the strongest avenger (2)

ninety two

Peter's face is blurry as he leads me around the halls of Midtown. People pass by us, but I can't make out their faces. The boy is explaining how lunch periods work, but I'm focused on my hands that are clenching and unclenching.

"There are four lunch periods, but we have the last one. Means they're usually out of food which sucks."

"That does suck." I hear myself say.

"And then we only have twenty minutes for lunch, because it's a half period."

"Also sucks."

My hands keep clenching and unclenching. A spark of electricity runs through them. I'm nervous, why am I nervous?

"Last period we have--" His voice fades, his mouth still moving but I can't hear what he's saying.

And then, "Stop."

"Huh?" I ask.

He says it again. "Stop it. Stop."

He keeps saying it, and then he switches.

"No, No, no, no."

Why is Peter's voice changing? It's getting deeper, it sounds like--Oh no.

I wake with a jolt, blinking my eyes up at the ceiling. What a weird dream.

But then I hear the mumbling. Turning my head, I find James twisting and turning, repeating the words no and stop over and over. I push up and lean over him, sweat on his forehead and his skin is clammy.

"James." I shake him. "James, wake up."

I keep shaking him and saying his name, but he just won't wake up.

"Bucky, come on, love. Wake up, please." He continues to say stop and I see a tear leak out of his eye. "Please, wake--"

His eyes snap open and he flips us over so I'm on the bottom, but then his metal arm comes up to my neck. His hand starts to press on my windpipe and my eyes widen.

"James." I croak out, but I'm not reaching him

I try to pull his arm away from my neck, but it's not working and now I'm starting to panic. His eyes, they aren't their usual blue, it's dull and vacant. Nothing.

"Bucky!" I try to yell, but he's choking me and I can barely get any air in.

Flashbacks of my time in space come to mind as I'm in this position, of other people choking me as a punishment, wanting to inflict pain, but James wouldn't do that.

I lift my fingers up to his temple and send a jolt of electricity through his body, watching as his arm falls away from me and he jerks onto his back. I gasp as I try to inhale as much air as I can, I'm so used to breathing air, even though I don't need to, that it feels wrong to be without it. I scramble off the bed, and over towards the wall, glancing at James, a hand to my sore throat.

He groans and sits up, his eyes blinking and moving around the room. He's confused.

"Snow?" He edges towards the bed and I back up a step, watching as his mouth frowns. "What--oh. Oh my God." He visibly pales as he realizes what happened.

"Are you, you?" I ask, my voice hoarse.

He flinches at my question and stands up, walking towards me. I back up to the wall, holding a hand out, the broken pieces of my memories from space filling my mind. The memories of the pain and of what came after. It's all coming back.

"I'm sorry," He croaks out, his voice thick with emotion, but I'm still lost in my thoughts. "I'm so sorry." He falls to his knees in front of me. "I would never hurt you, love. Please, I'm sorry." tears fall freely from his eyes, and I know he didn't mean to do it.