Bucky was beating the ever-living shit out of a punching bag when Bruce found him. Bruce watched quietly as Bucky's fists pounded the state-of-the-art bag Tony had put into the gym. The inventor had even used extra bracing to make sure Steve couldn't punch it right off the ceiling.

But now, Bruce noted, the bag was squeaking ominously and, he squinted, yep, one of the screws was dangerously loose.

Bucky got in two more punches before Bruce gently cleared his throat.

Bucky stopped immediately and dropped into a defensive stance, his eyes darting all over the room. Bruce shot him a small smile and Bucky relaxed (marginally).

"Sorry," Bucky said, slightly sheepish, falling back into a regular stance, "I just get-"

Bruce waved him off, "I understand. Don't apologize for your natural instinct."

Bucky rubbed awkwardly at the back of his neck, wincing when the cold metal touched sweaty flesh. He shoved his hand into the pocket of his sweats, "Am I late for a team whatever?"

Bucky's tone tried for nonchalant, but Bruce could practically hear the nervous energy vibrating off of him. Bucky wanted so desperately to be normal, to not feel like an outsider. Something he shared with Bruce.

"You're not late for anything," Bruce reassured. He paused, considering his words carefully, "I've noticed that you spend a lot of time in here. Punching that bag."

Bucky shrugged, "It makes me feel...not better, but in control of something, I guess."

Bruce was nodding before Bucky could even finish his sentence, "I understand. But, I might have a better solution to channel your anxiety."

Bucky didn't say anything, but he perked up slightly. The way his eyebrows raised told Bruce that the other man was at least vaguely interested in what he had to say.

"What do you say about joining me during my yoga sessions?" Bruce asked, subconsciously putting his hands out in a non-threatening manner.

"Okay," Bucky said after a minute of thought.

"Okay?" Bruce repeated; he had been expecting a much bigger argument. Steve had expressed worry that Bucky was shutting himself off.

Bucky nodded, "Can't hurt, right?"

Slowly, Bucky offered up a very tiny smile, anxiety clearly present in his eyes and in the tight set of his jaw.

Bruce smiled back, "No, it can't hurt."

As it happened, Tony needed Bruce immediately for a minor incident in the lab, so Bucky ended up meeting Bruce the next morning for his first yoga session.

"Morning," Bruce said quietly, as Bucky found him by the giant glass windows.

Bucky nodded, his hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his sweats.

"Why near the window?" He asked, tilting his chin towards the glass.

Bruce laid out his yoga mat, a calming shade of light blue, "I like to see the movement of the city. I find it calming. We can face away from them if you want."

Bucky paused and leaned forward a little to look out the window. They were high enough up that all the cars speeding by looked like matchboxes. He could see Bruce's point about how it could be calming. The constant motion worked to hypnotize Bucky, letting him focus on something and nothing at the same time.

"We can face them," Bucky said, "I see your point."

Bruce smiled to himself; Bucky's stance had already shifted to something more relaxed. The former soldier's body was still stiff, but less so than it had been.

Bruce was already barefoot, so he stepped onto his yoga mat. He gestured to the matching foam rectangle, "Go ahead."

Bucky toed off his sneakers and left them in a heap next to the mat. He rubbed his flesh fingers together, a nervous tick Bruce had picked up on weeks ago (he had asked Steve about it. The blond man had sighed and said that was new.).

Bucky stepped onto the mat and wiggled his toes against it.

"We'll start slow," Bruce said serenely. He adjusted his feet to be shoulder width apart and bent at the waist.

He twisted his neck and looked up at Bucky. With an encouraging smile, he said, "Just follow what I'm doing and if you need an explanation, stop me."

Bucky nodded and planted his feet shoulder width apart.

Bruce let his head hang again, "We're just going to start with some warm up stretches."

He let his hands dangle to the ground, fingertips just touching the floor.

Bucky mimicked the pose, feeling the burn in his calves. As Bruce bent lower and had his palms rest on the floor, so did Bucky.

The burning in his calves intensified, but as he stretched more, it subsided.

Bruce folded his legs and sat on the mat. Bucky followed, slightly less gracefully.

Bucky grunted slightly on impact and Bruce smiled slightly to himself.

"How you holding up?" He asked, leaning forward to grab the bottoms of his feet and pressing his nose to his knees.

"Fine," Bucky grunted, getting his own nose within three inches of touching his knees.

"How do you do this so well?" He asked a minute or so later, peeking over at Bruce.

Bruce exhaled a breath slowly, "Practice."

Bucky nodded and followed along as Bruce shifted into a position he called 'downward dog'.

"Oh, this is great!" A laugh came from the entrance to the gym.

From his upside down vantage point, Bucky saw Tony grinning like a fool with his phone out.

"Darcy was looking for a new picture to be the header for her Superhero newsletter," Tony crowed, "I'm sending this off ASAP."

Bucky jumped up and started for Tony, an angry scowl on his face. He hated being laughed at.

Bruce darted on surprisingly nimble feet for Bucky, grabbing at his flesh arm just before he could reach Tony.

"Calm down, Bucky," he said, keeping a firm grip on the formerly brainwashed man's arm. A small, nasty voice in the back of his mind laughed at how ironic it was that Bruce Banner was telling someone else to relax.

Tony, for his part, had wisely stepped back, putting some more space in between himself and Bucky.

"Hey, calm down, Robocop," Tony said, holding his hands up in the universal sign for surrender, "I won't send Darcy the picture. I didn't think it was a big deal."

Bucky wrenched his arm from Bruce's grasp. He growled, "I'm done," and stalked off.

Bruce sighed and shook his head, "Thanks, Tony."

"Why's he so bent out of shape?" Thing shrugged, "I didn't stick his arm in a bucket of water or anything."

Bruce just shook his head, "Tony, you don't get it. Bucky needs something to help him feel like he belongs. This set him back."

He sighed again and headed out of the gym, leaving Tony with his thoughts and his cell phone.

A/N: This is the product of a lot of email flailing with Kavileighanna. I LOVE writing this one, it's lot of fun and something different for me. Each chapter will be a different Avenger joining Bruce and Bucky in yoga.

Drop me a review and let me know what you think! :D