Sid woke gently, albeit groggily. As her eyes blinked lazily in the darkened room, she felt like her bones were made of molasses and she really didn't want to move, but something was different. She felt cold.

She shifted slowly, the fluffy comforter she fought tooth and nail for was puffed up around her like a nest where she found her refuge. She couldn't shift one way, so she tried the other and when her hand extended out into the darkness, seeking something, it managed to fail. She frowned heavily, her sleepiness making it even harder to tolerate even the slightest discomfort, and slowly sat up, pushing the comforter out of her way until she was finally free and she saw what she'd been missing. She rubbed at her eyes a little to clear up the picture and sighed softly.

To say their apartment at the new facility was big was a grievous understatement. It housed two massive super soldiers and a galaxy personified with egos and attitudes to match. Luckily, out in the middle of nowhere, upstate New York, there was land a plenty within its dense forrest like atmosphere. Within the facility, their shared room was the only real permanent residence as most Avengers past or present usually had places to go and people to see. Bucky, Sid, and Steve really only had each other.

It was a warm and familiar space by now, lived in and cherished because it held the people that made it home. Their bedroom was dark aside from a single pane of the massive reactive window that made up an entire section of the wall. The glass was 100% peeper proof and resistant to an assortment of other more artillery type of annoyances as well, but the view it provided was something that was worth the risk.

Steve sat in front of it, bathed in the soft glow of moonlight as he stared out into the night sky, stars more eager to push through this far away from civilization. His skin was bare, entrenched in the glittering fragments and providing a canvass for shadows far too beautiful for Sid to ever really comprehend. But after the last few months they had, she didn't think she'd ever want to stop trying.

There was a soft giggle that bubbled out of her lips, watching Steve stare out into the winter landscape, blanketed by a thin layers of snow that might not make it through the night.

"Winter is coming…" She whispered softly.

Then there was an exaggerated groan that sliced through the moment and snapped Sid out of her sniggering and side job of visual worship of her very own American Adonis.

"Not yet, he's not." Bucky growled, sounding determined though he was always baleful towards being woken up before he was ready — unless by a hand on his cock or the shimmy of hips against his own.

She smiled fondly at the lump next to her, splayed out in all directions, with nothing but a corner of sheet hiding a perfectly rounded ass from those in the presence of it, who were naturally disappointed.

"Come back to bed Steve, your brooding woke us up." Bucky croaked refusing to open his eyes.

Sid chuckled softly, basking in the light hearted, yet gloriously commonplace, teasing as Steve stood up with a smug little grin. As he walked forwards, the shadows creeping in from the night outside carved out definition in his shoulders, neck, and arms that made her think people who believed in heaven might not have much difficulty proving it with a specimen like this. His journey ended rather quickly as he climbed back into bed, on Sid's other side and tugged her softly to lay down with him. Sid reached out and tapped on Bucky's metal shoulder, stretching as far as Steve would allow to wrap her fingers around part of his bicep and start tugging.

He eagerly shifted, crawling up to meet them face to face as languidly as possible, while his fingers ghosted along the space where Steve and Sid's bodies were already pressed against one another, seeking solace.

Bucky joined them in the simple comfort, scooting himself against Sid to snuggle and slipping an arm beneath her pillow so he could run his fingers along Steve's arm. He felt himself just fall into place, his face just inches away from Steve's while she nestled between them below their chins.

Steve and Bucky smiled at each other in the moonlight, revealing something of themselves that they never dreamed they'd understand. Their relationship was new and exciting, but it was a familiar sort of intimacy, like it'd been there all along and was just now evolving into something so much better.

There was so much facing them as time continued to pass. The Avengers Facility was finally settling into itself. Steve was heading the new team now that Tony had chosen to "retire." He and Bucky were tasked with training the newest members of the Avengers alongside Natasha and Clint. Sid had decided to truly dedicating herself to proper education and was going to start attending Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters Who Missed Out Originally And Are Now Playing Catch Up And Need A GED. She hung around the new facility on her days off, participating in a handy way during training sessions and teaming up with Wanda and Natasha to beat up on some super heroes resulting in quality gal pal time. She even advised Wanda who had become accidental teacher to Vision as he worked through adjusting to living with humans, and strange ones at that.

