Rings (Bucky Barnes x OC soulmate AU)

Chapter 7 - Camping Part II

After setting up their campsite they decided to go fishing. Sam insisted on fishing, really, and everyone else just followed because they had nothing else to do. Sam ended up shushing them too many times to count.

Clara and Bucky sad next to each other while Mack stretched out against she riverbank, trying to catch the sun and tan.

"Here, give me your hand," Clara said, taking Bucky's real hand in both of hers. She was suddenly struck by the difference in size between her hands and his. Shifting to face him, she said, "I'm going to give you the chills. Hold your hand out flat." She placed her fingers in he center of his palm and slowly dragged her fingers out to his. She barely made it to his fingers before he yanked his hand away.

"That's weird," he muttered.

"But it's cool right?"

"'Cool' is one way to put it..." He cleared his throat and allowed Clara to do it again, but this time he fought the urge to pull his hand back. "So uh... why didn't you invite your soulmate instead of Mack?" he asked, trying to sound casual.

"'Soulmate?'" Clara echoed, confused until she realized she'd told Bucky she met her soulmate already. "Oh, yeah. He um... he didn't have time. He's an agent too, and he was busy this weekend. And he doesn't like camping." Yikes. How am I going to explain all this when I have to tell him we're soulmates? "So you said you haven't met your soulmate yet? I would have pegged you for the guy to have found her."

"I don't think I did," Bucky said softly. He took Clara's hand and tested what she had done to him. "I haven't seen my ring since I uh... you know. I think HYDRA took my ring. Or I lost it somehow."

Clara pulled her hand away and scratched her palm when Bucky managed to tease her nerves by ghosting his fingertips over the skin of her hand. Geez, you're good, she thought. "I could help with that too. If it was found, I can look you up on the national soulmate database." On the outside she was cool and calm. Internally, though, was an entirely different story. If her emotions were in control like they were in the movie Inside Out, then the control center was likely in emergency meltdown mode.

And she didn't even mind.

"Hey guys! I got one!"

Clara twisted around to see Sam holding a large green-brown fish. "Nice!" she cheered.

Bucky nodded, impressed.

Mack raised her sunglasses for a second before closing her eyes and setting them back on the bridge of her nose.

---

As their first day came to a close, the four friends sat together around a small fire, sitting in camping chairs. The sun was barely beginning to set turning the sky a beautiful orange - red color, slowly fading to the darkness of night.

All was quiet and peaceful, with the exception of crickets chirping deeper in the woods and occasional crackling of the fire. They were full of hamburgers and fish. Sam was drifting off in his chair and Mack had fallen asleep right after she finished eating.

Clara stared at the fire, her mind empty. For once, thoughts of her accident weren't drifting in the back of her mind. As soon as she realized that, though, slight guilt returned to regain its grip on her heart. Suddenly she lifted her eyes to look across the fire at Bucky, only to find that his gaze was already on her. Clara offered a weak smile, which he returned. When she looked away, cheeks burning from a heat sourcing from somewhere other than the fire in front of her, Bucky's eyes drifted to the ring on her left hand.

He was disappointed, to say the least - disappointed that she had found her soulmate and it wasn't him. Bucky didn't even know what his ring looked like anymore. Too much time had passed to remember. He had, however, memorized hers. Mountains usually rested on the top side of her finger, though water and starts occasionally drifted around. He agreed to her help in finding his ring because there was some part of him, deep down, that hoped it was him. Somehow, it had to be him.