A/N: I'm glad you guys were pleased by the last chapter. For this chapter, I tried to remain as realistic as possible concerning everyone's reactions towards the graduation incident. I think y'all will enjoy it! Let me know what you think!

The first thing I was aware of was a buzzing noise. Then pain. Lots of pain. The air smelled stale and the room felt damp with moisture. My eyes blinked open. The room was barely lit and my head was spinning like dirty clothes in a wash cycle. I felt like something was…off. I took a look at myself gingerly. The only thing I was hooked up to was a blood bag.

My throat constricted in fear and shock. I felt like I had hit the water under the bridge all over again. I ripped the needle from my arms and staunched the flow of blood with my hand. The smell of iron and metallic hit my nose and I felt queasy. I heard yelling from right outside the room that echoed around me. Standing, with barely any balance, I realized I was wearing a really old t-shirt that I could've sworn that I had donated years ago and faded jeans.

"What the hell?" I whispered to myself. My voice didn't sound right.

The door flew open with a bang and none other than Bucky Barnes was standing there with his metal arm extended towards me. His eyes were darting and he reminded me of a skittish cat, claws extended.

"Come. Now." His voice was cold and determined. I could hear yelling down the hallway.

"Soldier?" I squeaked. Solider? I've never called him that.

His metal hand grasped my wrist and tugged me towards him.

"We have to go. I'm getting you out of here." He looked both ways down the hall, deemed it safe and pulled me behind him. I felt sick due to my blood loss. Fear rippled up my body as I heard something coming towards us. He snatched me up in his arms running at a full sprint. I clung to his shirt, desperate to understand what was going on.

He kicked open a door, turned into a room that seemed familiar. Like I had been there before.

"Almost there." He grunted. We came to a giant metal door that had a key code. He placed me down on the ground and punched in a series of numbers. I still clung to him, realizing somehow in this moment that he was my only hope. The door clicked open and he reached for it.

"Where do you think you two are going?" a chilling voice came from behind us. My body started to shake, knowing we were caught. Bucky and I turned to see who had found us; he pushed me behind him. Blood rolled slowly down my arm, but I was zeroed in, frozen in fear.

There was a large group of men standing behind someone with a creepy smile. Rumlow.

I awoke with a gasping breath air heaving in and out of my lungs at lightening speed. I could taste my fear. My head shook from right to left surveying my room searching for danger. It was a clean, respectable hospital room. Looking down at my arms, I saw an I.V. and several monitors hooked up to me, but no blood bag. Relief seeped into my body like tea leaves in water, warm and thick.

"It was a dream. It was a dream. You're okay." My unused voice croaked out to myself in reassurance. But my brain was still reeling. It had seemed… it had seemed so real. And how did I know that man's, the same man from the car, name. Was that even his name? A weird feeling of certainty settled in my gut. I felt as if that was his name. How did I-

My streaming brain lurched to a stop at the sound of yelling. Lots of yelling. A memory of my dream flashed in my head and I ripped myself out of the bed, hospital gown hitting several inches below my knee. There was a large window in the room, showing the hall way, but I couldn't quite see who was yelling. Moving forward, I was immediately pulled back, a groan of pain tumbled from my lips. I was still hooked up to everything. Removing the heart monitor, and grabbing the I.V. stand, I rolled it and myself closer to the window. I was greeted by a sight that made me giggle and cringe all at once.

Tony Stark was being manhandled by none other than Natasha Romanoff. She had grabbed him by the ear and pulled him down to her height. She was angrily whispering in his ear. By the cold dark look in her eyes, she was threatening him. Squinting my eyes, I realized that her other hand was lower down squeezing Tony's…. um Iron Man. Oh, Jesus.

Barton was practically running in circles around the two of them yelling at the top of his voice. He was spittin' angry and although I couldn't make out every word, several words and phrases were distinguishable in the commotion. "FUCKING IDIOT... HOW STUPID… I WILL SHOOT AN ARROW SO FAR UP YOUR ASS…. SHE COULD'VE DIED YOU EGOTISTICAL JACKASS… I NEVER WANT TO HEAR THE WORD GRADU-FUCKING-ATION AGAIN…. WHERE IS MY BOW?"

Steve was attempting to take control of the situation and calm people down. He looked almost like a pastor preaching to his congregation, or a mother scolding her children for fighting with each other, which was ironic considering the story Peter had told me. Steve kept trying to get to Natasha and Tony, but Clint would throw his hands out in exasperation, hitting him every time he tried to approach, as if swatting away an annoying fly.

