Feathers

4

It felt extraordinary, you were up ten feet now. Feeling the air rush under your feet, the way the wind caught in your feathers. Simply amazing, the feel of using them for their intended purpose, not just for getting in the way. You couldn't help the smile that crossed your face, you closed your eyes relishing in the moment.
"Stunning." Bucky whispered to himself as he watched you ascend upward. You looked like an angel, your features soften, that dazzling smiling. Even the way the wind lifted your hair. Everything about you was the most amazing thing he had ever seen in his long life.
Then you felt it, a twinge, the muscle in your left wing. It spasmed as it decided it was done cooperating with you. The muscle cramped down, the fluid motion stopped. Suddenly you dropped from the sky, crashing back down to the ground. Your feet took the impact, and sharp pain sprang through your right ankle.
You crumpled in a heap at Bucky's feet, wings sprawled out over you, as you clutched your ankle tightly.
Tears threatening to fall, you glared at your wing from under your canopy of feathers.
"Y/n." Bucky's words full of worry as he gently lifted the large feather cover appendage. It was heavier then he thought it'd be. "Are you okay?"
You looked him, still holding your ankle in pain. You brushed your cheek with your shoulder attempting not to look as pathetic as you felt.
   "My ankle really hurts." You whine, he reached up under the wing, crawling in to you. He place his shoulder in your arm pit, and slowly start to stand helping you to your feet.
    "Let's get go back inside, I'll take a look at it." He stated as he helped you back inside the building. Bucky got you into the kitchen, you leaned on the island as he rushed to the bathroom to find a first aid kit. You turned on your good foot to look where he had gone.
The top of your wing knocked the hanging over head light, loosening it from the chain that held it in place. Suddenly one side sprang free, and swung, hitting you at the crown of your head. 
You started to stagger back, as pain spread across your face. The minute you put pressure down on your ankle it gave, you crumpled down to the floor in a pool. The other wing seemed to have decided it could out do its companion. Some how it managed to catch up under the cupboard as you had started to fall ripping it open and knocking half of the glasses out.
When Bucky returned he found the ceiling light hang from one side, the door to the cup board wide open. A mess of glass on the floor and you sitting in the middle. Your forehead bleeding, ankle a light purple and swollen, and you with most pissed off look on your face. You blew the strand of your hair out of your face as you looked up at him.
     "Do I dare ask what happened?" He stifled a laugh, walking over. The sound of glass crushing under his shoes, as he reached down to help you to your feet.
     "They have a mind of their own, and they hate me." You reply coldly, looking down at the glass.
    "Wrap your arms around my neck, I lift you out of the glass." He told you, hesitantly you did as instructed. You inhaled deeply, catching a whiff of him. He smelled of sweat but in a good way, and a hint of something you couldn't put your finger on.
Bucky lifted you with ease, wrapping a powerful arm around your back. You could feel the muscles in his chest and arms tighten against you, your breath caught in the back of your throat. He walked out of the glass toward the couch, he gently set you down once he got got there. Slowly releasing you from his strong embrace.
     "Sit down." He asked softly, you slowly sat down on the cushions, he sat on the coffee table opposite of you and tenderly lifted your ankle. His fingers ghosting across the bruised skin, pain was still coursing through you from it. He placed it gently in his lap as he turned and opened the first aid kit. "I can't tell if it's broken or not. But I don't think it is from that height."
    "It didn't feel like it snapped or anything." You say, watching as his fingers quickly pulled the ace wrap from the box.
     "That's good, cause I don't know how to work Tony's equipment in order to take an x-ray." Carefully he wrapped your ankle, slowly taking his time. You studied him, his face was cast down as he worked on your ankle. The tip of tongue peeking out every now and again.
    "How do you know Tony?" You finding yourself asking as he finished. His head snapped up, locking eyes with you. You had never seen such blue eyes in your life, the intensity behind them.
     "Uh, that's a long story. Short version is my friend knows him, and I needed a place stay." His word came out tense, his eyes lifted to the cut on your forehead. "I should clean that up as well."
     "Clean what?" You lifted your hand up, fingers brushing the cut. You hiss when they make contact. Slowly you removed them and brought them back to down to eye level. They came back, slick with blood from the open wound. "Oh"
     "Does that happen a lot, where they don't cooperate?" He asked tenderly as he open the alcohol swab, wiping your forehead gently.
     "More then I care to admit." You sigh with annoyance. You wince as it stings, he stopped and softly blew on the cut.
    "So what happened while you in the air?" He pulled a bandaid out and put antibiotic ointment on it.
    "The wing seized, it cramped up." Your voice was flat, not bothering to acknowledge that the wing was your wing.
    "So, guess you have try it again." He almost murmured to you as the bandaid was placed over your cut. His eyes dropped back to yours. "Maybe find away of strengthening the muscles."
     "And please tell me where am I going to find resources on how to strengthen these things." You snip, not meaning to be rude but talking about them always irritated you.
     "I'm sure we can figure that out." He chuckled, ignoring the ice in your tone.
      "They are useless." You countered.
       "No, they aren't. You were able to get yourself up off the ground with them and they pack one hell of punch. Trust me, your wings aren't useless." You rolled your eyes at his statement.