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idy-ll-ique · 2 years

Text

polluted rivers

pairing: king!bucky barnes x villager!f!reader

genre: angst with happy ending

warnings: extremely sad at one point, does that count?

requested: nope

word count: ~5.8k

summary: for the first time, bucky meets someone in his kingdom that doesn't recognise him: a village-girl by the name of y/n. they form a very good friendship and hang out often, until one day she is shot by one of his guards who thinks she poses as a danger to him. she survives, but after the incident, is there hope for them at all?

author's note: hiya peeps! okay so even though the fic says "king" this is actually not set in olden times; it's a modern kingdom. enjoy!

masterlist

---

"When I'm drowning in this silence—"

Y/N paused her singing when she noticed a man standing alone a few feet away from her, dressed in rich clothing. Then she looked over the place; the village where she lived was tiny and poor, what was a man like him doing here? What did he want? "Hey! Hey, you!" she called out, causing the man to turn to her. He simply raised an eyebrow as she walked over to him, a basket of fish in her hands. Her neighbour had a business selling fish.

Since she was old and frail, Y/N caught the fish for her, and delivered them to her house. "Hey, you don't look like you live around here. What's your name?" The man blinked a couple times at her. "...Bucky," he spoke hesitantly. "Bucky! That's a cool name! Knew you weren't from here, are you visiting someone? Are you… perhaps Mr Lee's nephew? Mr Lee said he was going to visit today," she spoke animatedly, giving Bucky a smile. Bucky stared back at her.

"What's your name?" he asked instead. "Shit, I'm stupid. Y/N, Y/N is my name, it's nice to meet you," she grinned and a small smile appeared on Bucky's face. "You selling these?" Bucky nodded his head towards the basket of fish. "Oh, no, my neighbour has a business, not me… I'm still looking for a job, to be honest. I might join her business. She's getting old so I catch the fish for her and deliver it to her house." He chuckled. "That's wonderful. I'm guessing this is the river where you caught them."

As they were standing on a bridge, the two looked down at the river that flowed underneath them. "Fuck no!" She bashfully covered her mouth for cursing. "I mean, no, this river is stinking polluted, there's actually a lake a couple miles away with clean water and plenty of tasty fish, I go there. I don't even know if any life forms exist in this river, probably not." Bucky hissed. "That sucks, someone should really clean this river up." That's my job. "Anyway, I really have to get going now, it was nice meeting you."

"Likewise, Bucky! Keep visiting!"

Walking past him, she continued singing her song. Bucky stared at her as she left; he hadn't been called by his name in ages, partly because he didn't like just anyone to use his name to address him. But hearing Y/N say his name, speaking to him so casually… It was like a breath of fresh air. Well, they were standing near a polluted river so maybe not fresh air, but… Smacking his own forehead for thinking the horrible joke, Bucky walked the way Y/N had come from. His car was parked a few feet away.

He had to get away from his home for some time, that's why he'd decided to go to the small village. Besides, visiting his kingdom and meeting its citizens… that was part of a king's duty, wasn't it? Getting behind the wheel, he started the car.

It took him around an hour to get home. When he reached his palace, he was immediately greeted by the guards and other staff members, who gave him a salute with the call of, "Your Majesty." He nodded at them and proceeded towards his room only to be stopped by his best friend in the corridor. "Your Majesty," Steve whistled, "Where have you been?" Bucky scoffed and pushed past him to continue his walk to his room. "Needed some time alone, that's it."

"Alright, alright, I believe you," Steve raised his arms in surrender, "But next time, at least tell us! Sam was so anxious to not find you in the mansion, he thought you got kidnapped or something!" Bucky burst out laughing. "He did?! Hah! Someone needs to tell him to loosen up a bit… anyway, I think I'm going to bed straight away, I had something to eat for dinner on my ride back home. You two go ahead and eat." Steve nodded and Bucky went to his room.

