Written in the Stars: Bucky Barnes

11. The Conversation

Stella nodded and walked with Bucky outside of the pub. "I was wondering when you might finally acknowledge my existence." 

"Me? You barely spoke a full sentence when I came back with Steve, then I find out you two sleep in the same bed every night?" Bucky said raising his voice, he wasn't intending on the conversation taking this turn. He should've, both of them were still too angry with one another and there were too many unanswered questions between them.

"Because every time I go to sleep I wake up screaming from the nightmares! Every single night Bucky, I see you leaving me, and then I see you shoot me or my mom. You have no clue what I've been through since you left."

"Because no one has told me, Steve just told me to talk to you. I didn't even know you would be here I was trying to keep you away from the war!"

"That wasn't your choice to make you idiot, it was mine. I was going to tell you that night that you decided to break up with me. The same night my mom died on the way to pick me up from the bus station. Steve didn't want to tell you because I asked him not to. I knew you'd try to find a way to blame yourself for everything that happened. Since that night," Stella paused to take a breath before continuing "Since that night, I've lost my mom the only remaining family I had. Then I started working with Howard and it's been an amazing time in my life. I worked alongside some of the greatest minds of our time on project rebirth. I was shot that same day and could've easily died." Bucky's eyes went wide at that statement and he reached out for her hand surprised when she didn't pull away. "Any time I'm not super busy with work the nightmares come back, some I haven't even told Steve about because I don't want to trouble him. I've dreamt about Daniel, I've dreamt about both of you dying and never being able to see you again. I know why you did what you did, I know what you were scared of. But honestly Bucky no pain could compare to the pain I felt when I thought you simply didn't love me anymore. Steve was being a good friend he was trying to fix what you broke. That's all, and for you to think there would be anything else going on," By now Stella's eyes were glassy with tears and she made herself look into his unsure of what exactly she hoped to see there. 

"God Nightingale, I'm so stupid." He brushed her hair behind her hair and rested his hand on her cheek. "I shouldn't have left you, it will forever be the biggest mistake I've ever made. I never stopped loving you Stells. I don't want anyone else, never did I just didn't know how else to protect you. I should've never tried to make decisions for you, I swear I'll never do it again. I know I don't deserve you, but I'm going to prove I'm worth taking back."

"You really are an idiot," Stella said making Bucky drop his hand from her face and look down trying to prepare for her to turn him down. She grabbed both sides of his face softly and made him look at her "I'm not letting you be a coward and run away again. I wanted you back as soon as you left. You're my soulmate, James Buchanan Barnes."

"I never thought I'd miss hearing you say my full name like that, Stella Rose Turner" Bucky replied with a smile before crashing his lips to hers. The kiss conveyed everything each of them had wanted to say without a word at all. They pulled apart and Bucky pulled her into his arms resting his chin on top of her head. "From now on though, you're sleeping in my bed with me." 

Stella chuckled, "whatever you say, Sarge besides Steve's a blanket hog."

Steve walked out a few minutes seeing his two friends embracing and smiled things seemed to finally be right again. "So, I see you two managed to work things out."

"Yeah, thanks for taking care of her when she needed you."

"Sorry, Stevie looks like you lost your bunk-mate."

"Oh don't worry I'm relieved. You snore and your feet are always freezing."

"Steven Grant Rogers, I would hit you, but I don't think Bucky would let me go right now and I doubt it would hurt anyway." 

"You've got that right, I'm never letting you go again. Besides, having been on the receiving end of a Steve punch recently I advise against fighting him now." Bucky laughed rubbing his jaw in memory of the hit.

Stella's eyes widened and she looked over to a laughing Steve. "I don't even want to know do I?"

"Hey, I said I was going to knock some sense into him."

"I guess I owe you thanks then," Stella said leaning up and kissing Bucky again.

"Okay you two, as glad as I am to see you worked everything out we've got work to do tomorrow. We better get back."

The couple nodded and walked back to headquarters. Stella fell asleep easily that night, and for the first time in months, she didn't have a single nightmare.

AN: Shorter little fluff chapter before shit hits the fan. I can't believe I'm over a hundred views. I hope you all are enjoying this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it. I saw some of you are from overseas, that's mindblowing to me! Sound of below where you're from! I'm Ash and I'm from the US.