"Now, be good and don't scream. I don't want to make this more painful for you." The doctor strapped you down and turned the bright fluorescent light above you on, forcing you to squint. Plastic cupped your face as they placed a mask on you, tightening your restraints even further. The doctor dragged over a tray of what looked like sharp and painful tools.
"Now, stay still, I don't want to make any mistakes..."
You sit up, panting, sweating and shaking. Not another nightmare...
You tried to still the violent shaking of your hands, but it was no use. Your throat was dry, and you decided that water was a good idea. Maybe even milk, as Bucky's advice did work the night before. Slowly making your way to the kitchen, you realised your breath was shaky and your heart was racing. So far the nightmares were just getting worse.
Finally at the kitchen, you retrieved a glass from the cupboard and slowly poured yourself some milk, spilling some due to the shaking of your hand.
"You liked the milk trick, huh?" You jumped, finding yourself facing Bucky yet again.
"You're back," you said, and he smiled. "Also, why do you keep doing that? My heart's racing enough as it is." You meant it as a joke, but he frowned slightly as he looks at your hand holding the glass. You tried to still the shaking, but eventually just put your glass on the table as to stop drawing attention to it.
"I'm sorry. Are you okay?" He asks quietly. You nodded, smiling softly to prove your point.
"I think I'm going to go beat up those punching bags again though," you said, and Bucky laughs.
"Haven't you put them through enough pain already?"
I grin, already noticing the shaking of my hands becoming less violent. "Hey, if they don't object to it, I'm not stopping."
This made Bucky laugh even harder. "Well if you don't mind, I might join you."
"Be my guest."
You and Bucky made your way downstairs to the gym. Sleep was probably the better option, but at this point you were scared to close your eyes, and you had found somewhat of a friend in Bucky. As you entered the gym, you eagerly ran up to the punching bag, standing in the stance he had shown you the night before. He took his place next to you, and you started to take your anger out.
Bucky smiled after a while, panting and stepping away from the punching bag. "Not bad, you're definitely getting better. If you keep it up, you could almost be an Avenger." You laughed, also deciding to take a break, wiki nag the sweat from your brow. "Want to try hand-to-hand combat now?" He asks and you nodded. There was no way you'd match him, but it would be nice to fight against something that punched back. And the more self-defense you learnt, the better.
You stood on the mat, facing him, your fists at the ready. He laughs, almost throwing you off guard as he threw his first punch. You ducked at the last second, dodging his blow, when his leg swept out, knocking you off your balance.
Standing up, you stand back in the stance again, this time determined to make the first punch. You threw your fist towards his stomach, but he stepped back, causing you to use more power than you'd intended to. You swiftly dodged a few of his punches, keeping an eye out for his legs. Eventually you decided to take another swing, this time aiming for his arm. He caught you by the wrist, however, pinning your arm against your back and holding the other wrist with a tight grip, preventing you from moving. You tried to use your feet, kicking against his shin, but yet he didn't even flinch. You had lost this round too.
"Okay, okay, I give up!" You surrender, and he releases your arm.
"I will admit, I did try a bit the second round. You're not as bad as I thought." You gave him a look.
"You don't have to lie to me, I know I'm bad." He shrugs, laughing. "If you've never fought before, that's pretty good."
You smiled. "You're the only person who doesn't feel sorry for me, you know."
"Don't worry, they did for me too. Well, those who weren't against me or scared of me. Steve was the only person I could truly trust for a long time." Bucky sits down on one of the benches near the wall. "Thanks for the fight today, by the way, it was fun."
You smiled, noticing your hands had stopped shaking completely. "Thank you, too. It helped take my mind off... things."
He nodded, standing up. "Goodnight, Y/N."
"Goodnight, Bucky."