Avengers Preferences

Nightmares

James Buchanan "Bucky" Barnes/The Winter Soldier: Even though the repeated brainwashing at the hands of H.Y.D.R.A. removed the majority of Bucky's memories, he still retained enough to have nightmares. He can never recall them when he's awake, but when he's asleep they come looming out of his subconscious to haunt his dreams. Phantom faces without names, all of them twisted in terror and pain, will jolt him out of his sleep, and it often takes hours - and cups of hot tea - to calm him enough for him to sleep again. Even though your sleep pattern is ruined, you bite back the yawns and complaints. If this is the price of love, you'll pay it.

Tony Stark/Iron Man: Despite the strength presented by his superhero persona and its moniker, Tony is a haunted man. Exhaustion and occasionally alcohol can put him into a coma state of rest, but he often wakes up sweating and terrified. His descriptions of the nightmares are vague, though you've been able to gather that they involve death and the destruction of everything he's put his life towards. You're not entirely sure how to comfort him against that - it's a real possibility - so you do your best and remind him that his kingdom still stands, and that you'll stay with him even if it falls.

Loki: Both of you have nightmares, though Loki's are more frequent. The things that he has done and seen are not without repercussions, and they come to him in sleep, when he is the most vulnerable. You yourself are not innocent when it comes to war and death, and your night terrors center around those experiences. Together you're quite the pair, and know that you can always find and receive comfort in each other, usually in the form of gentle words and soothing touches.

Bruce Banner/The Incredible Hulk: Bruce's nightmares are all snippets of memories from the times when the Hulk has taken control. You're fairly certain that he has more than you know about - he's better than you'd like at hiding his demons. But whenever you wake to find his side of the bed empty, you go to find him to let him know that he doesn't have to face his fears alone anymore.

Steve Rogers/Captain America: Both of you being assets for S.H.I.E.L.D. means that both of you have done things that you aren't exactly proud of. Harsh but necessary decisions that were the better of two bad choices sink sharp claws of doubt into your insecurities late at night and leave you double guessing yourself. Steve dreams most often about losing Bucky - twice - and crashing the aircraft to end the war. When missions have you spending hard nights apart, you rack up your phone bills by talking until you can go back to sleep.

Pietro Maximoff/Quicksilver: It's almost a given that Pietro has nightmares, after the harshness of his childhood. He often cries out in Russian and will bolt halfway across the room before waking himself up and sheepishly returning to bed. You are tormented by the memories of patients that you couldn't save - from children and those in their prime, to the middle aged and the elderly. Though you and Pietro can't really understand each other's night terrors, you can still sympathize and stay up together, often watching movies until you fall back to sleep.

Thor: If Thor has nightmares, you don't know about them. He sleeps like a rock, but somehow always knows when your own dreams have you in distress. Whenever you wake, shaking and crying with phantom pains tingling in your hands and feet, he's up soon after. His large hands will run soothing patterns over your back until you doze off again, curled up in the safety of his arms.

Clint Barton/Hawkeye: Whenever bad dreams have you up in the middle of the night, you typically pace around your apartment and listen to music. When Clint came along, that changed. He'll pull you back to bed and calm your restlessness by singing. You were pleasantly surprised to find that he has a good voice, and you've frequently fallen back to sleep to the strains of "Goodnight My Someone" or "Stay Awake."