daybreak. / bucky barnes

6 | BENIGN

(доброкачественный)

   AS GRAY AWOKE, she found herself in a location that she didn't recognize, immediately putting her on high alert. Her feet hit the floor before her mind could comprehend the change, quickly pulling out the knife she kept in a compartment on the side of her backpack that was surprisingly at the end of the couch, next to where she had awoken only moments ago.

No one was anywhere to be seen, and Gray couldn't piece anything together, her nightmares that confused her totally misplaced her thoughts, making it hard to remember anything that has happened in the past few hours.

Her feet shuffled underneath her soundlessly, her arms crossed at the wrist in front of her, one up for defense, and the metal of her other wrapped firmly around the grip of the knife for attack. Her eyes were wide as they wandered the room. She backed cautiously into the kitchen, ducking her head back and seeing no one in there. Where the fuck am I? She thought, her hands clenching harder into fists, her left hand gripping the knife harder.

   Suddenly, the front door opened, a few people walking in and making her lunge forward, staying alert on who it was. Natasha saw her first, Gray looking like a wide-eyed wolf, ready to lunge at all of them any second.

   "Gray!" Nat shouted, putting up a hand, one you would put up as if to ease a scared animal. Gray had to physically keep herself from slashing at the put-out hand. Her memory was so fucked at the moment and her nightmare messed with her head badly. Nat stepped forward, cautiously. Bucky, Sam, and Steve stood behind her, Bucky's eyes were the most wide, having to physically be held back by Steve from stepping in. "Hey, Gray. It's Nat, the fiery red head that can kick ass," Nat said, a slight smirk on her face as Gray stilled, her eyebrows furrowing and closing for a moment in hard, deep thought.

In seconds, she let out a broken noise, dropping the knife to the ground with a loud clank as she found Nat's eyes. "I-I am so sorry. The nightmares just messed with my head and I–I didn't know what to think and, fuck," Gray closed her eyes, mentally kicking herself at her negligence as slumped back down on to the couch, putting her elbows on her knees and putting her face in her hands, groaning loudly. "I'm so fucked up."

Nat frowned, her curls falling in her eyes a little as she sat next to Gray, rubbing her upper back. "No, you aren't. You just have to recover from what happened. We can't expect you to get out of what you experienced and instantly be all put together afterwards. It's okay," Nat said, soothing Gray's angered and frustrated state with her soft, reassuring words.

"I don't remember coming up here. How did I even get up here?" Gray asked, confused. Her eyebrows were furrowed as she lifted her head from her hands, looking over at Nat for an answer. Nat glanced back at Bucky with a jut of her shoulder, explaining, "Bucky carried you up about an hour ago. We figured we would let you sleep while we went and unloaded shit," Nat said, a hint of sympathy hanging on her voice.

It was shocking that Bucky would even consider being kind enough to do so, but, he did nonetheless. Gray looked up, nodding at Bucky in thanks, which he returned. She secretly hoped that he had bettered his mood while she was asleep.

   "What do you guys have to drink? It feels like my throat is a fucking desert right now," Gray said, the cold surface of her hand coming up and gently pressing to somehow ease the discomfort. Her voice was scratchy and her nose scrunched up in discomfort.

   Bucky stepped forward, his hand coming up and pushing his long hair from his eyes in silence and he walked to the kitchen, opening the cabinet and grabbing out a glass. He took it in his hands and turned on the faucet, running the glass under it until it was nearly filled to the brim. Then, quickly shutting it off, he stepped out from the kitchen, walking over to Gray and handing it to her cautiously.