Entwined | Bucky Barnes *On Hold*

Chapter Twenty One

~Buckys POV~

The war left me a light sleeper. So did HYDRA, and then being on the run. It was only when I found Amelie, or rather, she found me, that I began to sleep through the night.

But I had practice in sleeping lightly, and it came in handy now, having a house filled with my wife, two young children, and two soulmates who were struggling with their own pasts.

D'Arcy had stopped waking us up in the night a month after she moved into our home. Her nightmares faded, and even the complications with Sue and her temporary stalking, didn't change her sleeping habits too much.

Owen too, regularly slept through the night pretty calmly. Until last week, when his grandfather died.

David still hasn't cried, at least in front of us, but Owen was a wreck. He was struggling to comprehend the enormity of losing another family member, and it was like his entire world was falling apart.

Which was why D'Arcy was silently hovering beside my head, her hands waving in front of my face at 2am. I blinked, and managed to control my reflexes so I didn't shout at the sight of her peering closely at me.

I flicked the lamp on, which instead of waking Amelie, caused her to snore and roll over. I grinned at D'Arcy, trying to encourage a smile out of her worried expression.

'Owen is sad' she signed, before pointing at the door she left wide open. A light was on at the end of the hall, and I could hear his sobbing.

I nodded, and leant a hand out to ruffle her hair as she bit her lip. I sat up, pulling her into my side, and kissed the top of her head. "Get into bed with Mum, sleep here okay?"

'Is he okay?'  She signed with a yawn, then lifted her hands to tiredly itch her eyes.

Amelie's hand emerged from under her face, and her squinting eyes glanced at us as I answered D'Arcy. "He's just upset, my love, but he will be okay. Go to sleep now."

Amelie rolled over, and pulled D'Arcy into her chest. Our daughter nodded sleepily, and snuggled under the blankets with a sigh.

I shut the door softly, and crept down the hall. There was silence outside David and River's door, and when I knocked there was no answer. I pushed it open, and found it empty.

I frowned, and quickly shuffled into D'Arcys room where Owen was. Only he was in here, crying into his pillow. I turned the night light beside the bed on, letting him know he wasn't alone any more.

His eyes were red, and a long trail of snot was hanging from his nose. I found a tissue, and quickly cleaned him up before pulling him onto my lap. He clung to my shoulders, his hands digging into my skin slightly as he shook.

I gently stood up, making sure I held him securely, and slowly made our way downstairs. I wrapped him in the blankets on the sofa and turned the television onto a child's cartoon. I made sure the signer was on this episode so Owen could be distracted by the story.

'I'm getting us a treat', I signed to him, before stepping into the kitchen. I rang David while I dug through the cupboard for a small pack of the sweet fruit chew-things that Amelie had bought them during the week. Owen and D'Arcy seemed to love them and they looked healthier than the bar of chocolate I was eyeing up.

"Hey," his voice was croaky when he picked up on the third ring. "Everyone okay?"

I glanced back at Owen who was wiping his eyes as he curled up in the blanket. "Owen is... having a rough night."

I heard him coughing slightly, before he spoke. "I'm on my way home-" I could hear him talking to someone, before River took the phone from him.

"Hey Bucky," she sounded tired too, "I'm with David, he's..." she trailed off.