Kiss Me Better

24

You waited a few minutes to calm down before joining the others, and immediately found Bucky's eyes focused on you, waiting to see how you were going to respond to what he'd just done. You were taken aback by the intensity of his stare, but managed a grin that allowed him to visibly relax and send you one in return.

All throughout dinner, you kept stealing glances and exchanging smiles, none of which went unnoticed by Steve or Wanda. When you finished, he quietly offered to take your trash along with his, and brought you a fresh drink afterward. Unable to wait any longer, you excused yourself for the night and quickly settled into your sleeping bag, running over everything that'd happened in the past several days.

Your thoughts were interrupted, however, when Nat and Wanda entered the tent.

"Ok, you're going to tell me what the hell's happening with you and Barnes," Natasha said as she started to change. "As if things weren't weird enough before, this has my head spinning and it's pissing me off that I can't figure it out."

Wanda gave her a pitying look, knowing how hard it was for her to just admit it. "You can't expect to when Loki's involved. It could've been anything," she comforted.

They climbed into their own sleeping bags, looking to you expectantly.

"Look, I can't. All I can tell you is I thought we were making progress. For almost the whole month it was just us two. I was wrong. He made it clear we never would be friends, but then he's..." you trailed off, alluding to what had just happened outside. "I want to believe he means it, but I can't be sure, and I don't think I'll be able to handle it i-"

"Shh!" Natasha abruptly stood, reaching for her gun. "Hear that?" she whispered.

"I don't hear anything," Wanda replied.

"Exactly."

You listened hard and noticed the complete silence; no crickets, no birds, not even a breeze. Quickly slipping your shoes on, you and Wanda followed Nat out of the tent, finding Clint and Bucky already outside looking for anything strange. Tony was the last one out, blaster at the ready.

"Uh, guys? Who spilled the chips?"

As if on cue, everyone's gaze fell to the ground, which was littered with potato chips. There was a cawing from a nearby tree breaking the eerie silence before a fluttering of wings grew louder. A crow landed and started pecking at a chip, occasionally looking up and cawing. Sam stepped forward and tried to shoo it away, but the crow only walked far enough away to avoid getting hit.

There was another fluttering, and another crow joined the first. Then another, and another. More fluttering came, but this time is was multiplied. Before you knew it, there were crows flying all around you, causing you all to either duck or take cover. Somehow, you were able to scramble out of the bird tornado without a scratch. Before you could begin to think on how to help your friends, you felt hot air repeatedly hit the back of your neck.

Turning slowly, you came face to face with a bear.

"Shit," you whispered. "Don't yell, don't run," you advised yourself quietly, taking a step back. "No eye contact. Just back away, nice and easy." Your heart began to beat faster when the bear matched you step for step, not letting you get any distance. Your only option was to get to a tree, and hope you could climb it quicker than it would take the bear to swat you off it, but you didn't dare look away from it to find one you could easily climb.

The bear snapped its teeth at you and kept snorting in your face, stomping its front paws on the ground aggressively. Just as it began to bellow, a flash of hair and metal swept past you and tackled it, sending them both tumbling far enough away that you could see the others had escaped the swarm as well.