As soon as the door closed behind him, he groaned and flopped down on his bed, tired. Why did he have to be born as someone important?! Shaking his head, Bucky went to the bathroom for a quick shower. A smile bloomed on his face as he recalled the incidents of the day, as well as the various conversations he'd had with his subjects. They were super polite, of course, all except…

"Hey, hey you! You don't look like you live around here, what's your name?"

That was the first time he had talked to a person in his kingdom who didn't know who he was. But not revealing his identity had also led him to have his best conversation in years. “Maybe I can go meet her again sometime,” he muttered to himself, rubbing his bearded chin. As for Y/N, she was having dinner with her neighbour that day, Mrs Abbott. “It took you a long time to deliver fish this afternoon, Y/N, were you held back on your way home?”

“I stopped to talk to this man, he was standing on the bridge all alone. He didn’t look like he lived here, and I was right, he was only passing by. Said his name was Bucky.” Mrs Abbott nodded. “Good, you checked up on him. These days we never know who’s a friend and who’s a foe.” Y/N agreed. After dinner, Y/N went back to her house, where she lived alone.

Her parents lived in a metropolitan city a few hours away, but they couldn’t have cared less about her. Similarly, she couldn’t give a lesser damn about them. As she lay awake in bed, her thoughts went back to Bucky. For some reason, she was under the impression that she’d seen him somewhere before. Where could it be? Shaking her head, she turned to her side and fell asleep.

---

It was a weekend when she first met him. As the weekend rolled around again, Y/N was heading to do her daily chore of catching fish but when she reached the lake, she saw an expensive car parked some distance away from the lake. Why would someone dump their vehicle like that in their village? Hurriedly, she approached the car but found out that the windows were tinted. Eh? She tried knocking on the driver’s window, when it suddenly rolled down. Bucky was the one sitting inside!

“Bucky? You’re back?” she blinked, taking a few steps back as he opened the car door and got out of the vehicle. “Sorry, I would’ve come earlier but I was busy, it seems that I’m only free on the weekends. Shall we get down to business, then?” Y/N watched, confused, as he walked to the boot of the car and opened it, pulling out fishing equipment. “You have a fishing rod?!”

“You don’t?” Bucky’s brows furrowed. “No, I— I catch them with my hands, I’m not… I can’t really afford a fishing rod. It takes time but I get enough fish.” Bucky smiled sadly. “You can use my fishing rod for today.” Her cheeks heated up with embarrassment. “I don’t know how to use it.”

“I’ll teach you! Come here!” And she squeaked a little as Bucky put an arm around her, pulling her to his side. She looked up at his face; he was certainly a handsome man… “So where should we sit to catch fish?” She led him to her favourite spot where a lot of fish swam. But before they could sit, Y/N cried out, “Bucky, wait!” He froze. “What?” Her lips pulled into a thin smile. “Your clothes might get dirty…” Bucky laughed boisterously at that.

“No need to worry, darling, I have spare clothes in my car. Come on.” Sighing, she sat next to him, watching as he adjusted the fishing rod and reel. “Now for the bait…” Y/N smiled a little at the way the tip of his tongue stuck out as he focused solely on his work. His concentrated face was adorable. “There! Now we throw the line in the water like so—” Y/N watched excitedly as he waited. Her knees were pulled to her chest and her elbows were resting on them, her hands cupping her face.

Bucky continually stole glances at her as they sat in silence. “So, uh, do you live alone?” he blurted out and she looked at him, eyebrows raised. “I do, yeah, my parents live in the city. What about you?” Bucky blinked at her. “Wait. So they live there, and they didn’t take you with them?” A mirthless snort escaped her lips. “They don’t care about me. I don’t either.” Suddenly, he regretted the question.

“My parents… well they’re dead.” She gasped and covered her mouth. “I’m so sorry.” He waved his arm in dismissal. “Ma passed away when my sister and I were young, and my father died at war.” Ah, so his father was a soldier. “How’s your sister? Is she younger than you or older?” Bucky chuckled. “Younger. She’s married and has a cute kid.” Y/N smiled at that.

