Breathing slowly, Lithium suppressed the twinge of pain that still haunted her steps, and moved her feet forward again. It ached, but the pain had been greatly reduced over the past two days. At this point, Lithium could move with a mere fraction of the pain that had caused her to collapse the other day.

        “You’re doing well, ‘Leste,” Steve told her, encouraging her to keep going. “How does it feel?”

        Lithium paused for a moment. Steve didn’t know about when she’d toppled over. No one knew about that other than Clint. “It’s better than yesterday,” she murmured, keeping her gaze away from him. She didn’t want him seeing that yesterday wasn’t the first day she’d tried to walk. Lithium didn’t want him to know that something was wrong.

        “Come on, ‘Leste . . . You can do it.”

        Steve was leading her towards the end of the hallway, where the large glass panes replaced solid wall. Lithium gave in to his will quietly, feeling the pain in her legs as she got closer to him. The movement brought those aches to life, but Lithium tried to ignore it. If she was going to get better, she knew she had to push her limits.

        Closing her eyes to try and keep her focus on just moving, rather than the distance that remained, Lithium kept getting closer to the sound of Steve’s voice.

        It wasn’t long before Lithium reached her destination. Steve’s hand briefly touched her shoulder as she neared the final inches of the hallway. Lithium opened her eyes, only to see the sheer drop from their thirtieth-floor vantage point to the ground below.

        Lithium screamed and pushed backwards, anything to get away from that fall. She couldn’t summon any words, only the panic rising, bubbling up in her throat. Quickly, Steve grabbed her, pulling her away from the glass and holding her in his arms gently. “Ssshhh,” he muttered. “It’s okay. You’re safe.”

        Carefully, Steve backed Lithium against a wall, holding her there cautiously. He hoped the solid structure would give her a sense of position so that she would realize she wasn’t falling. That the danger was over with.

        “It’ll be all right,” he murmured, one arm around her waist, the other hooking behind her neck. “You’re safe.” Biting her lip, Lithium kept quiet and held Steve tighter, her eyes closed. That sheer drop still made her dizzy. It was a few long minutes before he pulled away from her, watching for any warning signs that she was detached from reality. “Are you feeling all right, Lithium?”

        Slowly, she nodded to him, her eyes still closed.

        “Look at me, ‘Leste. Are you okay? Are you certain?”

        Forcing herself to look up at him directly, Lithium nodded again. “Yes, Captain. I’m all right.” Her voice was barely a whisper, if even that. “I’m sure.”

        Slowly, Steve nodded back. “Do you want to go back to your room for now?”

        Lithium nodded to him, crossing her arms slowly. She didn’t like to be alone. Steve knew as much from the expression she wore on her face at the thought of being isolated again.

        “I’ll be along shortly. We can work on stretches, core exercises and strength training. Maybe reaction time. I won’t take long.”

        “Yes, Captain,” Lithium told him, complying easily with what he told her would be happening. Without another word, Lithium started walking down the hallway, turning out of sight down a side hall within seconds.

        “You should’ve known better,” came a familiar voice, scolding Steve. “After what she’s been through did you really expect her to be just fine with that visual?” He exited from a nearby room, staring at Steve intently.

        “I’m doing the best I can,” Steve replied evenly. “I didn’t realize her fear was that intense. I’m not allowing her to face it alone.”

        “ ‘The best you can’?” He scoffed and Steve tensed slightly. “What’s the next phase? Throwing her out the window and telling her to brace for impact? You’re the reason she’s even like this. If you hadn’t been out there and vulnerable, she never would’ve gotten involved and she wouldn’t have wound up with so much damage. It’s-.”

        “Stop! Bucky, stop!” Lithium stood in the main hall again. She hadn’t gone far. She hadn’t gone anywhere at all after turning down that hallway. The pain had made her pause, but once she’d heard his voice . . . Now she stood not twenty feet away, staring at the men who she’d come to know, and care deeply for.

        But it was a damned challenge not to slap either of them some days.

        Celeste couldn’t say anything more to them. Those were the only words she could muster. Looking at them, she saw her past and her future in these men. She had overcome much, and still had a long way to go.

        Turning, Celeste walked away, struggling to keep her pace as she walked away, leaving them in silence. They knew, now. They knew that she was completely aware of their dysfunction, and the fact that they’d only kept their relationship at a ‘working’ status for her sake. Lithium knew all of it.

        And she hated the fact that she was the reason they’d pretended.

        ~~~

        “I miss you, Iris,” Celeste mumbled as she sat on her bed, cross-legged. “You’d know what to do if you were in my position. But I’m just here, like an idiot, trying to figure out what the hell this mess even is. I mean, who lies like that? Who on Earth would deceive someone they supposedly care about? I’m trying so hard to be patient and good, but . . .”

        Lithium sighed deeply, shifting the metal in her arm so that the silver hue glinted in the dim lighting of her bedroom. “I don’t know what to do anymore. This is the only thing that makes me feel like I’m even close to you anymore. They took your necklace when they changed us. They took my ring. I’ve got nothing left to tie me to before this . . . It sucks, Iris. I miss you, and it sucks. I want you back. I want things to be how they were before Hydra found us. Back when we were just average and we didn’t even care because we were happy. Is that so much to ask?”

        Pausing, Lithium sighed again, softer this time, as she glanced over to the large glass window that served as a wall for the outer portion of her room. She refused to go anywhere near the damn thing. At night, the lights of the city glittered, providing enough light for her space. It was enchanting, but still daunting. “You wouldn’t be afraid of heights after what happened, would you? You’d be far more logical about it. You’d be able to overcome it. Because you’re brave like that. You’re not afraid. You’re just strong and happy and . . . You were so protective. I wish you were here. You’d know what to do. I’m just so . . . Clueless.

        “I miss you, ‘Ris . . . I miss you a lot . . .”