Warrior || an avengersxreader fanfiction

chapter seventeen

November, 2015

You wake up at about seven o'clock in the morning and trudge to the kitchen for breakfast. Bucky's in there with a half-eaten candy bar in one hand and a partial water bottle in the other.
"Good morning," He greets.
"G'morning," You reply, still partly sleeping. You open the fridge and grab a bottle of apple juice.
"Want some chips?" He asks, crumbling his candy wrapper. You nod; he hands you a bag of plain chips from the counter behind him. You sit at the table to eat your breakfast while Bucky leans against the counter, doing nothing in particular. Six months ago, or even three months ago, this moment would have felt very awkward for you. But now, you prefer silence. You learned this preference from Bucky. Moments of silence are so frequent that you feel most comfortable in them.

You finish your chips and apple juice. After you throw away your empty bottle and chip bag, you brush your teeth. You walk out to see Bucky sitting on the sofa/your bed.
"You might want to change," He says, looking at the pajamas that you're still wearing. "Are we going somewhere?" You inquire.
"On a run...if you want." Bucky stands. You grab your only pair of long pants and a clean sports bra and make your way to the miniature bathroom.

When you get outside, Bucky starts walking down the sidewalk. A warm-up. After a few hundred feet, he starts jogging. You follow. You have no idea where you're going; you just run beside Bucky. You look at your surroundings as you jog. There are a few smaller buildings, not very many trees, and many faces. You study some faces as you run. You see a woman with three little boys under tent; she seems tired and stressed. You see four men and three women standing in the street; they're searching for something. You see a man selling apples; he looks bored. You're observing a girl about your age talking to her father when Bucky stops. He stands for a quick second before he grabs your arm and sprints to the left in between two buildings. He pulls you down into a dirty puddle, getting your entire left leg and bare side covered in filthy water.
"Wha-" You're cut short by Bucky's right hand holding your mouth shut. You've never seen Bucky like this. He doesn't look scared exactly; he looks anxious with his left arm's gears shifting. Bucky's hand is still covering your mouth while he's watching something outside the alley. He looks at you for a split second when you push his hand away, enabling yourself to breath again. Then he's looking at whatever is across the street again.

Finally, after about five minutes of hiding in the alley, Bucky cautiously walks out, looking left and right.
"What was that?" You ask when you're both on the sidewalk again, speed walking back to the apartment.
"I'll tell you later," He mumbles, glancing around suspiciously at pedestrians minding their own business.

Back in the apartment, you shower and borrow some of Bucky's clothes for the rest of the day. You don't have many clothes, and they're all dirty. You walk out of the bathroom wearing Bucky's T-shirt that is too big but extremely comfortable and his sweatpants that are notably large. Bucky smiles at the sight of his former best friend's daughter, drowning in his clothes.