“That’s wonderful. And you? Any ladies in your life? Unless you’re attracted to men, which is fine—”

“No,” Bucky wheezed, “I’m straight. No ladies in my life right now, though I’m hoping something will happen with me and this girl I met a few days ago.” Y/N nodded, absolutely clueless. “Nice. Oh, look!” Both of them turned their attention to the fishing line. “A catch,” Bucky cheered as he reeled in the line. Sure enough, a big fish was attached to the end of the line. “That’s so cool,” Y/N whispered, awed. “Do you wanna try?” He held the rod towards her.

Bucky quickly separated the fish and the line, placing the flopping fish in the basket Y/N had brought along. Then Y/N held the rod, tossing the line into the lake. "Doing great so far," Bucky cheered and she grinned at him. They maintained a light chat as they waited for a fish to bite the bait; they didn't have to wait for long. Y/N felt a pull on the line and turned to the lake, both hands grabbing the rod tightly. "What do I do?" she asked frantically.

"Hold on." And Y/N's breath caught in her throat when Bucky enveloped her in his arms from behind, his hands covering hers as he held the rod tightly and reeled the line in. "That is a big catch, holy shit!" he laughed but all Y/N could focus on was the feel of his arms around her. She was insanely disappointed when Bucky pulled away; what she didn't know was that so was Bucky.

They caught several more fish. When the basket was full, Y/N stood up and dusted the back of her trousers, wiping the sweat off her brow. "That's more than enough fish, thank you so much for helping me Bucky!" Bucky smiled at her as he held the heavy basket for her. Y/N was impressed, since she needed both hands to hold it but Bucky held it in one hand like it weighed nothing. "No worries! Maybe we can make this a weekly thing, you know… I'm free on the weekends like I said…"

Bucky hoped that their weekly expeditions would turn into a date sometime. "I don't mind, you can stop by as much as you want! Our village is very welcoming, maybe I'll introduce you to some of my neighbours." "I'd love nothing more." Together, the two of them started walking towards Mrs Abbott's house. When they reached, Mrs Abbott looked up and smiled at both of them. "Y/N, you're back! And who is this?" Bucky's brows furrowed slightly. Did no-one in the village know him?

To be fair, the village was sort of situated on the outskirts of his kingdom. "This is the guy I told you about last week, remember? The one standing on the bridge alone?" Mrs Abbott gasped in realisation. "Ah, Bucky, are you? Welcome, welcome, sit down. I'll bring you both some lemonade, something for this hot summer sun." Bucky couldn't refuse. He and Y/N sat side-by-side in the living room as Mrs Abbott went to fetch the lemonade.

Bucky liked this. The simple life that Y/N was living, she looked happy. To him, no one had looked as elegant and ethereal as she did, and he got marriage proposals from princesses of different kingdoms all the time. He was now glad he'd rejected them all, since he met Y/N. Bucky looked around the living room; there was no TV, he noticed, just a radio sitting lonely atop a table. No wonder Mrs Abbott didn't know. "Hey Y/N," he whispered to her, "Do you have a television?"

She looked at him. "Eh? No, no I don't have a TV, actually, why?" Bucky grinned goofily. "No reason." He'd just found his perfect sanctuary, away from the people of his palace, away from his responsibilities, away from Steve and Sam. Mrs Abbott walked out of the kitchen with the lemonade and placed both the glasses on the table. "Enjoy." Bucky nearly downed the glass in one gulp. "Mm, this is very delicious, Mrs Abbott, thank you!" She smiled and patted his head.

"Do you know, he helped me catch fish today? He had a fishing rod, too!" Bucky simply watched as Y/N talked to Mrs Abbott. Then he checked his watch; it was getting late, he needed to go back home. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I must head back now," he sighed and the two ladies looked at him. "Visit again soon, okay?" Bucky smiled and got up to leave. He went back to his car, first changed his clothes and then started his drive back to his palace.

