Lithium smiled, a bit nervously as she began to prep for morning practice the next day. This would be the first time that she could be around both Bucky and Steve simultaneously, and they would be capable of interacting like normal human beings. Despite everything that had happened, it would be okay. Everything they had suffered through would be worth it.

        Hydra had not won this battle. And if Lithium had her way, they wouldn’t win the war, either.

        Lacing up her shoes and heading outside, she mentally prepared herself for the happiness of seeing Bucky and Steve reconciling. It was something she’d wanted since she’d met them and come to understand everything that had driven them apart. Lithium’s heart beat a little faster as her joy spiked, though she was careful to dampen it immediately. While things were certainly looking up, she couldn’t afford the chance of becoming vulnerable to another overdose. Not when she wanted to be happy about the situation at hand.

        She wanted to be happy about the fact that James and Steve were getting a reunion she would have with Iris until she joined her friend in the afterlife, if that part even existed.

        ~~~

        Lithium moved through the motions of her usual practice alone, writing it off that Steve and Bucky had simply started without her, or perhaps they were running late. Either way, Lithium was more than capable of doing things on her own. She was an able and strong woman, who wished the happiness of others above her own.

        About halfway through her run, Lithium spotted Sam, and immediately picked up the pace to catch up to him. It was a strain, and Lithium was heaving by the time she’d closed the half mile distance between them. It would have been easier if he hadn’t been partway through his morning jog as well. Once she was at his side, she slowed her pace just slightly, her heart feeling like it was going to burst out of her chest in protest, insisting she’d pushed herself too hard today. It took a bit of effort to keep herself from stopping or collapsing on the ground next to the sidewalk.

        Sam glanced over at her and smiled. “Well, well, look at this girl. Kicking ass and taking names, huh?”

        Lithium nodded quickly, the strain of speaking too much to handle right now. For a moment, she wondered why she’d put so much effort into it just to run next to Sam. Then she realized that she simply liked his company. Running was easier when you had a partner, and after the spurt of energy she’d expended to catch up to him, she could certainly use any sort of ease in the motion.

        Sam just laughed at her lack of speech and her apparent strain. “Talk about pushing it,” he murmured, his own breath coming in short spurts, but not nearly as strained as hers. “Want to take a break?” He offered, but Lithium immediately shook her head. Endurance training was critical, and Lithium wouldn’t cut corners on it. Sam smiled, nodding at her. “All right.”

        They finished the run together, another three miles, totaling up to five for the day. When they came to a walk at the finish point, Lithium nearly collapsed, her body instinctively going towards the soft, grassy earth. Sam chuckled as he grabbed her, helping support her weight as he placed her hands on her head, his hand over her waist as he walked at her side. “Falling over is going to make it worse,” he told her, something she’d heard plenty of times since she’d started the training with Sam and Steve. “You’ve got to keep moving.”

        Lithium nodded slowly, not even wanting to open her eyes. They hadn’t slowed pace even once during the run, and while it made her suffer now, she knew it would be helpful in the long term. As much as she wanted to regret it, Lithium didn’t. This was a critical part of her training and she wouldn’t take it lightly.

        Sam chuckled. “Bet this makes Natasha’s training seem like a cakewalk right about now, huh?”

        Lithium let out a breathy laugh, hardly any real noise coming from it other than a borderline wheezing. “N-Not . . . S-So much . . . Th-at woman . . . Is a . . . Sl-Slave driver . . .” Lithium forced the words out, her breath coming heavy and staggered again.

        He smiled, suppressing another laugh at her expense. “Ah, it can’t be that bad.” Lithium looked at him, eyes wide, challenging his judgement of the situation. Sam laughed at her expression. “All right, all right! Maybe it is! I wouldn’t know!”

        Shaking her head, Lithium’s breath gradually began to slow, and her lungs felt raw. Today’s pace had been quite a bit faster than usual, and it had taken its toll on her. Sam kept supporting her until they’d walked a full mile for a cool down, at least until they could embark on a much slower jog.

        ~~~

        Inside the weight room, Steve was already setting to work, his mood considerably dampened after yesterday’s reunion. Lithium watched him, a bit confused, but she tried to push it away. It was quite some time before Bucky joined them, and she expected Steve’s mood to lighten, but the blonde man didn’t seem happier in the least. Bucky nodded at Lithium, offering her a half smile as he worked with her, Sam pairing up with Steve, both for weightlifting and for sparring.

        Lithium couldn’t help as a frown crossed her face, the day progressing. “James,” she called quietly, turning to him. “What’s going on? Why aren’t you two happier? You were apart for so long . . . Decades. Literally decades. Why . . . Why is it like you went on a really awkward first date rather than you two being best friends who’ve just been reunited?”

        “Sometimes it just takes a while to get back into a rhythm,” Bucky quickly lied, not looking at Lithium as he said it. “It’s complicated, but it’ll be all right. We just have to give it time? Don’t worry on account of us.” That last part he meant. That was the entire reason he’d put on a performance at the hospital. It was so Lithium wouldn’t worry and that she wouldn’t try to fix something that couldn’t be fixed.

        ~~~

        The knock had come to Bucky’s door early in the morning. Wondering what on Earth it could possibly be this early in the morning, he slid out of bed, walking to the door. Opening the recently replaced structure, James found Steve waiting outside in the hallway. Bucky didn’t say a word, simply stared, emotionless, at the man who was his oldest friend.

        Steve nodded curtly to him. “Good morning, Buck. I figured since we’re all back on the same page, you could start joining us for our morning practices. It’s just as much for the sense of bonding we receive from it as the actual physical enhancement. It’s a good way for us to get together as a team and help each other improve. What do you say, Buck?”

        James simply stared at Steve a moment, and attempted to close the door. Steve promptly stuck his foot between the door and the wall, refusing to let it close. Bucky’s behavior made no sense. Yesterday, he’d welcomed Steve back into his life, and today, he was trying to close the door in his face. Literally.

        “Bucky?” Steve called, forcing the door back open, the other man hardly fighting it at all. “What’s going on here? We’re a team. We’re friends. Can’t we train together? Or is that crossing some line I didn’t realize existed? For God’s sake, Buck, we just hugged yesterday and now . . . This? What’s going on? What changed?”

        “Celeste, Lithium, isn’t here,” Bucky pointed out plainly.

        “Does that really make a difference?” Steve asked, looking around. “Buck, why does it matter? We were friends long before either of us knew her.”

        “Because she is the reason I pretended that what I’ve done didn’t matter.”

        “What are you talking about, Buck?” Steve questioned, the whole line of thought not making sense. “What do you mean ‘pretended’? What does she have to do with any of this?”

        “She wanted us to be friends again,” Bucky explained, refusing to look at Steve. “She wants us to be happy as friends again. But I cannot just ignore everything I have done, Steve. That’s why I left before. That’s why I couldn’t face you even when you were ten feet away. But us being reunited meant so much to her, and while I do want to be your friend again, I did it so she wouldn’t worry. I did so that she could be happy. And if you care about her happiness, you won’t tell that it’s all an illusion.”

        “But I forgave you,” Steve insisted firmly.

        “But I did not forgive myself,” Bucky replied, walking away from him. “Go do your training. I’ll arrive when I see fit.”