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Bucky jogs through the trees as he keeps his eyes peeled for the person he's looking for.
She'd been in here a minute ago, but somehow, he missed her again.
If he didn't know any better, he'd think she was running from him.
But this is Yelena's void.
It's her guilt that she's running from.
He's gone through it three times, always too far behind her, despite the way the red string tugs him forward.
She screams, and he runs.
This soulmate thing is ridiculous, just to be clear.
Not because he doesn't care about it but because it's not helping him protect Yelena.
He's seen his voids already.
He's been through therapy over all of this, so getting through it was fine.
Well… Yeah, it's fine.
"Dammit, Yelena!" grumbles Bucky as he glowers and keeps on running, irritation making him want to kick a damn tree.
He can't not keep moving though because for some reason, he's running after her, and if she jumps into another void, he has to be right behind her.
"Bucky?!"
Her voice makes him stop in shock before he runs towards the voice, calling, "Don't move!"
"Where are you?" Yelena's voice is uncertain, emotional even, and Bucky wonders if he's running towards a trap.
But then his string thrums hard, and there's a yanking feeling on his wrist. So, he runs towards it.
"Bucky!"
He doesn't see her at first, not until she barrels into him and actually knocks him backwards with a tackle.
"Fuck," groans Bucky as he slams against the ground, but then his arms wrap around her and feels her solidity. "Thank God, it's you. Okay, let's get to Bob. The others were already moving through, so we should be able to meet them wherever Bob is."
"Can we talk about the thrumming red string, Bucky?" asks Yelena with wide eyes as she grabs it between her fingers and tugs. "This thing… I thought this was a myth."
"You were wrong," mutters Bucky before something hits him, and he freezes. "Wait a damn second. We've done this before. Not— Not this, but we've done— I went to bed in the Tower last night after you disappeared into your room with a pout. What— Shit. The witch."
"Well, crap," mutters Yelena as she looks down at him, clearly making the same connection. "Looks like we actually were hit with something."
"Then how the fuck do we get—" Bucky goes to ask a question only for the ground to drop out from under him. Yelena disappears from his hold like she was never there to begin with. He jolts up with a gasp, sweat pouring down his face. "Yelena!"
He climbs out of his bed so quickly that he completely forgets about his metal arm where he'd left it on the dresser in favor of running to the door and tugging it open. He comes face-to-face with Yelena who looks just as out of breath and disoriented as he does.
"Bucky," gasps Yelena as her hands immdiately grip his shoulders.
"Yelena," breathes Bucky as he rests his hand on her hip. "I should probably call Strange."
"Probably, but it's like three in the morning," replies Yelena as she presses her head against his chest, still coming down from the clear panic that was written on her face.
"Don't give a shit. We need to make sure what's going on. Considering it's fucking with our dreams, I'm not going back to sleep until I know what's up," replies Bucky gently, though his irritation shines through a bit more than he wanted it to.
In his defense, he apparently has a soulmate, and that soulmate is Yelena.
Things are a little weird right now.
He's also half-awake, even with the adrenaline from the panic.
"Okay, yeah, you're right. Let's call," murmurs Yelena nervously as she pulls away to look up at him.
Bucky nods and turns around, only for a gentle hand to grab his, and he doesn't even think about it before he laces their fingers together and tugs lightly. He walks over to the nightstand and grabs his phone to dial the number that he never expected to have to use again after he got it from Sam a few weeks ago.
Thank fuck for the other three being on a mission.
He dials Strange's number, and it takes one ring before a grumbly voice goes, "What do you want?"
"We were hit with a spell, Yelena and I, and it's got us sharing dreams and given us a red string in the dreams that we can't see now. Come figure out what the fuck is going on, Strange," replies Bucky bluntly as he stares harshly at the wall, arching a brow when silence is all that greets him before a harsh beeping noise. "He hung up on me."
"Is that a good thing or bad thing?" asks Yelena as he turns to look at her and finds her brows furrowed.
"A good thing, usually," mutters Bucky just as a portal whooshes into his room and Strange steps through with a yawn. "Still a good thing. Morning, Strange."
"Fuck off, it's late," grumbles Strange as he glares at Bucky before stepping forward and doing what he does best. Figuring out what's happened to them. "Barnes."
"What?" asks Bucky as his brows furrow at the pure irritation that's seeping out of Strange's voice.
"You were hit with a soulmate dream spell that lasted until you touched in the dream. There's nothing else going on," Strange throws his hands in the air in pure irritation as he glares at Bucky over Yelena's head. "Yet I'm awake at three in the morning?!"
Strange disappears with a huff, and Yelena and Bucky share a look.
"You staying in here then?" asks Bucky with an arched brow.
Yelena simply climbs into his bed and waits for him to join her. So, he climbs in behind her and holds her. It's a good thing they've gone on a date.