1.
Harry Potter has always known he was unlucky.
He is well aware of all the ways life could screw him over and then kick him while he’s down. He is pretty sure he’s fate’s favorite punching bag at this point.
He just didn’t think he was this unlucky.
Staring into the dark blue eyes of a Winter, Harry wonders if it is all just a cosmic joke. Of course his soulmate was Bucky Barnes. Of course his soulmate was a part of the very same gang he was taught to hate.
His dad is gonna have a field day with this.
Harry takes in the reaction of the other man, the surprise on his face clear as day, and he has to admit that Barnes isn’t half bad looking when there isn’t a scowl marring his features. Their eyes finally meet after he finishes cataloging his face and suddenly Harry is brought back to himself, realizing the magnitude of the situation he’s got himself in.
Quickly Harry looks away and swipes the bag of guns before doing what he does with all of his problems, running away.
Maybe if he runs fast enough he won’t have to deal with the fallout of this.
2.
Harry curses and turns around towards the bar, hoping the figure was just a figment of his imagination and not his soulmate.
It’s been roughly a month since their fated meeting and Harry has been doing a pretty good job of avoiding Barnes if he can say so himself. He’s been extra cautious during gang errands and even his dad has noticed. Harry was not looking forward to when his dad finally confronted him about his weird behavior.
All Harry’s hard work was put to waste when he felt a presence looming behind him and a hand grab his arm to turn him around. His breath caught in his throat at the sparks that ran down his arm at the touch and then he was face to face with his soulmate.
If he ignored all the problems that came with this there was one good thing here; his soulmate was breathtakingly beautiful.
“We need to talk.”
Harry shakes himself out of the daze and quickly recovers, face forming into a scowl as he rips his arm out of Barnes hand.
“No. We don’t,” Harry says, ducking behind a server and walking away.
“You can’t ignore this forever!”
Harry laughs. Barnes obviously doesn't know just how stubborn he can be.
3.
“Oh goodness, look at the time. I’ve been talking your ear off tonight haven’t I? I won’t bore you any longer with your dad and I’s business deal, young man.” The guy chuckled good naturedly.
Harry barely held back from rolling his eyes. He was at the Stark Enterprise Christmas party and he’d spent all night talking with his dad’s business partners or those who wanted to be his business partner. It was mind numbingly boring and he was counting down the time until he could leave without being rude.
Before he could come up with an excuse and make his getaway his dad came over and interrupted.
“Mind if I steal away my son, gentleman?” Though phrased as a question everyone there knew it wasn’t and were quick to make themselves sparse.
“Thank god you showed up. I think I might’ve gone insane if I had to listen to them drone on for any longer.”
“I’m afraid I didn’t come over here to save you. Our guys spotted some Winters lurking around the party. I want you to head upstairs with some of my men while we take care of this.”
Harry was torn between being grateful that he could finally leave the party, and annoyed at his father still treating him like a child. The opportunity to go upstairs and have some pizza while watching a movie soon made his decision and he rolled his eyes before following his father’s men.
He was glad for his decision when he met eyes with Barnes from across the room and saw him stride towards him.
He just barely saw his soulmate's pained face before the elevator doors closed and Harry was left feeling empty.
4.
Harry groans as he comes to and he would laugh if his head wasn’t currently throbbing and his throat wasn’t burning from the earlier waterboarding. It was just his luck to get kidnapped when he was out grocery shopping. And it was just his luck to get kidnapped by the Winters and tortured for information.
Harry tilts his head when he hears the door creak open and he prepares himself for another round of torture. This one is quiet and he’s straining his ears to get a general idea of where they are when suddenly he feels someone fiddling with the blindfold.
“Shhh. Don’t make a sound. We have to be quick if we don’t want to be caught.”
Harry blinks at the brightness as the dark fabric is pulled off his eyes. It’s fitting that the very man Harry has been working so hard to avoid is the one rescuing him.
He definitely inherited his father’s luck.
He listens to his soulmate though, better not to look a gift horse in the mouth and all that jazz, and stays quiet while Barnes goes around him and starts undoing the knot tying his arms and legs to the chair.
“Come on, follow me,” he whispers as he grabs Harry’s shoulder to pull him along. Harry ignores the tingling the touch brings and falls into step beside him.
He leads them out of the room Harry was kept in and through a dark hallway before they stop in front of a metal door that opens to a staircase. Hurrying down as silently as possible, they finally make it to the exit and Harry can feel the adrenaline crashing through him at the sight of the last obstacle between him and his freedom.
Just as Harry rushes forward to open the door, Barnes stops him and he spins around.
“What’re you doing?” Harry whispers harshly. Surely the man wouldn’t have gone to all this trouble to free him just to take him back.
“I know this isn’t the time but we really do need to talk about, y’know, us. Can we meet somewhere?”
“Listen. I just— I need space okay? We’ll talk eventually, just give me some time.”
And with that Harry pushes the door open and sprints away, leaving Barnes in the dust.
+1.
Harry was enjoying a cup of tea at his favorite cafe when someone sat down across from him.
Looking up, he quirks his lips up slightly and nods his head towards the other man's empty hands. “You gonna get something to drink?”
“Are you gonna run away if I do?”
Harry laughs and shakes his head, reaching out for his soulmate’s hands and shivering at the electricity that runs down his arms. Harry’s ready now. No more running away. No more ignoring the situation in the hopes it’ll disappear. He’s gonna face this head on and hopefully at the end he’ll have his soulmate standing by his side.
“Not this time.”