Soul ties (Bucky Barnes AU)

Part 6

"Hold, hold on, hold onto me

'Cause I'm a little unsteady"

  Sleep didn't seem to come to you that night, and you didn't know whether the reason was the pizza you'd had for dinner, your husband's obvious neglect or your supposed soulmate sleeping in the same building. After tossing and turning in your bed for over three hours, you grabbed a pillow and a plaid, put on your slippers and went into the main kitchen. A herbal tea under the stars should  be a good way to help you sleep, right? You tried to stay as silent as you  could despite the boiling water in the kettle – you always refused to microwave water – and picked some chamomile infusion Wanda had chosen. With your cup in one  hand, you opened the picture window. One thing you liked about the compound was the few balconies it had : they weren't too big, but they were large enough for you to sit on a pillow and look at the stars, your back against the wall. You were once again trying to spot constellations,  the August sky being perfect for this kind of exercise. 

  "Can't sleep?"

  You almost spilled your tea on your plaid.

  "Sorry I scared you."

  You smiled weakly at the man who'd just joined you. "It's fine. Wanna sit here with a fellow insomniac?"

  Bucky ran a hand through his hair before sitting on your left. His right arm brushed against your exposed skin and you tried to hide your shivers.

  "What's keeping you up?" You ask. "I mean,  you obviously don't have to tell me."

  "Nothing much. Some nightmares."

  "Are they ones about...about the war?"  Your question startled him ; he shot you a  confused look as you lowered yours. "Sorry. Steve told me a few times about his best friend Bucky and I... I made the connection."

  "I thought Steve avoided talking about those things."

  "What? The way he lost you?"

  "Yeah."

   "Sorry, that was tactless."

  "Don't worry about that." He looked at the sky, leaning his head against the wall. "Wanna tell me what's keeping you up?"

  "Well, it's quite ridiculous really," you eluded. 

  "Steve told me why you're spending time here. Is it him that keeps you up at night?"

  You sipped on your tea for a few seconds. "I guess so. It's just that I keep thinking about what I'm doing wrong, you know? I must be doing something wrong."

  You heard him take a breath, his shoulders raising with his chest. His arm against yours felt strange, in a good kind of way. You'd never felt so close to anyone in such a short amount  of time, and you wondered what made him so special aside from the meaningful tattoo you shared.

  "I don't think you're to blame. Can I be honest?"

  "Sure."

  "I'm sorry if I seem out of place, because we only met a week ago but..."

  "You feel like I get you, right? Just  like I feel that you get me."

  He nodded calmly. "He doesn't seem to realise who he was lucky enough to marry."

  "Lucky, huh?"

  You looked at him with a smile and had it not been so dark, you could've sworn a red tint had reached his cheeks. "You're hella smart," he explained. "And from what I've seen, you're kind."