retorted, getting to her feet in exhasperation. "You know you're all over Sharon." The comment seemed to snap him back to reality, back to the kiss... He slumped back in his chair, face falling into his hands with a groan. He really didn't know what he wanted anymore.

"I... I honestly don't think i see her as anything more then a friend." There it was. The truth was out.

"But... You ki- "

"-Yeah. I know i kissed her. I just acted as anyone else would. Don't get me wrong, though. She's pretty. Beautiful. Just...not my type."

The redhead sighed, placing a hand against his shoulder. "Then what is your type? I've gone to the ends of the earth to match you up with every other girl there is, and you turn every one of them down."

"What if that's the problem. What if girls aren-" Steve was cut off as the newest asset to the Avengers walked into the kitchen, wiping sleep from his eyes as he glanced to the pair that were already in the kitchen. "Mornin'," he greeted as he made his way towards the fridge. "Yo tic-tac!" Sam's voice made Scott jump, as he backed away from the fridge to make room for the darker skinned man. "Stay away from my waffles," he warmed, glaring at Scott before retreating over to the table where he sat beside Natasha and Steve, laughing softly. "'Ey Cap, Hey 'Tash." Steve nodded in reply, inwardly groaning. "There goes our peace and quiet," he mouthed to Natasha, who's only response was a roll of her eyes.

~~~

As their morning began to wrap up, Steve glanced up to see Tony making his way into the kitchen and heading over to Sam. They exchanged a few brief words before Sam nodding quickly, pushing himself to his feet as he neatly put away his dishes and walked out of the door. "Avengers!" Tony called their attention, and Steve couldn't help being completely confused. Was something going on that he hadn't been informed of? He was the captain after all...which meant he made any final decisions.

"I've decided to bring in a new recruit."

"What?!" Steve was immediately on his feet.