Peter Parker was standing about ten feet away from the whole thing with his phone out taping the entire thing. I could hear his nervous laughter seeing as he was the closest to the window.

Feeling like I was being watched, my eyes shifted. Behind all of the chaos, blue eyes locked onto mine. Dread filled my body. Bucky was leaning against the wall of the hallway, arms crossed, frowning. The look on his face immediately revealed to me that he was not very happy with me. Abruptly, he pushed himself off the wall and moved towards me swiftly, eyes never leaving mine.

I quickly stepped backwards away from the window. Dizziness due to my quick movement overcame me. My hands flew to my face and my legs buckled. The door swung open right as I crumpled to the ground, my I.V. Stand collapsing with me.

My body was lifted from the ground and Bucky laid me gently on my bed, fixing my I.V. He hooked my back up to the heart monitor as I groaned in pain.

"You a doctor or somethin'?" I tried joking, but immediately regretted it when I saw the look in his eyes. He looked relieved and upset all at once.

His bare hand tucked loose hair behind my ear. He looked over his shoulder, seeing the others approach and said in a stern, scary sounding voice, "If you ever do anything so stupid again, I will not be responsible for my actions."

My eyes lurched towards his, hearing the truth in his words. His lip quirked upwards and his soft warm lips brushed against the top of my head.

The door flung open as everyone flooded in, Bucky already on the other side of the room. I bit my lip as I took in everyone's faces. No one spoke for a solid minute. Oh, this was going to be brutal.

Clint cleared his throat and began quietly, "So at what point did you think that leaving the protection of the Avenger facility, in the middle of the goddamn morning, with only two people as your back up, to a public place when Hydra has been looking for you, was a good idea? Huh? Was it when you got tricked and kidnapped? How about when they put a strait jacket on you? When they threatened to shoot innocent students? Or maybe when you took a fucking bullet for me and pushed us off a goddamn bridge? I bet it was when you basically drowned, right? When did you think it was a good idea August?" By the end he was almost yelling.

I felt like I had been kicked in the chest. That someone was squeezing my heart like a dirty sponge.

"I- I didn't think-" my voice was shaking. In that moment it was extremely apparent that I hadn't really considered the cost of what we had done.

"No, you didn't think," came Natasha's clear, steady voice.

I felt like shame was what was dripping through my I.V. I looked down at my bruised and scratched hands. I couldn't speak. I didn't know what to say. They were right. I was so focused on getting to experience this right of passage that I didn't really consider the impact or consequences it would have on others.

"I just thought- I just thought for the first time in a long time that I could…. I could be normal. That I could be happy like anyone else my age and experience something real…. It was selfish of me." I was trying to keep it together. They all looked at me with looks of something akin to pity. I physically recoiled, trying to literally shrink and fade away.

"You weren't being selfish, love." Tony spoke looking at me with a small smile.

"No. Tony, you no longer get an opinion. Not in anything. No brain equals no voice. This was literally one of the most idiotic things you have ever done, you arrogant jackass." Clint had turned towards Tony and was pushing him back repeatedly. Tony's hands flew up, opened wide towards Clint in submission.

"Okay, maybe it wasn't my brightest plan, maybe I was a little too arrogant in my abilities, but at least we caught several members of Hydra, including Rumlow." At the mention of his name, I shuddered. Bucky's eyes were dead centered on me. I swallowed, my mouth dry.

"So you are saying that all of us risking our lives and August literally almost dying was worth it? All for what? A silly little paper and a cap and gown? And Rumlow?"

Steve stepped between Tony and Barton.

"Look, what's done is done. There is nothing that we can do to change what has happened. Although, what they did was ridiculously naïve and reckless, we came out of it relevantly unscathed. We can either stay here and continue to scold Tony and August for something they clearly realize was a huge mistake or we can calm down and give everyone time to heal and forgive."

Clint glared in my direction, "I vote for stay and scold."

Natasha grabbed him by the forearm and squeezed. He looked at her and then heaved a big sigh, begrudgingly conceding.

"Come on Barton," she pulled him towards the door throwing me a wink and a half smile. Before he was gone looked me dead in the eye and said, "We aren't done talking about this cricket."

Bucky had turned away from all of us and was looking out the window. Steve ran his hand through his hair, shoulders tight with tension, and Peter looked around kind of like a lost puppy, unsure what to do.

"Tony, for all it's worth, I don't blame you. We were... I know that you were trying to do something special for me and I'll never forget that."