There was still an underlying tone of tension skittering around in the world and Steve was buzzing with all of the eventualities he wanted to plan for.

A hand touched Steve's face and his eyes focused on Bucky again, who was watching him with bemusement.

"What's going on?" Bucky asked softly, his voice rumbling and causing Sid to stir between them, adjusting herself like a cat and getting comfortable.

Steve smiled gently, closing his eyes to focus on the feeling of them all together, intwined and feeling whole, "There's still so much to do."

Bucky sighed but then nodded, "We'll make it work."

"I'm just worried about what's coming next." Steve added tiredly.

"You think its been too quiet?" Bucky asked almost incredulously.

"Whenever you're not punching someone in the face it feels too quiet." Sid mumbled.

Steve gave a soft scoff and rolled his eyes, "Tony's keeping Secretary Ross et al. at bay for now, but we don't know how long that'll last."

"You don't think they're satisfied with the Inquiry." Bucky admitted softly, a hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Well, we weren't entirely truthful about your recovery process." Steve shifted slightly, snuggling up against the person they left out of their reports. He sighed softly, trying to release the knot in his gut, "They weren't aware of your whereabouts until you showed up in Sokovia by my side. I doubt they'll be able to figure out much else."

"Those aren't the secrets I'm worried around. Its what they already know…" Bucky grumbled resolutely, his lips pressing against the crown of Sid's head as she sighed. "If they come for me, you need to let them take me and you have to protect her."

"Don't talk like that, Buck. Ross will have to get through me and the rest of the Avengers to get to you." Steve practically snarled. "You're not the threat they should be concerned with."

"Excuse you," Sid interjected with a yawn, "but I just got upgraded from Zero to 'Take the other one' barely a few months ago." Her voice was stubborn and she sounded like a child woken from a nap, "We didn't even celebrate the fact that I was chosen for abduction by faceless henchmen instead of The Winter Soldier and Captain America." She rolled so the she could look up at the both of them with a pantomime of a hurt scowl, "I'm kind of a big deal."

"This again?" Bucky groaned and rolled his eyes, secretly thankful for the shift in conversation.

"We'll never hear the end of that will we?" Steve sighed tiredly.

Sid grinned wide at their responses, "What I'm saying is, none of us are innocent here. We can't protect each other from our sins. That's sort of half of why it all works." She stretched up and kissed both Bucky then Steve gently on their jaw lines. "If they come, they come. We'll fight back again and again." She shrugged, "We got shit to do. Worlds to save." Her grin turned slick, "Beds to break in."

Bucky smirked, "You don't think it'll be a little difficult to form a healthy relationship with numerous National Governments and assorted leagues of villainy breathing down our necks?"

Sid scoffed, "I mean, if you wanna be a pessimist…"

Steve just chuckled, "Yeah, we'll figure it out." He snuggled himself back into the bed and got comfortable.

Bucky looked at him while Sid settled between them again, Steve's arm curled around her waist and her legs fought to entangle themselves with Bucky's so she could warm her toes against his feet. Sid muttered, "And how we gonna do that, oh captain my captain?" She finished with a yawn.

Steve scooted himself closer and leaned in, pressing his lips to Bucky's softly. He pulled back and placed a kiss on the top of Sid's head and muttered, "Together…"

And with that word, there was a sense of peace that had long been absent in the hearts of Sid, Steve, and Bucky. The weight of their collective suffering was enough to choke a bear, but as they curled into one another, their breaths easing and falling into a familiar rhythm, their hearts beating to a common tune, they fell asleep, comfortable and happy in the moment and confident they would survive another day as long as they had each other.