Thank you to Harliquinn for beta reading and editing
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Skye got to school the next day and found her friends.
"Hey," Skye said.
"Hi," the three girls responded.
"Have you seen Carly this morning?" Ivy asked.
"I haven't, why?" Skye asked.
"She has a bandage on her nose," Lily said.
"Yeah, well, it's broken," Skye said.
"How do you know that?" Anna asked.
"Well, I'm the one who broke it," Skye said.
"What?" Lily asked.
"Where?" Ivy asked.
"When?" Anna asked.
"Yesterday, after school I went to a record store. I don't know if she was following me or what, but she showed up. We interacted and it ended with her shoving me and pulling my hair and me punching her in the nose," Skye said.
"You sure you broke it?" Ivy asked.
"Well, it's what she told Tucker when she texted him," Skye said.
Carly walked past them with her friends, looking at Skye for only a second before picking up her speed and walking away.
"Wow, I think she is scared of you now," Lily said.
"She brought it on herself," Skye said.
"Yes, she did," Ivy said.
"But I'm not about to start anything with her, so she doesn't have to be nervous around me unless she starts something again," Skye said.
The warning bell rang, and they all separated going to their lockers and then to classes.
Going to a small school meant that by lunch everyone had seen Carly and found out what had happened.
Skye sitting at the table with her friends. She could feel everyone watching her, and, even without her enhanced hearing, she knew they were talking about her.
"You okay?" Anna asked.
"I'm fine," Skye said, poking at her food before changing the subject.
When she got home after school she went to her room and crashed on her bed. She was glad it was a Friday because she was starting to feel herself reaching a breaking point and needed a break.
Shortly after there was a knock on her bedroom door.
"Yeah?" she said.
Steve opened the door. "You're not ready for training?"
Skye sighed. "Sorry, I forgot. And I'm really tired. Can we postpone the training?"
"Everything okay at school today?" Steve asked as he stepped into the room.
"Small school. Everyone knew by lunch why Carly had a bandaged-up nose. And even without my enhanced hearing, I knew everyone was talking about me. And I just am overwhelmed with everything right now," Skye said.
"Okay, well rest. We can train another day this weekend," Steve said.
Skye spent the weekend barely leaving her bed. Just about everyone had tried talking to her, but they hadn't gotten anything from her other than she wasn't feeling well and was tired.
Steve was sitting on the couch deep in thought. He was worried about his daughter. He hadn't ever seen her like this. She had had bad days, but never for more than a day and never to the extreme of just lying in bed. He believed she wasn't feeling well, but he knew it was not something physical. She was shutting everyone out, and that worried him the most. She needed to talk to someone before it got worse.
Bucky came over and tapped his shoulder with a beer bottle.
Steve looked up and took the bottle that was handed to him, popping the top off.
Bucky sat next to him. "There is no way anyone who has been through everything she has been through wouldn't eventually hit mental rock bottom. She's depressed," Bucky said.
Steve let out a breath. "I know."
"She needs to be in therapy," Bucky said.
"You think I haven't tried? She doesn't want to," Steve said. "And I could force her to go, but I couldn't force her to talk."
Bucky nodded.
"Feel free to try convincing her," Steve said.
"Okay," Bucky said. "I can try, but right now I'm concerned about you."
"I'll be fine when I know she is fine," Steve said.
"Steve, I get you have to stay strong for her. But stop lying to me, it's pointless," Bucky said.
Steve let out a huffed laugh and took a sip of his beer "Okay. I'm terrified. I know she has been unbelievably strong. I don't think any person who has been through half of what she has been through would be okay without years of therapy. I know we don't know everything. And I know she has put on this front that everything is okay. But I think she is hitting a point where she knows she's safe. Which I'm happy about. But knowing that she is safe means she can start to understand everything she has been through. And I'm worried this is just the start of her mental rock bottom."
"Yeah, it might be. But the good thing about her being here and safe is that she has the support to help her through it," Bucky said. "And so do you."
Steve nodded.
Yelena knocked on Skye's door.
"Yeah?" Skye said.
Yelena went into the room "Hey, come on. Get up, we are going to go train."
"I don't feel well, no," Skye said.
"Are you physically sick or feeling sad?" Yelena asked.
"I'm just not feeling well," Skye said.
"Well, if you are physically fine you need to get up and moving," Yelena said.
"No," Skye said.
"Why not?" Yelena asked.
"I don't want to," Skye said.
"Well, sometimes we have to do things we do not want to because they are good for us. You have been in this bed for two days, and it is time to get up," Yelena said.
"Well, sometimes you need to just stay in bed," Skye said.
