LIGHTNING ▷ BUCKY BARNES [UNDER EDITING]

12| TRAINING

Valerie threw hard punches left and right until the punching bag, hanging from the ceiling, fell down to the ground. She stared at the blue bag on the ground, not feeling like picking it up and continuing the boring routine that made her knuckles ache in pain. She sighed, knowing that she at least had to pick it up and hang it against the ceiling again even if she wasn't going to continue her training.

"You know you're supposed to punch it and not stare at it, right?" someone from behind asked her, she didn't even have to turn around to know it was Bucky Barnes. She chuckled softly, it was almost unhearable but Bucky heard it and a small smile appeared on his face. He watched how Valerie crouched down and picked up the bag before standing back up and hanging it against the ceiling. When she turned around Bucky quickly made his smile fade away as he awkwardly crossed his arms over each other. "How were the pancakes?" he asked, making Valerie sigh dramatically. "I dropped the plate so I couldn't eat it," she confessed and just like him she absentmindedly crossed her arms. Both of them tapped their fingers against their arms, forming a beautiful rhythm and once they acknowledged the song-like rhythm they started laughing. They both haven't laughed in a long time and they felt at ease when they heard their own laughter, knowing that they're still capable of doing that. "So, James," Valerie started, trying to replace the silence between them. But before she could continue talking, the man cut her off, "Bucky." he insisted which made Valerie nod, "Bucky," she repeated, earning a grateful smile from him. Valerie's head was overwhelmed with thoughts, the bad ones overshadowing the good ones. Bucky Barnes seemed like a great guy, he just had a bad history that had intertwined with her life, but she didn't want to blame him. After all, HYDRA was the enemy and not him. It would take time, Valerie knew that, but she wanted to move past it and see Bucky as a friend and not an enemy. That's why she proposed to spar with him, and because he wanted Valerie not to see him as the opposition he accepted.

Sparring with Bucky was also a way to let out all of her anger that she still had boiled up inside of her because of him. Punching the man who had the same face as the man who stabbed her was great to cope with the frustration that she felt. But instead, that feeling intensified as Bucky wouldn't allow her to hit him, blocking every punch and kick coming his way. "At least-" she huffed loudly, wiping sweat beads off her forehead with the back of her arm before she tried to throw a punch at the man's face who easily blocked her incoming fist,

"let me-" seeing an opportunity as Bucky held both his arms up to block Valerie's fist, she saw the open and unprotected space around his stomach. Her knee flew up in a second and before Bucky could drop his arms to stop her attack, her knee made contact with his lower abdomen, making him puff out a painful breath before he leaned forwards as he clutched his stomach. "hit you." she finally finished, letting a soft but content sigh escape her lips.

After a painful couple of seconds Bucky finally recovered, standing back up straight and smiling down at Valerie sheepishly, "Okay, you won." he exclaimed only to receive a chuckle from the girl, "You let me win." she stated, her arms were  outstretched towards the man whom gratefully took her smaller hand in his. "I didn't." he huffed as he jumped back up from the floor. His hand lingered just too long in hers but neither of them retreated back their hand as they just stared into each other's eyes with an amusing smile on their lips. "One day I will beat you fair and square," "I'd like to see you try." he finally confessed before he pulled back his hand from hers and took a step away from her, respecting the time and space that Valerie needed.

The brunette nodded shortly at the man, wiping her once intertwined hand on the fabric of her pants to get rid of the sweat before she walked passed him. His back was turned to her when she walked away, and when she looked back she noticed how his metal arm was flexed against his tight shirt, harder than his others arm. The metal shone under the lights of the sports hall and under the short sleeve of his shirt, she noticed the bottom half of a red star peeking out. His fingers on that same arm curled and stretched a couple of times before he himself turned around to face Valerie once again. And she finally left giving him an empathetic smile on her way out.

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