Steve
Three days. That was all it took for Sy to get a clean bill of health. Physically speaking, she was completely fine. After a surreptitious visit from Will's father, she was healed. The hospital had kept her for a few days of quiet bed rest and careful monitoring from a few rotating demigods as a precaution. In those few days he'd occasionally spotted a pudgy man in a loud hawaiian shirt speaking to her in low dismissive tones. Steve noticed she was always just a little bit brighter after those visits, eyes glittering in amusement or victory, her lips twitching into a smile. After the third visit from the mystery man, Sy had finally been allowed to go home to the tower with him having been pronounced healthy once again.
But Steve knew she was far from okay. She was quieter now, more reserved. Prone to staring off into the distance, speaking as little as possible. He knew that the Sy they got back was far removed from the vivacious musician they'd lost.
She spent a lot of time with Bucky. Er, James. He knew Tony didn't like it, still didn't trust James's shaky control, especially with Sy as vulnerable as she is.
Some days The Asset woke up instead of Buc- James. But they all knew that the winter soldier was one of the best people to help her. The terrorist organization was brutal to their prisoners. James was the only one who could relate to Sy's imprisonment and the things HYDRA did to her. In some places, Steve could see matching scars. Afterwards he always made his way to the gym, anger simmering under his skin, so volatile that he worried that one day he would lose control again. Like in the safehouse last winter.
The extent of the experimentation that Tony was uncovering was unbelievable, and it made Steve wish he'd let Strucker stay in Loki's custody longer, rather than releasing him directly to SHIELD.
On the other hand, he still wasn't to sure what he felt about the twins. He'd meant what he's said to SHIELD Director Maria Hill; the twins believed that they were at war, and that was why they'd allowed Strucker to experiment on them. But he wasn't sure if they believed in HYDRA, or if the terrorist organization was simply a means to an end; power. Power to fight the enemies they saw, even if they weren't necessarily an enemy to be fought. The elevator dinged and the door slid open. He shook his head, clearing away his idle thoughts.
Steve stepped out of the elevator, striding quietly down the hallway to Sy's door. Tony was throwing a victory slash welcome home slash goodbye party that evening. Steve wasn't entirely clear on its purpose, only that everyone was expected to attend. He smiled as he heard the soft strains of violin music floating through the hall. Sy had been avoiding her music almost as much as she avoided talking. Tony had privately shown him the footage from the day HYDRA had welded the muzzle to her face. Steve might have broken a few things when he saw the footage. Maybe it was a desk. Or the lab. Whatever it was, Tony had banned him from the research levels for a while.
At his knock, Sy called out a quiet 'enter.' He stepped through the door, and a wide grin crossed his face when he spotted her. Pride and love and an unnameable something filled his chest. He imagined this was the same feeling his mother had gotten when she'd seen him in his first suit before his confirmation. He'd been so sick, they didn't think he would live long enough to be confirmed.
Sy was in a simple but elegant black dress, hair twisted back from her face neatly. She swayed in place, the violin tucked under her chin, and music filled the air. Her hand shook with vibrato notes, and her bow arm moved steadily. Steve stood in the doorway, watching her. His soul rose and fell with the song, emotions flicking through him. Most of them weren't his. He could feel the line she'd drawn, the stark divide she'd built to protect him. He experienced, but he didn't feel. It was Sy's own way of sharing without speaking her apprehension she was feeling preceding the party. She wasn't sure she could be happy. Steve waited for her to carefully set the violin down before wrapping her in a tight hug. She squeezed him back before pushing out of his grip. She didn't like touch so much anymore either. Steve felt something inside him break a little as she left his grasp.
It was an almost physical pain to not be able to hold her. He'd had her in his grasp when a HYDRA soldier had slammed into him with a truck, breaking his grip. Touch reassured him that she was really home, that Sy was actually safe. Losing her like that, it was like losing Bucky on the train all over again.
Steve refocused himself onto Sy. She needed him now, more than ever.
"What if I'm not ready?" She whispered, facing away from him. The uncertainty in her voice made his chest tight. Once, she'd been the one boosting him, helping him regain his bearings in this new world. Now, she needed his help gaining bearings in her old world as a new person.
"Then we come back here and watch one of the movies on our list while eating more popcorn and Ben and Jerry's ice cream than is good for us. But you'll only ever know if you go down there." Sy nodded slowly, turning to the door. She took a deep shaking breath.
"Ok. Ok, lets go."