The Blue Siren and the Winter Soldier | Bucky Barnes x OC

Part 4

I woke up to the sound of my phone buzzing on the nightstand next to me. With my eyes still closed, I reached over and took it. "Hello?" I grumbled.

"Hey," Daphne's voice rang from the other end, "I tried texting you a couple times. Are we still on tonight?"

I gasped and shot up in bed, "Oh!" I rubbed my face with my other hand, "Yeah. I'm sorry. I, uh..." I looked to my right to see Bucky still peacefully sleeping next to me. I quietly shook him awake as I responded, "I fell asleep."

Bucky, now awake and annoyed, looked at me, "What's wrong?"

I waved my arm and mouthed, "Get up!"

"Elle?"

"Yeah, Daph, I'm here. Just, uh..." I jumped out of bed and picked up Buck's jeans from the floor. I threw them at him and he caught them before also getting out of bed. "I lost track of time. Can you give me like 10 minutes?" Bucky threw out his arms in confusion and I mouthed, "Get dressed!"

"Alright. I'm heading to your building now," Daphne always knew when something was up. She sounded a bit skeptical, which was understandable. I wasn't exactly playing it cool, but I couldn't tell her that I had an Avenger in my bed.

"M'kay, bye." I hung up and turned to Bucky, who was buttoning his pants, "You need to leave. Now." I opened my dresser drawer and pulled out the first pair of jeans I could find.

"What's going on?" He asked.

"My best friend is gonna be here any minute and she cannot see you here," I explained as I put the pants on. Daphne would never let me live it down if she found out I had a guy in my apartment. And not just any guy--an Avenger. It would open too many doors I couldn't afford to go down. I put on a t-shirt and walked out into the living room.

"Hey, Elliana, come on. Just relax, okay?" He responded, following me and taking his own shirt from the couch.

I turned to him, taking a deep breath, "I am relaxed. And I need you to leave. This was a mistake." I knew I was being harsh, but I couldn't let this fantasy get even more out of hand.

"Elliana--Hey, hey," He put his hands on my shoulders, "Listen to me," His right hand--his human one--lightly brushed along my cheek. His gray eyes locked with mine, "It's going to be okay," We were quiet for a moment and I closed my eyes, taking in his touch.

"Please, just leave," I whispered. Despite my insistence on his departure, I found myself wishing he could stay. Something about having him with me was comforting, as much as I hated to admit it. I wasn't sure where these sudden emotions came from, but I wasn't looking to unpack it all at that moment.

He nodded, respecting my wishes. I walked away and opened the front door. I stopped as I noticed Daphne in front of me, her eyes darting from me to Bucky behind me.

"Hi," Bucky nodded at Daphne as he moved past me and into the hallway. My heart skipped a beat as he slid past me. I could feel the heat of his body against mine for a spit second. I looked up at him and something in his eyes said that he felt it too. I watched him as he walked down the hall and out of sight.

Daphne looked at me, her eyes wide, "Is that why you've been acting so weird?" There was excitement in her voice. She walked into my apartment and I quickly closed the door.

"Daph, it's not--" I began, but she interrupted me.

"Who is he? How did you meet? Are you two--?"

"Daphne!" I laughed. I knew she was going to press about Bucky, though I didn't want to talk about it. With how purposefully distant I'd been, she was probably ecstatic to see me with someone. I didn't even know if I actually wanted a relationship, despite how much I had enjoyed our last few hours together, "Please, just drop it. We're not together." She glanced into my bedroom and raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. "Shut up!" I cried, playfully pushing her shoulder.