Entwined | Bucky Barnes *On Hold*

Chapter Sixteen

~Bucky's POV~

I stepped onto the landing, trying to stifle a yawn and dance around the creaking panel of wood under the floorboard that would signal to the house I needed the toilet in the middle of the night.

I was halfway there when I heard the whispering. Barely audible - the actual words just a blur behind the closed doors. I knew it wasn't D'Arcy or Owen; as much as they wanted to stay up all night, they only ever lasted an hour after they went to bed. And Jeremy slept alone, so he couldn't be talking to anyone.

I glanced back to the door I'd left pushed to, and heard Amelies faint snore. I smiled to myself, my heart bursting with love as I remembered her arguing heatedly about how she didn't snore, and how dare I accuse her of doing so.

That argument had ended with a cushion being thrown at my head before a long, heated night of... I sighed.

Needless to say, that night was long before D'Arcy was in the picture, let alone the four other people that had moved into our house.

I crept closer, following the wall until I could press my ear close to the crack between the door and the frame. I strained to hear - a skill I'd learnt back during the war but hadn't practiced in recent years - and closed my eyes to hear the conversation.

"They don't know." David mumbled softly, as something rustled over his voice. "He's only a kid."

"But he's your brother..." the pleading tone in Rivers voice caught me off guard. She had been close to mute when she first moved in, and when she did speak it was softly, but traced with sadness or indifference. But the way she was begging now...

"You said you wanted to go slow-"

"And I do, but he's your family David! If I had..."

My eyes widened, and I felt my mouth drop open as I silently cheered in the stillness of the darkened hallway. They had figured it out! They were soulmates!

I strained to hear again, but picked up at the end of Davids sentence, "tomorrow, I promise."

"Do you mean it?"

I felt a soppy grin grow on my face, before a wet, kissing sound broke my smile into a frown. I winced, and danced on the tips of my toes back to the bedroom and carefully shut the door behind me.

I poked Amelies hunched figure as I climbed above her on the bed. "Doll wake up."

Amelie grunted and pushed at my chest, but I caught her hips before she could roll away. "No baby, wake up." I leant down and gently licked the side of her neck.

She jolted awake, and shoved her hand onto my face as she pressed my cheek into the pillow. "If you wake me up like that again-"

"I know," I rolled my eyes, and playfully pouted as I recounted her last threat, "I won't get any more kisses. But-"

"James it is half past two in the morning! This better be good-"

"David and River know!" I hissed, "they know!"

"Know what?" She rubbed at her eyes tiredly.

"They know who their soulmates are."

Amelies eyes widened, and she rolled her neck so she could glance at the door to the landing, "they know?"

"Mhm." I hummed, "I think they're going to tell Owen tomorrow."

"How do you know?" Her gaze turned accusatory as she stared up at me. "Did you spy on them?"

"My spying days are over-"

"Buck-"

"I couldn't help it!"