Trying Your Luck - Bucky BarnesxOC

Part 54: Echoes

Author's Note: I hate to leave it on a smut cliffhanger, but it'll pick up right where I left off next chapter. I also included a New Girl reference because Bucky Barnes and Nick Miller are the same person, just in different fonts.

Bucky has another nightmare. He's convinced it's the bed, the traveling, and the stress that's finally beginning to eat away at him. He jolts up in bed, covered in sweat, and presses the heels of his hands into his eyes until he sees little white spots. His heart is racing and the images from Hotel Inessa won't stop playing in his head on a horrible loop. Shannon rolls over and her eyes flutter open. He can see almost everything from the moonlight pouring in the window.

"Buck?"

"I'm okay," he whispers. "Nightmare."

She reaches up and rubs his back.

"Bad?"

"Yeah." He sighs.

"You wanna talk about it?"

He shakes his head.

"I'm gonna go find some water or something. You want anything?"

"I'm good," she whispers. "You want me to come with you?"

"You should sleep."

"I can't," she groans. "This mattress is killing my hips. I need to stretch or something."

"All right," Bucky sighs. "Let's go exploring."

"Don't sound so enthusiastic," Shannon teases.

He grins at her. It's actually kind of exciting. Bucky puts on a sweatshirt while Shannon grabs a robe out of the closet. They slip out of the bedroom and creep down the hall. Bucky hears voices and turns to Shannon who shrugs. His assassin training kicks into high gear. Careful footsteps, his body pressed against the wall. Shannon mimics his movements, trying to look as stealthy as possible. It's adorable.

They reach the end of the hallway that opens up into a large kitchen. It's mostly dark save for a small light shining in from another room. He cranes his neck to listen, hearing soft voices. Laughing. It sounds like Sam and Sharon. There are more low giggles. Bucky motions for Shannon to follow him and they creep toward the noise, staying cloaked in darkness as they peer around the corner. Sam and Sharon are sitting on a couch. The table in front of them is littered with beer bottles and they're in a somewhat intense conversation, both clearly a little tipsy. Maybe more than that.

He expected animosity between the two of them, but instead, it's a closeness that he hasn't seen either of them display – but then again, he barely knows Sharon other than trying to kill her once. Which he really should apologize for.

Shannon looks over at him with an eyebrow raised and Bucky shrugs. They keep watching. Sam and Sharon share lingering stares and fleeting touches. It's not overt, but Bucky definitely sees something there. He just had no idea. Other than Veronica, Sam is relatively secretive about his love life.

"You know, you didn't have to take us in," Sam tells her.

"I know," Sharon replies. "That's what makes me so nice."

Sam chuckles and she takes a sip of her beer, resting her hand on his forearm. He leans into the touch.

"It's no trouble, so long as none of you interfere with my life or my business, we're cool." She pauses and raises an eyebrow. "For now."

"Understood," Sam whispers. "I should have called you earlier."

"Yeah," she replies. "You should have."