A/N: This is set after The Avengers and will continue onward.
Summary
"Ever since the battle in New York, Captain Steven Rogers hadn't been the same. After SHIELD assigns Steve with a therapist to help him cope and better understand his new life in the 21st century, things only get more complicated. Being pulled into the dangers that followed Steve every day, neither of them would have guessed this was the worst and best thing to happen to them."
Prolouge
"…Not a perfect soldier, but a good man."
Steve jolted awake from another nightmare.
He stared out the window with wide eyes, a clammy hand flying to his chest. His heart was beating wildly. This time the Chitauri killed Tony off… Last time it was Natasha, the time before… Thor. It would only be a matter of time before it was himself.
Steve didn't know how much more of this he could take… Every single night was the same thing—or if not a nightmare—a painful memory.
Peggy, Bucky, General Philip…
I'm becoming an incredible liar, he thought to himself. Everyone assumed he'd adjust well to this new world, but the fact was he hadn't and didn't think he ever would.
Taking a deep steady breath, the Super soldier slowly lay himself back down. He turned onto his side, clutching his pillow close to him. He then listened to the pounding of rain against his window, letting that sooth him back to sleep until he was stirred by another dream.
Once again, the Captain spent another night lying there, wide awake, until the dawn of day approached over the mountains.
xxx
"What—now?" Steve stammered.
"Yes, now."
Director Fury was insistent that Steve saw a Counsellor. However, the soldier was never entirely keen on the idea and wanted to reassure the head of SHIELD that he was perfectly fine and still capable of serving as one of their operatives, but Nick Fury had already assigned him a therapist.
This meant he was crazy, didn't it?
"I assure you she can help you," he said, handing Steve a portfolio. "She's highly qualified, has been with us for a few years now."
"It's not that I'm worried about…" muttered the man.
With a bit of reluctance, Steve wandered into the medic corridor where this woman's office was said to be. He didn't necessarily want to blow the therapist off either; he figured the worst that could happen was he gained absolutely nothing from the experience.
Looking down at the papers in his hands, he read the room number before finding himself standing in front of it. With a bit of a soft knock, Steve politely entered, "Hello?"
"Oh, come in!"
Her voice was soft… pretty much what he expected from a therapist. But entering the office, he'd been surprised by what he saw. She was a lot younger than he had initially imagined, probably just a few years older than himself… and smaller. Then again, Steve knew he was a large man in comparison to anybody who wasn't Hulk or Thor.
"You must be Steven Rogers, am I correct?"
Snapped out of his thoughts, the Avenger nodded his head and went to shake her hand. "Yes," he cleared his throat. "Um, Nick—Director Fury…said I'd be coming…?"
A smile tugged the corners of her red lips, "Yes, he did… And please, you don't have to be so formal with me. Consider me like an everyday person… Pretend I'm an acquaintance if it helps?"
Nodding, Steve went to go sit on the comfortable looking sofa. Its black leather material made a rather embarrassing squeak from the friction of his pants, but he didn't think she took notice from how occupied she seemed scribbling something down on her notepad.
Steve couldn't help but appreciate how bouncy her long golden locks were… Reminded him of how women usually wore their hair when he was serving the war.
Finally, she took her spot in front of him. "So," she began, crossing one leg over the other. "Let us start by introduction… I'll go first. My name is Anna McCoy and I'm very open and all ears, so please don't feel you have to hold anything back from me. All you have to do is talk and I will listen, okay?"
Steve was beginning to think that this was actually a good idea…
How bad could it be?