But the more he neared the palace, the more his mood started souring; why couldn't he simply go back to Y/N and the quiet village? The village, full of natural beauty, fresh air, polluted rivers, clean lakes and the most wonderful people. He made up his mind. Turning his car back around, Bucky started driving back to the village. On the way, he called Steve. "Your Majesty, what's up?" He cleared his throat. "I'm staying somewhere for the night, I'll be home by tomorrow afternoon."

"What?!" Steve screamed on the other end, "Where are you staying? I'll send some guards over—" Bucky clicked his tongue. "The last thing I need are guards. I'll be fine, I'll see you tomorrow." He ended the call and soon reached the village. He parked his car and walked, looking around until, to his luck, he spotted Y/N standing on the same bridge over the polluted river. "Y/N!" She whirled around and gasped when she saw Bucky. "Bucky? What are you— o-oh," she stammered as he hugged her tightly.

Confused, she patted his back. "Did something happen? Why are you back?" He pulled away and exhaled sharply, running his fingers through his hair. "Can I stay with you tonight?" Her eyes widened and he shook his head. "Not like that, of course, I just… I'm starting to like this village a lot. I want to stay here for the night." She let out a sigh of realisation. "Ah, okay! Come, I'll take you to my house." They walked to her house. When they reached, she turned to him with a bashful smile.

"It's not much—"

"But it's home."

"Aye, Harry Potter!" Y/N laughed and Bucky grinned at her. "You've read the entire series?" he asked as she gave him a tour of her house. "Yes I have! I love it!" Finally, both of them sat in the living room. It was now sometime around 8:30. Y/N looked up. "I was about to make dinner, is pasta okay?" Bucky smiled. "It is." Y/N grinned back. "I'll be right out with dinner in 20 minutes!" Bucky took out his phone as she went to the kitchen to make dinner. He saw a slew of messages from both Steve and Sam, but ignored them.

He didn't want to go back. As promised, 20 minutes later, Y/N returned with two plates of pasta. Once again, they continued their conversation as they ate dinner, and even after dinner, as Bucky helped her tidy up the kitchen. Back at his palace, the staff members would have a heart attack if they ever saw Bucky in the kitchen. Finally, after everything was done, the two trudged up the stairs, tired. "Where am I sleeping?"

"In my room! I'll sleep on the floor beside you."

Bucky frowned at that. "Absolutely not! If anything, I'm intruding, and I should sleep on the floor! You should sleep on your own bed, Y/N." Y/N disagreed. "You're my guest, Buck, what kind of a host will I seem if I let my guest sleep on the floor?" This bickering went on for sometime until it was decided that both of them would sleep on the bed next to each other, granted that all hands will be kept to themselves. "Do you need spare clothes?" Bucky shook his head.

"My clothes are comfortable enough, it's okay." At precisely 10:56 pm, both of them lay down on the bed side-by-side, staring at the ceiling. "How… What does living in the village feel like?" Y/N smiled at his question. "Are you considering? Well, it feels… great. Yes, we're sort of behind compared to the metropolitan cities, but we also have less stress. Everyone in the village knows each other, and there is so much natural beauty around, the air is fresh… no one owns vehicles here, you know?"

"I noticed," he hummed. "It's awesome, if you ask me. I'd rather live here than in a metropolitan city." Bucky turned on his side to face her. "What about a palace, where your every whim is catered to? Somewhere where all your needs are met." Y/N laughed. "Like the king's palace? It does seem nice, to be honest. The only place besides this village that I'll tolerate is the palace." Bucky grinned at that. Yes!

"I agree," he cleared his throat. "Let's go to sleep now, goodnight!" Y/N turned on her side as well, away from Bucky, and closed her eyes. Bucky stared at the back of her head for a while, until a soft smile appeared on his face and he fell asleep as well.

