His Soulmate | Bucky Barnes ✔

Chapter Twenty

I'd worked late at the bar last night after a small fight escalated, causing smashed glasses and broken tables to be thrown around the floor. We'd manage to empty the place quickly with the arrival of police cars, and my boss had suggested we cleared everything before going home so we wouldn't have to tidy it before it opened again tonight. The late night had caused me to sleep in, and it was the bright sunlight streaming through the cracks of my curtains that finally managed to wake me from my dreams.

Nat walked into the kitchen just as I finished pouring myself a glass of juice. "Morning kiddo."

"Morning," I mumbled, my head still fuzzy even though I'd woken up around an hour ago. I'd been lying in bed since I woke up, but eventually dragged myself out as my stomachs growling was too loud for me to ignore.

After buttering my toast, and watching Nat work her way around the kitchen, I stepped forward. The thoughts that had been playing on my mind over the few days following the meeting about Mums death suddenly pushed themselves to the surface. "Nat?"

"Hmm?" She turned to face me with half a bagel hanging out of her mouth as she poured a mug full of coffee.

"Do you think I'd be able to learn self-defence? I don't want to fight anyone but I think I'd feel safer knowing I could defend myself. Especially if Bucky wasn't there, or if there were a lot of people and Bucky had to fight someone else or..."

Nat raised her eyebrow and lifted her hand to stop my ramblings. I shut my mouth quickly, and silently cursed myself for my nervous chattering. It was a habit I knew I wouldn't be able to drop, but I struggled to stay quiet when my thoughts were too busy for me to focus.

"I'll teach you."

"You will?"

She nodded, sipping her coffee and ate her breakfast as she thought for a moment. "When do you want to start?"

"I'm free today...?" I looked around at the empty kitchen, "unless you're busy."

Nat grinned, downing the rest of her coffee before striding past me towards the lift, ruffling my hair on the way. "Meet me in the gym downstairs."

I smiled back, feeling pleased with myself that I was beginning to take action over the insecurities that stemmed from nightmares of attackers. If I could defend them during the day then maybe I would find it a little easier to sleep at night.

***

I jumped lightly on the balls of my feet as Nat dragged some mats to the centre of the gym space. Bikes and treadmills lined the windows, and through the glass wall at the end was a room full of weights and boxing equipment. Nat mentioned she usually trained in there, but Tony was doing some basic training with a man named Happy. I hadn't met him properly but the few occasions we had spoken, he was always kind and polite to me.

"Stand in front of me," Nat instructed after we'd done a quick warm up. "No, more relaxed. You're too tense." She poked my stomach and I stumbled backwards, already losing my balance.

I inwardly groaned. This was not getting off to a good start.

***

~Third Persons POV~

Bucky was sleeping soundly, his head buried face down underneath  his pillows and the blanket kicked to the end of his bed. Amelie had gone to the bar by herself for the first time since he'd known her the night before, and he was a little worried by how safe she would be walking back.

As the night drew on he grew happier, no news was good news after all. He'd spent the evening with Tony, Steve and Thor. Peter was at a friends house apparently, but Thor saw the quiet room as an opportunity to practice his video game skills. Bucky found that he was actually quite good at them, though Steve struggled to play it at speed, and Tony appeared to be playing an entirely different game to them.