#wovenwidow

❛ Stop talking like that. Пожалуйста. ❜ The smile that was on Bucky's lips when he found Nat alive begins to fade at her words. He is careful when he pulls her into his lap that he does not worsen any wounds. His right hand moves to rest on the side of her face while his left arm remains securely around her. He's determined to get her out of there –– alive.

❛ Останься со мной. Просто немного дольше. ❜ He's whispering to her, rocking her ever-so-slightly, as if to attempt to comfort her.

❛ Keep your eyes open, okay? Talk to me. ❜ Bucky looks around amidst the rubble in an attempt to find a way out of there. He can hear the sounds of battle below, knowing if he didn't move quickly, the two of them might be found and re-engaged.

As if on cue, or sent by some divine timing, Bucky spots Wanda in the distance. Or, perhaps, Wanda spots them. She rushes over as soon as she sees Natasha on the ground, red illumination carrying her several yards in mere seconds.

' What happened? ' She crouches down at Bucky's side, her hand instinctively reaching out to hover over one of Natasha's visible wounds. ❛ I need to get her out of here. ❜ He ignores Wanda's inquiry entirely. There is no time for such questions now. ❛ Can you clear a path for me? ❜

Wanda's brown curls whip around as she turns to glance at the nearest exit. It's a long-shot, but as long as they all move quickly, she's almost certain she can do it. With a nod, she stands upright.

' Yes. But you must move. Quickly. Go! ' She doesn't waste a single moment before launching herself into a defensive position.

And so, Bucky scoops Natasha up in his arms, trying not to focus on the intense beating of his heart as he watches her fade in and out of consciousness. All the while, he reassures her, trying to keep her awake as he darts towards cover as quickly as he can.

Bucky nods at first, but then his eyebrows furrow in confusion. It isn't the first time Nat has said something confusing by any means, but the nonchalant tone she delivers the sentence in throws him for a loop. ( For any reason... but only if it's important? ) Surely, there's some dissonance in that reasoning. So, it's needless to say he's getting some mixed signals.

He opens his mouth, then closes it, then opens it again. Nat has already turned to leave at this point, but Bucky sees her lingering in the doorway a bit. ( Ah, she's expecting a comeback. ) He contemplates not giving her one, but that wouldn't be very much like him, now would it?

So, he simply whips his phone out, dials Nat's number, and waits for it to ring. He watches the look on Nat's face as she takes her phone out and presses it to her ear.

❛ Excuse me, dear, pardon me, dear. ❜ Bucky mumbles under his breath, which elicits a stink eye from Nat, before he moves out of the way. Objectively, it truly wasn't that serious, but in terms of their snack situation, it certainly was. Nat makes her way to the pantry and pulls down a bag of chips, spinning around to find Bucky standing right in her path. Again. This time, though, he has his hands on his hips in defiance.

❛ Uh, last night? ❜ He's lying, and it's evident he's lying. If it wasn't obvious by the way he was slumped over the table, with his arms crossed and his head fighting to stay upright, it was evident by the bags under his eyes.

Truth be told, Bucky hated sleep. The nightmares plagued him –– innocent faces flashing before his eyes, atrocities that he could feel happening at his fingertips. It was all too real for him. It was all too familiar to him.

So, every night, he'd fight sleep, as hard as he could. Even if it meant he gets up in the middle of the night and walks around; even if it meant laying in bed with his eyes open, staring at the ceiling. He'd do anything not to sleep. Sometimes sleep would win, and the nightmares would return.

❛ Yeah, that movie put me right to sleep last night. You weren't kidding when you said it was boring. ❜ Another lie. He did hate the movie, but he also watched it all the way through. And all the sequels.

Eventually, Bucky waves his hand. He sits upright now and crosses his arms over his chest for a moment. Upon the realization that Nat isn't going anywhere, he clears his throat and reaches for his coffee, which he made hours ago. ( It's cold now. ) He raises the drink to his lips and takes a sip before looking back up at her out of the corner of his eye.