"Do you want to tell me why you just want to stay in bed?" Yelena asked.
"Because I'm tired," Skye said.
"Physically tired?" Yelena asked.
Skye shrugged, her eyes welling with tears.
"Come on, Skyler, this is not you," Yelena said.
Skye wiped at her eyes. "I'm just tired of everything coming at me. It's been one thing after another."
Yelena nodded. "I understand that. I know you have been through so much."
Skye nodded.
"It is okay to feel what you feel. And it is okay to just lay around and be sad. But at some point, you need to get up and get moving. Come down to the gym and punch at a bag with me," Yelena said.
"I just don't feel like moving right now," Skye said.
"How about I run you a bath? Nat made me go with her to the store the other day, and she bought a ridiculous amount of bath bombs. I will go steal one, and you can still rest and relax but in a different space," Yelena said.
Skye chuckled. "Please do go steal one and let me see the fight when she finds out."
Yelena smirked. "You'll have to get out of bed for that."
Skye nodded. "Fine, I'll take the bath."
Yelena smiled and went to the bathroom she shared with Nat and found the bath bombs. She picked one before going back to Skye's room and into her bathroom, starting to run the water before going into the bedroom again.
"Come on, it's time to get up," Yelena said.
Skye got up and went into the bathroom, where she saw the purple bath bomb on the counter, and smiled. She closed the door and undressed before turning off the tap, dropping the bath bomb in the water, and getting in. She closed her eyes, relaxing in the hot water.
Yelena took the opportunity to open Skye's blinds and window. She removed her bed sheets. She figured if Skye was going to lay in bed it could at least be in fresh sheets. She also picked up the laundry around her room and brought everything to the laundry room.
"You got Skye out of her bed?" Nat asked.
"Yes, just into a bath, but it gives me a chance to get her fresh sheets and air out her room a bit," Yelena said.
Nat nodded.
"I took one of your bath bombs for her," Yelena said.
Nat smiled. "I probably wouldn't even have noticed."
Yelena chuckled. "She seemed to think if you found out there would be a fight."
Nat chuckled. "No, it's for a good cause. I would give her all of them if I thought it would fix everything for her."
Yelena nodded.
"I'll take care of her laundry. You take care of her," Nat said.
Yelena nodded and found some clean sheets before going back to the bedroom and remaking the bed.
Steve left the living room and went to check on Skye, but found Yelena in her room making the bed.
"Where is she?" Steve asked helping Yelena with the bed.
"Taking a bath. I thought a change of location would be good and convinced her," Yelena said.
Steve nodded. "Can I ask you something personal?"
Yelena nodded.
"I know some of what you went through in the red room," Steve said. "How did you get through it."
Yelena let out a breath. "I am still working on that. Therapy is helping."
"I remember you arguing about doing therapy," Steve said.
"Yeah, well, I was convinced," Yelena said. "I can try talking to Skye about it."
"Thanks, the more people who do, hopefully, will get her to agree," Steve said.
"Are you two about done? I need to come in and get clothes," Skye said through the bathroom door.
"Okay, we will leave," Steve said.
Yelena and Skye left the room, and Skye went in and got dressed before getting back into bed.
Steve knocked on her door ten minutes later.
"Yeah?" Skye said
Steve went in.
"How are you feeling?" Steve asked.
"I don't know," Skye said.
Steve sat on her bed. "Skye, It's okay to not be okay. But keeping it in, not talking about it, isn't going to help."
Skye nodded. "I just don't want to talk about it. I'm tired."
"Okay," Steve said, nodding.
"My tablet died, can I please borrow yours? I want to keep watching my show," Skye said.
Steve smiled and nodded. "I'll be right back." He went and got his tablet and brought it to her.
"Thanks," Skye said.
"Of course," Steve said, taking hers and plugging it in on her desk.
"Peanut, can you look at me before you start?" Steve said, sitting back on her bed.
Skye looked up at him.
"I know you don't like the idea of therapy, but you need it," Steve said.
Skye shook her head. "No."
"Why not?" Steve asked.
"It doesn't help me," Skye said.
"Can you please just think about it?" Steve said.
Skye nodded. "Okay."
Steve opened his arms
Skye sat up and hugged him
He hugged her tight and kissed her head. "You are loved. Remember that."
Skye smiled and nodded. "I know. I love you, too, Daddy."
Steve smiled and let her go, getting up and leaving her room.
"Tell Yelena I said thank you," Skye said before she curled back up and watched her comfort show on her dad's tablet.
Steve delivered the message to Yelena before he sat back down on the couch.