stamina (bucky barnes)

31

dedicated to @ineedhughs  ❤️

"Come back!"

Bucky woke up sweating and gasping. His hair was sticking to his neck and he tore his shirt from his body and tossed it across the room.

Bri quickly sat up and asked him if if he was okay. Her voice was muted in his ears because the only thing he could hear was his rapid heartbeat. He squeezed his eyes shut and clenched his hands in his hair. She knew not to keep poking him with questions, so she did the next thing she could think of.

Bucky didn't even notice Bri getting out of bed as she headed straight towards the bathroom. He didn't even hear the running water and the scent of his favorite bath bomb until she carefully tried to pull his hands out of his hair.

"Hey, baby." She softly spoke. Bri leaned down and tried to meet his eyes. "You're okay and you're safe. Can we get you cleaned up?"

He let her take action, letting his eyes follow her movements as she pulled his hair into a bun. He watched her gather his damp shirt from the corner of the room and pull the sheets from the bed after he stood up.

"C'mon, sweetheart." She held out a hand patiently. Bri knew everyone's preferences for dealing with mental health were different and she knew Bucky liked to calm down at his own pace. It was something that he had control of sometimes. "Tell me five things you can see."

"You, my shirt, your lamp, my water bottle, and my blue blanket." His eyes searched the room quickly and he spat out the first things he could think of.

"Four things you can feel?"

Bucky gulped and held onto her arm instead of grabbing her hand. Bri tried to hide her smile as he was clinging to her, knowing he needed maximum comfort. "My wet hair, your hoodie, your hand, and your bracelet."

She led him towards the tub, "Three things you can hear?"

"The water dripping, our footsteps, and the ceiling fan."

"Good, Bucky. How about two things you can smell?"

"Cherries and my armpits."

Bri held her breath as she tried not to laugh. She caught sight of his scrunched up nose as he came to his senses and she turned to leave so he could get undressed. "Tell me one good thing about yourself."

Bucky thought for a second and looked down at his feet. "I am good at learning new things and adapting to new situations."

"I'm going to go get you some clean clothes while you get in the bath. Are you okay with that?" She asked in the most nonchalant way, holding a hand behind her back to give him privacy as he handed her his sweatpants.

Bucky let out a quiet breath and thanked her silently since she didn't question his answers. He was grounded and safe.

She didn't receive an answer, but when she heard the sloshing of water and a quiet sigh, she turned back around. Bucky gave her a nod and kept his eyes on the dark pink water running through his fingers.

His nightmare consisted of an engagement party that he couldn't escape, but it wasn't a party for him. All he could remember was trying to find a door out, but everywhere he turned he could see Bri and Steve showing off a big, fat diamond in his face. Bucky was almost screaming in his dream, pleading Bri to come back to him so she wouldn't leave, but he wasn't heard. He couldn't get the image of Steve's arm so comfortably wrapped around Bri and how she lovingly gazed at him out of his head.

He felt pathetic. His dreams weren't of torture and murder, but they were now making him question his future. How long would it be before Bri realized she was too good for him? How long would it be until she realized Steve probably was the better option for her?