The Avenger's soulmate

Chapter fifteen: Dropped Off

[Authors note: Sorry for the rather low quality chapter, guys, I've kind-of lost inspiration for this project at the moment, still trying to find it. So apologies again for the rather late and short chapter. Hope you enjoy :) ]

"Here we are," Stark announced, pulling to a stop at her home, glancing out through the window, "nice house."
"Thanks, it's my friends, although I'm beginning to think I should be looking to buy my own, " Ophelia mentioned, stepping out of the car. Bucky followed.
Tony was leaning over the passengers seat to talk to her, the street lamp over head casting a dim glow over his joyful features, "You should come to stay at ours, sometime," Tony said with a wink.
Ophelia felt her cheeks blush, her shadows cringed under her skin. They'd taken about all they could take of tonight's events, they were done. Yet they were ignored as the woman smiled, "I'll think about that, and thanks for the drive, and the phone number."
"No problem, love, Buck's going to walk you to the door, he's old-fashioned like that."
She laughed, eyeing the quiet soulmate beside her, "I'm not complaining."

A sigh fell from his lips, he wasn't enjoying being the punchline to Tony's jests, "Stop distracting her Stark, it's late."
"Alright, alright," the billionaire raised his hands in surrender and sending a wink to the woman as a goodbye, allowed them to leave.

They walked in silence together up the drive towards her house. It bordered comfortably but looking at his demeanor, hands stuffed in pockets, eyes cast to the floor, to him it was awkward. It was quickly Ophelia who grew impatient for it. As they reached her door she turned to him, "You're not the most talkative type are you?"
His head jolted up, a deflated smile turning at the corner of his lips, "It seems that I'm not–Usually I am, rarely Stark can get me to shut up if we're discussing something I love but..." he trailed away.
"But?"
"I'm scared I'll say the wrong thing," he smiled again, this time his lips fitting into a thin line; it was a smile he made only because he felt he had to, not that he was thrilled by their conversation.
"I don't bite," she joked, earning a low chuckle, "but seriously, darling, why are you scared?"
"Your dream."
Her heart sank, "the dream?"
"We dreamt it too, me and Tony, that's why we were here today, not out of coincidence, we'd..."
"Tracked me?" she said quietly. The idea of being tracked, so easily found tugged at her gut. So easily located, that means they could find her too. So easily– "how?" she asked, noticing his confirming expression.
"How did we track you? Surprisingly not easy," he rambled, "you're like a shadow, it took Jarvis all day to locate you." Not easy. Ophelia sighed, the tension expelling from her lungs, she's okay– She's okay. She leaned against the door, her hand resting at the base of her neck, a reassuring gesture of consolation to her soul. But Bucky seemed to take her actions as worry about what he'd witnessed.
"I'm sorry."
"It's alright."
"It's only your nightmare, it makes me worried."
Worried. That made her smile. Someone was worried about her. She guessed this was what it felt like to be cared for. Not the cared for her shadows expressed, the caring human touch she'd barely experienced for the past three years.
"Don't be," she lied, "it's just my imagination cooking up random things."
"But–"
"It's nothing."
"Alright."
She smiled, stepping closer to press a ringed hand to his right arm, "We should go out sometime, iron out your worries more, and get you talking about things you love."
"Yeah, that'd be nice."  his words gushed from his lips like an exhale of relief; As nervous as she'd been a moment ago, "we'll arrange that then, doll."
"Yes, we will." Ophelia said, turning to unlock her door, "You have my number?"
"Yeah, I'll just get it from Tony."

"It was nice meeting you," he said as she opened the door and stepped through. He was by the car now, waving a gloved hand at her weakly.
"It was nice meeting you too, Bucky," she admitted before closing the door behind her, engulfing herself in darkness to face Lydia and whoever had participated in her night's dalliance.

Bucky got into the car.
"Good talk?"
"She lied to me about the nightmare."
"Buck I told you not to bring that up–"
"Tough, I did, and she lied, saying it was just her mind cooking up random things."
"I admit that's weird, dreams are shared between soulmates when they cause true distress. When they are real. Silly of her to lie, that's a common fact."
"Steve did tell us she seemed to be rather clueless on the matter of soulmates."
"Yeah," Tony stared through the glass blankly, his fingers drumming across the steering wheel, "I wonder why that is..."