---

Months passed. Y/N and Bucky had become great friends, and they hung out every weekend. Bucky always made sure he kept his schedule clear on weekends, so he could visit the woman he had fallen head over heels for. Unbeknownst to him, Y/N was also starting to fall for him. She still didn't know who he was, she only knew him to be Bucky who visited her village every Saturday and Sunday and helped her catch fish. Y/N had shown him all around the village, too, and sometimes, he stayed over at her house.

They had almost become best friends. That day, as Bucky drove towards the village all giddy, he didn't notice a few cars following his own. They were all led by Steve and Sam, who were intrigued and interested to know where Bucky went every weekend. Sam was confused when Bucky turned towards a small village; he exchanged glances with Steve, who looked equally as confused. Bucky, meanwhile, parked his car near the lake like he always did and waited for Y/N to show up.

Which she did, just a few minutes later. Steve asked all the drivers to park their cars outside the village and together with around 10 armed guards and Sam, he entered the village, looking around. The lake was surrounded by forest, and Steve asked all guards to hide behind trees, out of sight while still keeping an eye on Bucky. To his and Sam's surprise, they saw Bucky sitting near the lake with a woman, holding a fishing rod. "Who's she?" Sam whispered to Steve.

"Fuck if I know," Steve huffed. Even the guards watched, blinking, as the two chatted. What they didn't like was the way she spoke to their king so casually, like they were equals. He was still her king, she should show some respect! While Sam and Steve watched with amused glances, the guards started losing their patience. And when Y/N jokingly pushed Bucky with such force that he tipped over, it happened.

One of the guards fired.

Y/N screamed with agony as a bullet collided with her leg. She fell to the ground clutching her leg, out of which blood was oozing out profusely. "Y/N?!" Bucky yelled immediately after, kneeling next to her to check the wound. "A bullet?" he whispered before standing up and turning around. "Show yourself! Who's here?" Sheepishly, Steve and Sam walked out from behind the trees followed by the guards. "Rogers, Wilson, what is the fucking meaning of this?!" He scolded them harshly, kneeling next to Y/N once more.

Then he turned to the guards. "Which one of you shot her?" None stepped forward, until one snitched. Bucky approached the guard, and Steve and Sam gasped as Bucky slapped him straight across the cheek. "Your Majesty, she dared to put her hands on you, how can we not react?" Before Bucky could respond, Y/N looked up. "Y-Your Majesty? Are you… James Barnes? Are you Bucky Barnes?" she asked him quietly and he looked at her. "I am, but—" He started kneeling next to her again but froze when she stopped him.

"Leave. Go away."

"But Y/N, I—"

"Your Majesty, please, go."

Her eyes steadily filled with tears; she felt light headed. "But Y/N, you're hurt, I need to take you to the hospital—" Y/N shook her head. "Don't waste your time on a peasant like me. You know, Mr Lee's nephew is here, I'll ask him to take me. Please leave, Your Majesty, before I get shot again." That sentence was like a dagger to his heart. "Y/N…" She kept staring at the ground and Bucky noticed as a lone tear fell on her shirt. Bucky's eyes threatened to fill as well, but Steve kept his hand on Bucky's arm, tugging him away from her.

"Y/N!" Bucky kept shouting but she wouldn't listen. In a moment, all of Y/N's feelings towards Bucky changed. She felt nothing but distaste for him now; how could he have simply lied to her like that?! Somehow reaching for her phone, she dialled Peter's number. Bucky, meanwhile, was sitting in the backseat of his car, anger rolling off of him in strong waves over the stunt Steve and Sam had pulled. He couldn't believe they spied on him like that.

"What the fuck is wrong with you two?" he hissed and Steve had the grace to look guilty. "We never intended for her to get hurt, we simply wanted to see where you went every weekend." Bucky scoffed, a teardrop ending up rolling down his cheek. "So what was the reason of bringing armed fucking guards around? You two are trained well in combat, you could've come alone. I want that guard fired— no, execute him. I don't fucking care. I want him dead."

