Autumn jumped when her phone went off. Even though it wasn't set any louder than usual, it seemed much worse than what she was used to. Cautiously, she reached for it. The casing creaked under her fingers, and she held it as gingerly as she could. The light from the screen was nearly blinding.

Is everything too loud and too bright and just too much everything for you too?

Not so much. Noises and light are a little more extreme, yeah, but definitely not overwhelming. I just haven't slept at all since we woke up in the HYDRA base, I've run more miles in the past few days than I have in the past few months, and I've killed seven of Steve's punching bags.

Alexis finished typing that out and went to grab shoes and keys and a few other things. Yeah, she needed to go see Autumn in person.

I haven't slept either.

There was a sharp 'snap' and Autumn's shoulders slumped when she realized she'd cracked the screen of the phone. It still worked, but the crack spider-webbed the surface.

I'll be there in a couple hours. Alexis tucked her phone away and headed down to the garage. Despite her conversation with Steve, she half-expected someone to try to go with her.

Clint looked like he wanted to, but he didn't, yet. He wasn't sure Alexis wanted him to go with her, even though he really wanted to.

Alexis relaxed a little when no one tried to make her do anything, and she got in a car and headed for the mansion. She actually even relaxed on the drive over there, sang with the radio a bit, and nothing got broken.

And when she got there she knocked at the front door, very carefully restraining herself.

Logan was the one who opened the door. Luckily, he knew who Alexis was.

"Good timin'," he said, letting her in. "Professor's about to go spare tryin' t' get Autumn t' talk to anyone."

Alexis managed a grin. "Yeah, not something most people can relate to," she said, stepping in when he moved aside. "Which room is hers?"

"Upstairs, third from the end," Logan said, letting her head towards the stairs.

"Thanks, Logan." Alexis jogged up the stairs and knocked gently on Autumn's door.

"Hey, it's me."

There was silence for a moment, and then the door opened just a little bit. Autumn squinted out, and then opened the door a bit more.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"Hey. You look like hell." Alexis kept her voice down, remembering Autumn's comments about things being too loud.

"I feel like hell," Autumn murmured back, eyes closed against the bright light of the hall. "Haven't slept."

"Yeah, I know." Alexis sat next to her. "It's hard. There's just so much..." She sighed quietly. "Guess we need to find out what to do for you."

"It's all too much," Autumn said quietly. "Too loud. Too bright. Too many smells. Everything."

Alexis nodded. "According to Steve, it just takes some time to adjust," she said quietly. "Time, some punching bags, and a new hobby or two. I started running with him, although I don't know if that will help you. It sounds more like you need something to distract you."

"It's just so overwhelming," Autumn said, eyes tearing a bit. "I had to take a bath because a shower was too uncomfortable, and the towels all felt too rough."

Alexis sighed. "I don't know what we can do about that," she said quietly. "Except give you time to adapt. It sounds like everything is just... amplified, and I don't know how to counter that."

"I don't know how either," Autumn said. She curled up on her bed, putting her head on her arms.

"Maybe we could ask Charles if he could kind of round out the edges for you, give you a bit of time to adjust?" Alexis suggested quietly after a few moments. "Just kind of dull everything, just a little, so that you can at least relax?"

"I thought about it," Autumn admitted. "It would be so easy to let him do that. What if I get dependent on it, though?"

"You don't let yourself. You let him do it long enough for you to relax and get some rest, and just enough to let you rest. You just kind of work up to where you are now in stages. You know Charles wouldn't let you become dependent on it." Alexis shook her head. "I mean, it's the only thing I can think of, since your experience is so different from mine."

Autumn was quiet for a moment.

"It scares me," she admitted finally. "Just... all of it."

"You'll be okay." Alexis hugged her, though gently, trying not to overstimulate her any further. "You will. You'll adjust, and you'll get through it."

Autumn just snuggled a bit closer to Alexis, grateful for the comfort.