He came over and ruffled my hair," I'm glad you're okay kid. You had me worried. But next time, give me a heads up when you're going to try and fly." He then turned towards Steve and said, "Come on Dudley Do-Right, let's see what food we can scrounge up. Gotta refuel before I get bitched out again." They both left the room.

Peter grabbed the chair he was sitting in and drug it across the floor with a loud obnoxious screech. I cringed, my head still pounding. He gave me a sheepish look and sat right next to me.

"Peter, thanks for having my back. You looked pretty badass in your get-up darlin'." He grinned real wide and moved to edge of his seat. He was practically gushing.

"Thanks! It was pretty badass. I was like over here and then over there and seeing everyone fight again was thrilling. I'm just glad we were on the same side this time," He took a big breath and continued to ramble, " I mean I was really worried when I made it through that hall and you weren't with Tony. But thankfully that necklace he gave you gives out a hidden wireless signal. It's pretty much untraceable." My eyes widened with realization. He continued, "By the time we realized exactly where you were, Hawkeye, Cap and Bucky were ten minutes from town. God it was so awesome! I mean it wasn't awesome that you got kidnapped- I just meant that uh- well, I can't believe you took a bullet for Hawkeye and threw yourself off a bridge with your arms literally tied! I mean who does that?" One short laugh fell from Bucky's lips. He still wasn't looking at us though.

"Well, to be quite honest, I kinda didn't think it through. I just did it," I remembered something suddenly, " Peter, when I was falling I felt something grab my ankle-" He cut me off in excitement.

"Oh yeah! That was Mr. Stark! He was trying to grab you before you hit the water. He snagged your ankle, but he couldn't hold on. You went flying the other way and we were all like 'oh no!' and then he," motioning towards Bucky, "jumped off the bridge diving into save you and we were like 'Yeah!' but then you weren't breathing so, he started doing that CPR thing and you were alive!" I couldn't help but smile at Peter. His youth was refreshing. Plus, it was nice not to be yelled at.

He opened his mouth to continue, but like a hand touching the hot eye of a stove top, pain suddenly flashed in my body. "Ugh, fuck," I winced breathing rapidly. Bucky immediately turned towards us.

"Go get the nurse." Peter hearing the seriousness in his voice, darted out of the room.

My eyes had shut as pain took over my body. His bare, warm hand grasped my chin. I tried to hold back my power. My teeth were gritting and my face scrunched up. I wasn't a super hero; I wasn't used to getting the hell beaten out of me or taking a bullet. This really hurt.

"Give me your pain." He whispered in my ear, his warm breath anchoring me for a moment.

Now pain can be either physical or psychological. Both types trigger some of the same parts of the brain which means that even physical pain has its roots in emotion. Both types are controlled by hormones and excretions, nerves and synapses, all which are instructed by the brain.

Taking down the mental barriers in my mind that kept my powers somewhat at bay, I let my feelings of pain flow into Bucky. Other than a slight grimace, he seemed purposefully un-phased. I immediately felt better. I still hurt, but it wasn't as biting and sharp as before.

The nurse bust in followed by Peter who was speaking wildly, "I think she needs more morphine! Are you sure that the bullet went clean through? Maybe it hit something or maybe there is shrapnel-"He continued to list off all that could be wrong with me. The nurse ignored him. I felt a twinge of unease as I watched her work. I wasn't the biggest fan of hospitals, doctors, or nurses. Bucky pulled my face towards his again.

"There, sweetheart that should be better," came the high pitched voice of the nurse; I didn't hear her because I was swimming in blue. His eyes didn't leave mine as I drifted off into darkness again.

I had been sitting near her bedside for several hours. I couldn't look at her. Seeing her battered and bruised awoke something frightening in me. Instead of focusing on what I wanted to do to those who had hurt her, I had entertained myself by watching Clint dish it out every time he ran into Tony. It had gotten to the point that every time Tony started to speak Clint would interrupt saying, "Nope. You don't get to speak."

At one point, while Tony was carrying a tray of food to give to August when she woke up, he had tried to argue back.

"Alright, settle down arrowhead. I get it. I fucked up. But-" Clint gingerly picked up a plate of mashed potatoes and promptly slammed it into Tony's face. Clint stormed away and Tony swiped off some of with a finger and tasted it.

"Not to bad for hospital food," he muttered leaving himself.

I sighed pulling out my side arm. I started braking down the gun as images of August laying on the muddy riverside, broken and not breathing, flashed through my head. I frowned. After the third time of pulling it apart, I heard movement coming from the bed. I leaned towards her and saw her eye lids flutter.

