Nightmares
Neither of them could ever quite tell who started it. That was the downside to the mind link; while it gave them effortless communication, and the constant, comforting hum of brainwaves that let them know their twin was doing just fine, it also meant they shared their nightmares.
Pietro started awake first. He gasped, then slowly sat up, and put his face in his hands. Sweat clung to his skin and his shirt.
He heard the rustle of cloth, and soft whimpers somewhere else in the room. In a flash, he was at Wanda's bedside.
"Wanda." He reached out, gently, into her mind, and also with a hand on her shoulder. The message wasn't in English, or in Sokovian, but in something deeper—the feelings behind the language, the intentions behind the words. "Wanda, it's all right. It isn't real. It's a dream. Wake up...wake up."
Her whole body jolted, and her eyes flew open. The pillow she'd clutched to her face was soaked with tears. "Pietro?" she croaked.
"It's me," he whispered back.
She sat up in an instant, her arms around his neck.
"Don't leave me again," she sobbed in Sokovian, burying her face in his shoulder. "I can't let them take you from me again."
He sat on the mattress and sighed. It was all he could do to keep from breaking down himself. "Hey, hey," he whispered, rubbing a careful hand up and down her spine. "It's all right. It's all in the past, yeah? Come on, let me get dressed, and we'll raid the kitchen for something. You'll feel better, trust me."
Her sniffles had slowed, so he figured he'd done his job.
"Okay," she answered.
A minute later, he'd pulled some sweatpants on over his boxers, and they stumbled out into the Common Room, Wanda clutching his arm.
Pietro was still half asleep. It didn't register until too late that there was a humming noise, and a soft yellow light coming from the kitchen.
He stopped. Wanda stopped with him. Someone was already there.
Bucky leaned against the countertop, hunched over and staring at the microwave.
He looked up when he saw them. There were lines under his eyes, and he looked pale with lack of sleep. Pietro couldn't imagine he and Wanda looked much better.
Of course, he thought, internally smacking himself.
He gets them too.
Bucky frowned. "Hey," he whispered.
Wanda slithered onto a barstool and rested her head on her arms. "Hey."
Bucky stepped forward, arms crossed over his chest, and he almost looked small. "Nightmares?"
Wanda made a low noise of affirmation. Pietro crossed his arms, stared at his feet, and nodded.
Bucky filled his cheeks with air, and then blew it out. "Yeah." He turned back to the microwave. "Me too."
They were quiet for a little longer. The plate in the microwave spun lazily.
"You guys want pizza?" rasped Bucky. It wasn't changing the subject—he knew how they were feeling, and he wanted to help.
Wanda shook her head. "I want tea."
Pietro shrugged, and almost mustered the grin he usually had. "Sure, I take pizza."
Wanda made a low noise that was supposed to be a scoff. Bucky smirked, strode to the fridge, and opened it, suddenly bathed in bright white light.
"One tea, one pizza, comin' right up."
Bucky sat on the couch, arms flung over the backrest. On one side of him was Pietro, halfway to falling asleep after eating half a deep-dish as a "midnight snack". Where the kid put it all, he'd never figure out. On his other side was Wanda, nursing an oolong tea.
There was apparently a consensus that his super-soldier warmth made him a good hot water bottle and sleep aid. Bucky couldn't complain. It was kinda nice to be closed in on either side like this; it made him feel safe, that he didn't have to face the dark alone.
"You remember them, don't you?" asked Wanda, leaning her head on Bucky's shoulder.
He sighed with the weight of the world. "You mean HYDRA?"
She bit her lip and nodded. Pietro frowned and turned away.
Bucky shook his head. "Yeah." He leaned his head back, stared at the ceiling, and shut his eyes. "Yeah, 'fraid I do."
They were quiet for a long while. What he and the twins had gone through wasn't identical, but, well...it was close enough. And in this job, you took "close enough" where you could get it; where someone could relate to the insane, crazy stories you had to tell.
They fell asleep, eventually. Wanda started nodding off first, and Bucky took her tea with a smile so she could drop off. Pietro was next, leaning on his shoulder and slobbering into his shirt.
But Bucky couldn't sleep. He knew what he'd see when he closed his eyes. Wanda was so sensitive, his nightmares could bleed over to her just by being close to her...and somehow, he could never shake the feeling that somewhere out there, in the dark, something was waiting, waiting to find them and drag them back to that horrible place...
A yellow glow in the corner announced that Vision was there even before Bucky saw him. He rounded the corner, floating slowly on his nighttime security vigil, and then paused when he saw the trio on the couch.
Bucky raised an eyebrow at him. Vision tilted his head in response. Bucky made a face that counted as a shrug and turned to make sure Wanda was all right.
To his surprise, Vision joined them. He floated down onto the couch, his vibranium cape materializing behind him, and draped it over the trio like a heavy blanket.
It felt...good. Warm. Secure. And when Bucky turned to Vision, the android nodded in a silent promise, and then turned, scanning the room with a mechanical, watchful eye, the Stone in his head illuminating every edge and surface in a soft glow.
Don't worry, he seemed to say. I'll keep watch. You don't need to be afraid.
And as Bucky felt his eyelids getting heavy, he smiled, and decided to trust him.
He slept soundly, and didn't have any more dreams that night.
A/N: Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll! The majority of you want to see this story finished, so I'll wrap it up just like I promised. However, I'm gonna have to take a short break for about a month, and we'll wrap up and start the rewrites when I get back.
I hope everyone has a very happy new year! God willing, may it be better than the last!
Reviews are vibranium blankets.