His Soulmate | Bucky Barnes ✔

Chapter Thirty Two

~Bucky's POV~

A jolt shot me awake, tensing my body as I woke, startled. My heart was beating too fast, my mouth too dry and my body too hot. There was an aching at the front of my mind, nagging and tugging at what could possibly have woken me up, but no matter how hard I thought, nor how desperate I was for my mind to capture snatches of my fading nightmare, I came up blank.

The air was heavy, and when I pulled myself into a sitting position, I saw my duvet bunched in a mess at the foot of the bed. I was lying sideways, taking up as much space as possible without physically falling over the side, and my left fist was clenched tightly around a thin scrap of material.

The fabric was soft, and brought a comfort that made my eyes slowly draw down, and I unfolded it to lie across my crossed legs. It was a pale blue T-shirt, with small red flowers embroidered along the hem. I felt a rush of love as I realised it was one that Amelie had left in my room, when she changed into my pyjamas to sleep in.

I didn't question how it had ended up in the tangle of my sheets, but instead raised the soft cotton to my face, her soft smell filling my nose. I nestled into it, letting her envelop me into a dizzy wave of love and worry. The longer I sat alone the more nauseous I felt. I needed to feel safe.

When Steve first found me, and I felt alone, I would feel similar to this all the time. I would panic and worry until it eventually subsided, leaving me feeling empty and more lonely than I'd felt before.

But then Amelie arrived, and I knew I could seek comfort in her arms. Just like I did to her, I knew she would hold me, and soothe the torrenting rage of anxiety that ploughed my mind, until I was calm once again.

I crept out of bed, and slid some socks onto my feet to muffle the sound of me walking around. Though it was likely the others would be awake, it wasn't like they could hear me, but it was a habit I couldn't drop. Knowing I could be completely silent when I wanted was one thought that gave me some solace during my time here. The others may be trained assassins but I had decades more training than most of them, including Steve.

I pulled my arms through a jumper on the floor next to my bed - the third out of the trio I'd bought that both me and Amelie love so much. It's softness was one that took a while to get used to, but once I did I didn't turn back.

Amelies rooms were silent. The lift doors slid open in silence, courtesy of JARVIS' nighttime protocol. It made me happy to see her windows locked securely behind the curtains - ensuring extra safety whilst she slept. Her living room had been tidied - the few magazines were stacked neatly on the table, and the folded blankets were half hidden behind the propped cushions on the sofa.

I stopped off in her kitchen, and felt an urge to clean the small pile of dishes she'd left stacked next to the sink. Debating for a moment, I decided to satisfy the itch, and quickly cleaned them, making sure the water drained quietly so as not to wake Amelie.

I needn't have been so careful with being quiet, as once Amelie was asleep it was almost impossible to wake her, unless she'd been tormented by a nightmare. But when I creaked her door open, she was sleeping soundly.

There was a lump hidden under the duvet, rising and falling almost minutely as she breathed softly. I felt a tear threaten my eye as I finally felt the wave of relief that had been nagging me since I woke up. Amelie was okay. I was okay.

I lifted the duvet enough to allow me to slide under it. At the dipping of her mattress, Amelie twisted her head back, peeking an eye open. "James?" Her voice was hoarse with sleep, and her hair was knotted and matted from where she'd been lying on her pillow.

"Go back to sleep baby." Even in the dark, I could see her cheeks flush a little as she mumbled something. I moved closer, wrapping my arm around her as her body leant back into my chest. Her hair smothered my face, and it took a while to pat it back down before I could lean against the pillow again.