[ The thing is, Bucky does spend a lot of nights in Steve's room, sleeping on the couch. Sometimes he isn't there when Steve falls asleep, but he'll find him passed out when he wakes up in the morning for his run, even though he doesn't remember hearing him come in. (Bucky moves like a ghost, even now -- it's not surprising.)
The point being that it takes a second for Steve to register that he's not still asleep, that the sniffling of a worried dog and the rough voice of a friend are part of reality rather than the fading edges of his nightmare. He doesn't respond at first, just focuses on catching his breath.
When he finally looks up at Bucky, Steve's face is tight and beaded with sweat. Even then, it's hard to find words and he lifts an arm to wipe that sweat away before he manages a nod.
It's always hard, forcing himself to realize that a nightmare that vivid hadn't actually been real. He thinks about Tony, sleeping in a room on this very same floor (or more likely, awake and working on something), and it at least does some of the work in helping him reach a level of calm. ]
Sorry. [ He pushes himself up until he's sitting. ] I didn't mean to wake you. Just a bad dream...
no subject
The point being that it takes a second for Steve to register that he's not still asleep, that the sniffling of a worried dog and the rough voice of a friend are part of reality rather than the fading edges of his nightmare. He doesn't respond at first, just focuses on catching his breath.
When he finally looks up at Bucky, Steve's face is tight and beaded with sweat. Even then, it's hard to find words and he lifts an arm to wipe that sweat away before he manages a nod.
It's always hard, forcing himself to realize that a nightmare that vivid hadn't actually been real. He thinks about Tony, sleeping in a room on this very same floor (or more likely, awake and working on something), and it at least does some of the work in helping him reach a level of calm. ]
Sorry. [ He pushes himself up until he's sitting. ] I didn't mean to wake you. Just a bad dream...