Fire and Ice - (Bucky Barnes x OC) 18+

Chapter 15

"Bucky.." Alex called out, rapping her knuckles on his bedroom door. 

"Bucky, it's me...Alex,"

When he didn't reply, her brows furrowed in confusion before she opened the door and walked in, putting the plates down on the coffee table. In a split second her hearing picked up heavy shuddering breaths with sobs coming from the bathroom and she hurried over.

"Bucky?.." She called out again, pushing the bathroom door further open and taking in the sight. Bucky had his knees bent up to his chest with his metal hand gripping his shirt and his right was fisted in the side of his hair. He was crying and struggling to breathe. 

She could hear his heart beat and it was way too fast to be considered normal. The sight of him made her want to break down and cry with him. She didn't think or hesitate, Alex rushed in and kneeled before him. 

"Bucky, hey-hey you're okay, listen to me, you're okay," She assured. "Look at me,"

Alex took hold of his hands and squeezed his flesh hand, alternating her pulses as a form of distraction.

"It's just a panic attack, you're okay. Bucky look at me, listen to my voice, i need you to breathe with me..."

Lifting his gaze to meet hers, he inhaled through his nose because his jaw was still locked in place, making it hard to breathe at all which in turn only brought on more panic. This had never happened to him before.

Fear gripped him in a never ending tirade that made it feel like a weight sat on his chest and his stomach was in knots. All he could do was cry and groan. Alex urged him to breathe but he couldn't and she could feel the panic begin to seep in through her touch on him.

Lowering her gaze to their entwined hands for a second, she tried to remember something she'd seen before and when it came to mind, she acted. Alex leaned forwards and kissed him. Her lips pressing against his made his eyes widen in shock, he took in her dark long lashes as they brushed the tops of her cheekbones. Alex's eyes were closed and she was breathing slowly through her nose.

Bucky slid his eyes closed and tried to focus on the way her lips felt against his, he felt her release his hands to frame his face and use her thumbs to gently massage his locked jaw. She moved them in tender circles beside his earlobes and pulled back a fraction to check on him.

He opened his eyes and they locked with hers, in the next breath she took his jaw unlocked and he sucked in a deep gasp of air.

"Slowly, that's it," She whispered, and the faint smell of caramel brushed against his face.

"Sorry, i uhm...heh...i read somewhere that when a person is too lost in a panic attack, and nothing is helping...then a kiss usually works as a distraction...or at least one form of a distraction..." Alex explained in a ramble, retracting her hands. She could hear his heartbeat steadying, along with his breathing. 

"I guess it worked," She said. "You're safe, i'm here and you're not alone..."

He couldn't stop looking at her, and she felt a little weird being in such a close proximity after what she did. Alex rolled back onto her feet and in doing so, took hold of his hands once again and pulled him up to stand.

"Come on, let's get you back to the room," She said, guiding him out of the cold bathroom and into the confines of his bedroom. She headed over to the couch and gently sat him down.

"Are you okay?" she asked, and all she got was silence in reply. Alex couldn't help but think that she crossed some line, or that maybe he'd gone backwards from last night and decided he wants nothing to do with her. Overthinking was the worst.