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Chapter 24

Soft morning light poured through the windows, illuminating the dark corners Of the room Jo had stared at all night. She had fallen asleep briefly only to be reminded of the same look of horror all over again. She'd squeeze her eyes close trying to picture anything that would get the sight out of her mind but nothing helped. Bucky had slept the whole night. Jealousy ran through her a few times throughout the evening as he slept, quietly and peacefully. Halfway through her sleepless mental war with herself she gave up, attempting to relax in his arms but ultimately laid staring at her new best friend; the ceiling. Running through all the possibilities of that evening, what she should've done different and at one point hearing Steve's voice in the back of her mind, cursing her for not being responsible enough to let Emma know she had left and not turning off her phone. A stupid mistake.

Haunted by her words, tainted by the inner monologue of her brother's voice, she slowly pulled herself away from Bucky's arms. By this time it was early enough that the world outside was still quiet, no bustling traffic or chatter coming from the street. Only the sun peeking over the horizon. Jo slipped out of bed, pulling on a pair of shorts under her oversized t-shirt. She pulled open the bedroom door, peeking back at Bucky who had turned over, mumbling something softly before settling back into his sleep. She pulled the door shut softly, not wanting to wake him. Jo made her way into the main room, finding Sam laying on the couch, still asleep. The jealousy pinging through her again as she went to the bar, pulling out a glass and filling it with water.

Jo made her way back to the bedroom, shutting the door softly behind her. She padded her way over to the oversized chair next to the window. The glass was stained in an ornate pattern giving her a colorful view of Madripoor. Jo sipped on her water, trying to get her mind to quiet down.

"Jo?"

She glanced back over her shoulder, Seeing Bucky sat up slightly squinting his eyes from the light. His voice rough with sleep. "Are you okay?" He asked checking his watch for the time.

"I'm fine." Jo lied. He glanced back at her, knowing she wasn't. The dark circles under her eyes gave that away.

"Doll, you're never awake before me. I know you better than that." Jo frowned, looking back out the window. Bucky made his way out of the bed, kneeling in front of her. "Talk to me?"

Jo looked down at him. Her hazel eyes meeting his concerned blues. After a moment of her silence, Bucky sighed taking the glass of water from her before taking her hand in his, pulling her up from the chair. "Bucky, please." She whined as he pulled her back to the bed. He ignored her protest, pulling her towards him before plopping her down into the bed.

Jo let out a soft grunt as she sat down. "There's nothing to talk about." She finally said after seeing his narrowed eyes.

"Josephine."

"James."

Bucky let out a hearty sigh as he sat down next to her. "Alright. Then at least lay with me." He moved himself back, laying down with a soft smile, once again holding his arms out to her. She couldn't lay back down for fear that she might drift off into her nightmares again. But seeing the softness of his face she curled up against him, feeling his arms snake around her once more.

"Did you sleep at all? He asked already knowing the answer.

Jo shook her head with a small shrug. "I don't know if I got more than an hour in or not." She mumbled against his chest.

"I'm sorry." He said softly, planting a kiss on the top of her head. "You don't deserve to go through this shit."

Jo tilted her head up slightly, catching the remorse growing across his face. She grasped his chin softly, pulling his gaze to hers. "Neither do you." A breath caught in his throat as he studied her for a moment, before pressing his lips to hers in a soft kiss. "What are we going to do?"