The past seven days had felt like seven weeks. How it had only been just a week since the memories hit everyone was unreal, but then again what was truly unreal were the memories themselves. It wasn’t the first time he’d gained memories, but this was the first time they were from his future instead of his past. For someone who had spent three-fourths of his life living between cryostasis and from behind the barrel of a sniper’s rifle, this new set of memories was unlike anything he’d ever experienced.
He’d checked in on some friends on and off, Steve especially, to see how they were dealing with what happened. As expected, no one was dealing all too well, and really if he was honest, neither was he. He’d been gifted a second chance, both in Atlantis and back home, with no longer a threat of his mind not being his own only to have it taken away by a being who wanted to do away with half the population of the entire universe.
Bucky could remember his body feeling unusually light but the gun in his hand feeling unusually heavy. He remembered calling out Steve’s name and the feeling of fading away. Then… nothing. He’d woken back up in Atlantis, and it was all like a very real dream.
Most of his routines stayed the same since it was easier to stay in a focused mindset that way. His mind often wandered during the runs that became longer and the workouts that became a bit more intense. He’d just ran through some of the trails around the lake when he decided to take a short break. The sun was starting to peek out from the trees, and most of Atlantis was probably still asleep or barely awake. Bucky sat down on one of the benches overlooking Atlantis Lake and rested for a moment as he tried to focus on his heartbeat and his breathing instead of the swirling thoughts going on inside his mind.
Sharon felt like she was in the minority of people from their world who hadn’t gotten a new set of memories, but looking at the way it was affecting people around her, she thought maybe it was a good thing she didn’t have the memories. She’d heard enough from others to know it was bad and she knew her boyfriend well enough to know that he wasn’t quite as okay as he’d claimed when he told her he was okay. Physically, maybe he was, but otherwise she wasn’t so sure.
She was out for an early morning run of her own when she spotted him on the bench and she slowed her steps to take a seat next to him. “Looks like we both had the same idea,” she said with a smile.
Hearing someone behind him, Bucky looked up and smiled when he saw Sharon coming towards him. “Looks like,” he replied and scooted over to make a little more room for her on the bench. He’d given Sharon a brief rundown of what happened, but they hadn’t had a ‘talk’ about any of it. He hadn’t really had one of those with anyone. He wasn’t sure what could be said.
“I figured I might as well take advantage of some of the new trails.” He hadn’t found the one named after him yet, but it was on his list to tackle eventually. “Busy day planned?”
“About the usual,” she answered. “Reports from last month’s mission, research on leads to one of the tools we haven’t found yet.” She made a face. Paperwork wasn’t her favorite by any means. “Luckily, having an assistant now means I can push some of my creepy piles on her,” she joked. Really, it wasn’t so bad. She just missed being in the field sometimes and would generally rather be doing something active than paperwork and research. It was one of the reasons she liked to go running. The activity felt good.
“What about you? Busy day of training?” she asked.
“Sounds exciting,” He said, teasing her a bit. Bucky knew how much she’d rather be in action rather than stuck behind a desk dealing with the administrative part of her job, but he also knew she was good at getting things done when it was needed no matter what it was. He admired that about her and appreciated the dedication she had for the job.
“We have a scheduled training session this afternoon, but nothing until then. Though, that probably doesn’t mean I won’t do some on my own, but that’s become a regular occurance.” It was easier for him to work things out in his mind during a workout. Usually. There were some days, including ones like today, where he was only faced with more questions.
“I was thinking of taking some laps in the pool either before or after I’m supposed to meet the team.”
“Believe it or not, I actually miss those workouts,” Sharon said, laughing a little. She still made time for some exercise, but her schedule was a lot different now than it had been when she’d been leading one of the teams. As much as she enjoyed working with Becker, sometimes she did miss it.
She nodded at his plans to swim some laps in addition to this morning’s run and whatever exercise was in store for the team later. “Your day sounds a lot more exciting than mine. You wanna trade?” she asked half-jokingly.
“Come join us sometime. I doubt the others would mind, and I’d like having you there,” Bucky offered. It wasn’t unusual and they would work out together just the two of them, but he knew that there was a difference in team workouts. “I doubt I’d be very good at the administrative part of your job,” he said with a small smile.
Looking back out at the lake, he still had a lot on his mind but felt a lot more relaxed than when he’d first started the day. Putting an arm around Sharon, he sighed a little. “It’s too bad every day doesn’t start out this peaceful,” he said.
“You don’t think you’d like sitting at a desk and reading through everyone’s mission reports?” she teased, leaning into him when he put his arm around her. The view of the lake was beautiful, as it always was, but the company made it even nicer.
“Maybe we should just call in sick,” she half-joked. “We could rent a boat, maybe do some waterskiing.”
Bucky made a face but smiled at her. “No, I can’t say that I’d enjoy that part of the job.” He doubted that she enjoyed it much either, but it was one of those parts that had to be done by someone one way or another. He was content with his position as a team lead for now.
“You know, that’s not a bad idea.” He knew she was likely kidding, but when was the last time either of them had taken a day off. Really taken a day. “I know you probably have to check in this morning, but let’s take the rest of the day. I like the sound of renting a boat and spending more time out here. What do you say?”
Sharon had been joking, but the more she thought about it, the more the idea really appealed to her. She probably didn’t take nearly enough time away from the office and she doubted Becker would really mind her taking a day, so after thinking about it for a moment, she nodded. “I say let’s do it,” she agreed with a smile.