peace [bucky barnes]

16

a/n: SURPRISE DOUBLE UPDATE !!!!!!!

this chapter has been written for weeks . genuinely weeks . & i've been waiting to post it for so long & just can't hold it in anymore x x x x x

enjoy !!!!!

A loud knocking on the front door snapped Eden straight out of her deep sleep, eyes flying open as the initial panic set into her body. She quickly sat up in her bed, the exposed windows allowing lights from the city outside to cast shadows across the room, her heart beating rapidly against her chest. As another knock came in quick succession, she used her shaking hands to propel herself off the bed, bare feet padding on the wooden floors toward the living room.

A shiver ran through her as she stepped into the open apartment, the thin pyjamas she slept in doing little to protect her from the October chill. Her eyes darted around the room, moving from the sofa to the kitchen island, straining in the darkness to see if there was anyone hiding there; she had seen far too many true crime documentaries to walk around in the middle of the night without checking first. She squinted in an attempt to decipher the digital clock on the fridge, stifling a groan as she saw it read 3:47, and silently thanked the higher powers that she'd switched her day off so she didn't have work in the morning.

"Eden, it's me. Please open the door." A soft voice came from the hallway, startling her despite the low volume. In her sleepy haze, it took her a moment to realise who it belonged to, her anxiety morphing into utter confusion as she turned on her heel to the front door. She braced herself before she opened it, placing a hand flat on the wood, letting a deep breath expand through her body. Her fingers fumbled with the locks before she twisted the door handle with still shaking hands, slowly pulling it open with a low creak.

She was met with dull blue eyes, scruffy stubble and a very messy mop of hair, Bucky standing with his arm leaning against the wall, head darting upwards as her face appeared behind the door. Those deep purple circles ringed his eyes, looking as if he hadn't slept in days again, and as she stared into them she saw a hint of fear, mingled with other emotions she couldn't make out. She stared at him in quiet shock for a moment, heart rate climbing in his presence, her barely awake brain unable to comprehend him standing in front of her after days of nothing. He was silent, looking up at her as if he wanted to speak, but his mouth didn't move.

"What's going on, Bucky? Why are you here?" She asked, her voice quiet, worry rising inside her as Bucky hadn't said a word. All he did was look at her with a grim expression, his mouth pressed into a line, exhaustion evident all over his face. To her he seemed manic but oddly calm, the only giveaway his finger tapping against the wood at a fast pace as he tried to hold himself together.

"Can I come in, please?" He broke the silence, glancing from her face to the dim apartment behind her. "I just... I need to talk to someone."

Eden just nodded, too tired and too confused to press him any further. Despite his previous freak out, she had grown to trust him, and even after not hearing from him she couldn't suppress her nagging urge to help him out.

She pulled the door open, gesturing for him to come inside, brows furrowed as he gave her a simple nod and stepped through the doorway. He gently touched the small of her back as he brushed past her, causing her breath to stop short in her throat, a stirring in her stomach at the contact that she was nowhere near used to.

Bucky stalked inside and began to pace around the kitchen, running his fingers through his hair as he dropped his focus to the floor, his brows knitted together. Eden eyed him with caution, the slightly manic look in his eyes setting her nerves even more on edge. He was like a man on a mission, thick legs making large strides across her kitchen space, toward the balcony doors and back again, over and over.