Ball Chain & Satin
You were in front of the mirror, admiring your sleeveless satin wedding gown when someone knocked on the door.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
Grabbing a fistful of satin, you gathered up the skirt of your gown and moved closer to the door. You pressed your ear against the wood and heard him shuffling around on the other side of the door.
“Buck, what are you doing here? We’re not supposed to see each other before the ceremony.”
“I wanted to see you.”
“You’ll see me in an hour. Now, hush!”
You were waiting for the sound of his footsteps, but when you didn’t hear anything, you pressed your hand flat against the cold door.
“You’re still here, right?”
“Yup.”
“Bucky,” You sighed, pinching the bridge of your nose. “We’ll see each other soon. Promise.”
“It’s just… I…”
You heard him sigh and your heart dropped to your stomach. Maybe he didn’t want to marry you anymore and he came here to tell you that he was leaving. Nausea caught you by surprise. You were starting to have some difficulty breathing.
You straightened your shoulders and sucked in a deep breath. “Are you leaving me? Is that why you came here?”
“What?” Bucky’s voice raised in a sudden shout. “God, no! Y/n, we’re getting married in an hour. I just need to see you. I want to hold you in my arms before we do this.”
You released a relieved breath, chuckling softly how fast you jumped to conclusion. “It’s bad luck, Bucky.”
“Come on,” He whined, turning the doorknob. It turned freely, but the door was locked. “Pretty please, baby girl.”
His words sounded muffled and you knew it was because he had his cheek pressed against the door. He was making sounds like a puppy that had been locked outside. You rolled your eyes, fighting a smile.
“Are you wearing a tie?”
“A tie?” He pulled away from the door. “Of course, I’m wearing a tie. It’s my goddamn wedding.”
“Use it as a blindfold.”
“Um, I like where this is going.”
“James!” You chastised. You heard the rustling of clothing and waited. “You’re done?” He made a sound of approbation so you unlocked the door. “No peeking.”
You took his hand and led him into the room. His suit hugged his body in all the right places. He looked even better without his tie, chest hair poked through his slightly opened shirt, his dog tags resting between his sculpted pecs.
“I can feel you checking me out,” Bucky said with a knowing smile. “It’s not fair.”
You laughed quietly and pressed a quick kiss to his lips before his arms engulfed you in a warm hug. He released a long sigh and you knew that, even though he kept joking around, he really needed this.
“Um, it’s soft,” Bucky purred in your ear as his hands ran up and down your sides, feeling the satin dress.
“Tell me what’s wrong, Buck.”
“I just wanted you to myself,” He pressed a kiss to you temple. His fingers splayed across your back, drawing you even closer. “I’m not ready to deal with their fake smiles and cringes.”
“They’re our friends and family, Buck.”
“They think I’m not good enough for you.”
He was about to add something when you cut him off. “They’re happy for us. Don’t let your mind play tricks on you.”
Bucky pulled away, but kept his hands on your shoulders. “Let’s get married!”
“Yeah, that’s kind of what we’re here to do.” You cocked a brow at him even though he couldn’t see you.
“I mean right now. Let’s say our vows, just you and I.”
He had a big smile on his face. You wanted to give him the world and if he wanted to get married in your bridal room, then who were you to say no? When you didn’t answer, he cocked his head to the side.
“Okay, but you go first.”
He trailed his fingers down your arm and laced your fingers together. The hint of a smile tugged at the corners of his lips when he felt you shiver.
“Can I remove the tie now?”
“No.”
“Okay. I don’t need to look at you, I’ve already memorized every single one of your features.” He drew in a deep breath, gathering his thoughts. “My darlin’ girl, we took our time and together we’ve built something so strong and so special. It took me a while to realize that I was allowed to have you in my life.”
Damn it… He barely said two sentences and you already felt like crying. Thank goodness for waterproof mascara.
“Falling in love with you has been the greatest joy of my life. And yet, I’m terrified that one day you’ll get tired of soothing me from my nightmares or dealing with my mood swings. I know how much you love me, I can hear your heart pounding. I’ll do everything I can to give you the life you deserve. From this day until my last, I’ll protect you and our future family.”
You threw yourself at him and removed the tie before you hugged him hard. It was bad luck to see the bride before the weeding, but you didn’t care anymore. It was special, Bucky was a quiet and reserved man. He always told you he loved you, but this was something else.
“Sweetheart, you look gorgeous.”
Bucky took a step back, his eyes roaming over your curves. You felt your cheeks warm at the compliment. He tried to pull you against him, but you stopped him.
“Did you write it down?”
“No,” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I just let my heart speak freely. Don’t worry, I wrote my vows for the ceremony. It’s less sappy.”
“I guess it’s my turn now,” You took his left hand tightly in your hands. “James, you amaze me every day. You worked so hard to become the man you are now. You don’t have to be perfect, none of us are, but you try your best every single day and you do it with a smile on your face.”
Bucky blushed and it made your heart flutter.
“I love every part of you,” You kissed his metal knuckles. “Good or bad, happy or sad, metal or flesh. I can’t wait to show the world how much I love you.”
He looked ready to cry. His eyes were filled with tears and his smile lit up his whole face. He cleared his throat and put his right hand on top of yours.
“I, James Buchanan Barnes, take you, Y/n Y/l/n, to be my wife, my partner, my best friend and my one true love.”
You repeated his words, your voice shaking a bit. It was nice to do this without an audience. You were free to laugh and enjoy yourself. Bucky removed his dog tags and placed them around your neck.
“Ball chain and satin don’t go together very well, but-”
“It’s perfect,” You cut him off, tucking the tags inside your dress before you wrapped your arms around his neck. “I think you can kiss the bride now.”
Holding you against him, Bucky felt the warmth of your skin as you steadied yourself by placing your hands on his chest. You kissed and hugged each other again and again until you were gasping for air.
“Go,” You peppered his mouth and jaw with kisses. “You made me cry. Now I have to redo my makeup.”
“Just one more thing. How much did you pay for that pretty dress?”
“Why are you asking?” You eyed him suspiciously.
“I wanna know if you’ll let me rip that dress right off ya tonight.”
You rolled your eyes, but a shiver ran down your spine, betraying you. “Well, it was pretty expensive, but luckily for you, I don’t plan to wear it again so…”
Bucky scrunched up his face and clenched his fists in a silly victory gesture. You picked his tie off the floor and put it around his neck.
“See you soon, wifey.”
He left before you could reply anything, but you heard him whistle. As his footsteps disappeared, you grinned to yourself. Tears of joy were the best kind of tears.