"August?" I questioned putting my hand on her shoulder. She groaned and mumbled something. I leaned in closer trying to decipher what she was saying.

"What? You need something, doll?"

"Mmm I needs ughhh-"Her voice trailed off. I frowned, but tried to wait patiently. Her eyes opened widely and she looked at me.

"I feel like catepillars are tickling me," she started giggling and then cringed. My head titled and I smirked slightly.

"Well, I don't see any," I said playing along realizing the morphine was talking. Her fingers reached for my metal ones and I held her fragile fingers in between mine. She looked at me as if she wanted to declare something important.

"I need- I need… Bucky, I really need fuzzy socks. My feet are naked!" She pulled one of her legs from under the blankets and wiggled her foot in my direction. I smiled widely, looking at her dainty foot.

"No! Don't look! Bucky, that's improper to look at my naked feets. Fuzzy socks. I need fuzzy socks." She slurred, her hand flew to cover my eyes. I outright laughed at her ridiculousness. Peeking through her fingers, I could see her loopy smile. A warmth settled in me. I felt at ease. As I considered this feeling, I realized that this wasn't her power, it was what I truly felt. Safe. Comfortable.

"Sorry, you're right. I've gotta respect your modesty, August. It's just that seeing your bare foot is just so damn tempting," I moved my face close to hers, smirked while waggling my eyebrows suggestively, moving her hand out of the way. Her mouth formed a perfect O and a blush rose to her cheeks. This woman is going to be the death of me. Pulling back before I laid one on her, I walked over to the bag that Natasha had packed her.

"Oh! Are my Captain America socks in there? I want those!" she exclaimed. I turned quirking an eyebrow at her, not sure how to take her fascination with wearing Captain America paraphernalia. Finding the socks, I pulled them out bring them towards her. I moved the blanket and pulled her foot into my lap carefully. She tried to pull it back, but I gave her a stern look.

Her feet were so tiny, so fragile in my metal hand, but I could feel trust radiating off of her.

"You're gonna hafta marry me now. You've seen and touched my naked feet," She stated matter-of-factly with a laugh and I chuckled grabbing her other foot.

"I wouldn't be good for you, August," I mumbled in seriousness. She stopped her chirping and looked at me squarely.

"Bucky, you would. You would be good for me," She said it with such conviction that I paused. She then shook her her foot and gave me an impatient look.

Getting the socks on her, she uncrossed her arms and started at me, really stared at me. We sat in silence for a moment until out of nowhere she said, "I know you, don't I?"

I sat stock still, unmoving assessing the situation.I swallowed and then I opened my mouth trying to come up with an answer when suddenly the door swung open. I let out a sigh as Natasha walked through the door.

"Am I interrupting anything?" She asked with a knowing look, hands on her hips.

"Nat! I am so glad you are here! Look at my fuzzy socks! I think I'm gonna get Steve to sign them," She proceeded to show off her socks and the assassin smiled arching one perfect eyebrow.

"Well, at least you're not trying to get him to sign your underwear," She commented plopping down in a chair, resting her feet on the frame of August's bed.

"Did you think he would? Oh that would be epic!" August was clapping and looking between the two of us.

"Gus, I don't think he would," her face fell, "but I bet we could get him to sign your socks."

August looked down at her socks tapping them to some imaginary beat. Her feet abruptly stopped and she pulled a confused face.

"Wait a hot minute! These aren't fuzzy socks! This are regular everyday 'Merica socks. Buck, I'm gonna need you to find them," she finished with urgency.

"Gus, I hate to break it to you, but I didn't pack any fuzzy socks for you. When I heard you were hurt, I just threw something in the bag really quickly," Natasha explained.

"Oh, well. That's okay. It just feels like I am walking on feathers, and clouds, and sunshine, and fluffy kittens when I wear them," We both gave her a weird look as she prattled on clearly affected by the pain medication. I stood up letting go of her hand.

"I'll find some." Her whole face brightened and she spoke quickly.

"Oh Buck! My hero! I knew you'd come to my rescue and save my freezin' toes."

She turned to Natasha and launched into a conversation about how she would rather be cold than hot because when you're cold then you can add more layers, but when you're hot, you can't just get naked. Images of her running around in her panties flashed into my thoughts and I muttered a bye as I stomped out the door on my mission. My mission to find fuzzy socks.

A/N: I wanted to end in a more lighthearted, comical sort of way considering things have been so action packed recently. Stay tuned for more folks!