You safe me

Chapter 8 - Fighting without a fight

It's late in the evening and Y/N has changed once again. Now she lounges in front of the window, tail draped around her and ears up. She doesn't listen to the things in the room though. She looks out of the window, gazes over the stars and the cars, listens to the faint noises of honks, people talking and sound the city does at this hour. She misses it a little, to go out and run around, yet, she could just go down to the entrance, and she would be outside. Her gaze falls on a small creature, and she thinks she remembers it. It looks like a thin black cat with a limp. This cat was one of her good friends, and she always gave her something of her food when her leg bothered her too much. She's thinner now. Y/N sits up and leans her head against the glass to follow the cat with her eyes. She walks up and down the street, always only few hundred meters before she turns around and goes back. Y/N wonders if she's waiting for something, if she should go down. "What's so interesting?" Y/N shrieks and hisses while she jumps back and arches her back. She punches with her paw and nearly hits Tony's face with her claws if he hadn't moved fast and backed away. "Wow!" He holds his hands up in surrender and looks shocked at her. "Sorry." Y/N feels her breathing slowing down, but she still glares at the brunette. "I'm sorry!" He cries out and continuous to look at her. "Barnes was right. This look is evil." Satisfied at making Tony uncomfortable she sits down and continues staring at him. To his credit, Tony really looks uncomfortable. He rubs his neck and looks everywhere but at Y/N. "Barnes, eh... he said he wants to see you." Y/N meows and takes a step to him before she throws a last look out of the window. The cat is gone.

Y/N walks along the hall, tempted to remember the way and to find Bucky. She finds him where he usually is; in his room. He sits on his bed and Y/N slips through the open door to join him. "Hey, you. Tony found you, huh?" She meows to answer him and snuggles close to his thigh before she looks at him. He smiles and rubs over her fur before he looks at his feet and clears his throat. "Y/N... I would like to take you down to the gym." Y/N tenses and growls a bit. "I know, I know. But... Come on. You don't need to do anything. Just watch, okay? Can you change?" Y/N watches him warily before she slowly stands up. She walks away from him, all the way to the end of the bed and changes. She sits there and wrings her hands in her lap but avoids looking at him. She hears Bucky sigh, his shuffling as he turns but chooses to ignore that, too. "Y/N. I promise you need to do absolutely nothing. Besides it's important that you know where the gym is. Can't have you getting lost yet again." Y/N's head shoots up in annoyance. "One time, Bucky!" Y/N sighs and glares at Bucky's hair. It's true that she got lost. She was walking through the halls, as cat obviously, to look around and search for Bucky to get some snuggles. Somehow, she lost count of the turned corners and doors she passed. It took the others nearly two hours to find her and by then she was a shivering mess, pressed into a corner with nearly holding a panic attack off. Bucky had needed forty minutes to calm her down and another thirty to get her to change back. "Hey." Y/N stares into his beautiful gray eyes. When did he get so close? When had he cupped her face in his hands?

"It's okay. We just do some easy things and leave after twenty minutes if you want. Nothing serious, nothing that hurts. Okay?"

"I-I..." Y/N stammers and thinks hectically. She doesn't want to spar. She doesn't even want to go anywhere near the gym. She was beaten up often enough in her life and that was by strangers. She doesn't need someone, who is her friend, to beat her up as well. "Y/N?"

"Hm?" Her voice is shaky, and she doesn't trust it for more.

"It's okay. We can just go down and watch Sam getting his ass handed to him by Nat." At that her lips twitch to a small smile. Bucky smiles, too before he wraps his arms around her in a hug. "You should stop worrying about everything, doll."

"Hm." Y/N hums again and snuggles closer into his embrace.

They stay for a bit like that until Bucky draws back. "Ready?" Y/N nods and quickly changes back to. Bucky looks at her for a second, but he says nothing. Y/N is grateful for that. Each time she changes and no one complains he gets the feeling that she could change into a crocodile in the middle of watching a movie and no one would complain or say something.