Rings (Bucky Barnes x OC soulmate AU)

Chapter 10 - Museum

When Bucky showed up at Clara's apartment the day they were going to to go the museum, hair cut and freshly shaved, Clara didn't know what to do. He looked just like he did in his war pictures. She wondered if it had anything to do with seeing his sister later that day, too.

Clara didn't complain, though. He looked very handsome. She preferred it over his long hair. She found herself staring as she finished getting ready and had no doubt that he used to be a ladies man.

When she emerged from her bedroom with a pair of Vans in hand, she sat on the couch to put them on. Bucky was staring at text messages on his phone, reading past messages. The name at the top of the screen told Clara that he was nervous.

"Do you think she'll recognize me?" Bucky asked softly when Clara stood.

"With that haircut?" Clara combed his hair with her fingers, amazed with how soft and fluffy it was now. "Of course she will."

"You like it?" Bucky gestured to his hair.

"I do, actually. A lot." She then offered her hand to Bucky and pulled him up off the couch. "Let's go. You've got your stuff?"

"Yeah." Bucky shouldered a black backpack and picked up Clara's tan bag then followed Clara out the apartment.

After visiting the museum their plan was to drive to New York and stay with Bucky's sister for the night so the two had plenty of time to catch up. That was the part of their trip Bucky was most nervous about. Clara dreaded the museum.

Their past interactions led Clara to be certain that Bucky really cared about her in a way different from friendship. Clara needed him to know that, while she had found her soulmate, he was a different person than Bucky thought. Her fear was that he would be angry for leading him astray, for lying to him. If he accepted her, she would spend the rest of her life trying to make it up to him.

They drove to the museum and anxiously made their way to the Captain America exhibit. Clara caught sight of the picture she stared at the first time she came here with Mack. "I came here right after I found out about my new assignment," Clara explained, stopping in front of the picture. "Mack said she'd worked with you a few times and you didn't smile much. I decided here that I wanted to try and make you smile. Turns out that isn't too hard." She looked up at him and found him already starting at her. "I'm too funny for you." They looked at the picture a second more. "I also wondered what color your eyes are."

Bucky smiled and nudged her side. .

Clara took hold of his metal arm and tugged him to what she wanted him to see. "This is why we're here," she said softly. They stopped in front of a glass case with a few personal items. His ring still sat there, slowly spinning.

Bucky's eyes widened. He couldn't tear his eyes away. The mountains, ocean, stars... it was exactly the same as the ring on Clara's finger.

"I wasn't lying, when I said I found my soulmate," Clara said, moving closer to him.

"You really weren't."

There was no emotion in his voice or face. He was just blank, and that scared Clara. They stood there for a long time, Bucky thinking and Clara shaking with nervous energy.

"Are you mad?"

"I want to know why, first," Bucky responded, voice now hard.

Clara sighed and shifted on her feet. "I was scared, mostly. That's one of the reasons I didn't tell you. And I didn't want you to feel pressured, or anything. I had never even met you! I didn't know what condition your mental state was - I assumed it was bad because why else would Fury assign someone to help you out? I still have no clue what his reasoning is, but I'm not going to complain about it anytime soon." She swallowed hard, trying to gain more courage. "And... I wanted to know if it was possible to fall in love without knowing about your soulmate."