"He did it because she pushed—"

"Shut the fuck up Sam!" Bucky yelled harshly, "Shut up! Just shut your fucking mouth! She didn't know who I was, it was going so fucking well, but you two just had to ruin every fucking thing. Fuck you both." Steve and Sam exchanged ashamed glances as Bucky covered his face, a choked sob leaving his lips. They admitted they had made a mistake. Bucky had allowed her to be casual with him, he knew she wasn't a threat, and they had ruined their perfect outing.

How was Bucky going to face her now?

---

"Excuse me, Mrs Abbott?"

A week had passed, and Bucky was back at the village. He'd come to see Y/N, but she wasn't at home. So here he was now, standing inside Mrs Abbott's shop. She looked up when her name was called, and her lips immediately pulled into a thin line as she regarded him with a cold gaze. "What do you want, Your Majesty?" The title sounded disgraceful to him now. He knew he deserved it. "Do you know where I can find Y/N? I went to her house but she wasn't there."

"I do believe it will be better if you leave our village alone from now on. All these years, we have lived peaceful lives, no crime occurs in our village but then you come along, and an innocent woman gets shot. I'm saying this out of respect for you, and out of concern for our village— please leave." Bucky's heart shattered into two. He heaved a watery breath and nodded dejectedly, turning around to go back to his car. But before he did, he felt like going to the bridge over the polluted river.

Maybe he could see the river one last time. As he approached the bridge, though, Bucky paused when he saw Y/N walking towards him from the opposite side, crutches in both her arms, her leg wrapped in a cast. She noticed him at the same time, and froze as well. But she recovered quicker and turned around to go to her house the other way. "Y/N! Y/N, stop, please!" Bucky pleaded, running after her. She stopped, but didn't turn to him.

He stood in front of her, panting. "How—" he gulped, "How is your leg?" She finally looked up at him, and there was a smile on her face. Bucky realised it wasn't genuine. "Hurts a lot, thank you." His heart? Crumbs. "Look, I'm— I'm really sorry, Y/N—" She scoffed. "A worthless apology will not cut it, Your Majesty, I hope you know that." Bucky groaned, raking his fingers through his hair. "Bucky, Buck, idiot, moron, fuckhead, motherfucker— please. Anything but Your Majesty. Y/N, please!" She chuckled heartlessly.

"And what, get shot again? Where are your guards this time?" Y/N looked around the place. "There's no one here but you and me. Darling, please…" Y/N covered herself, crouching down. "What the fuck are you doing? Do you want me to get hurt again that bad? The fuck are you calling me darling for?!" Tears began falling from Bucky's eyes again. "Y/N," he sobbed, "You have to believe me, I didn't know the guards were coming, they misunderstood, please— I need another chance, Y/N…"

"Don't you have a kingdom to run, Your Majesty?"

With that, she turned around and started limping back to her house. Bucky watched her with a blurry gaze, his sobs catching in his throat as he completely broke down right there, on the bridge. Y/N paused for a second when she heard him crying; tears formed in her eyes as well. She wanted to go to him, to hug him, to beg him to stop crying, but at the same time, she wanted to be 500 feet away from him, somewhere she wouldn't get hurt. Ignoring her feelings, Y/N left.

---

Another week passed. Y/N was miserable the whole week, having conflicting feelings for Bucky. She loved him, and at the same time, she wanted nothing to do with him. But as the week came to an end, one side of hers won. The one that wanted Bucky back. But would he ever come back to the village? After sending him off so cruelly the last time, she didn't think he would. "Are you okay, dear?" Snapping out of her thoughts, Y/N looked up at Mrs Abbott. "I'm doing fine," she whispered but Mrs Abbott smiled knowingly.

"You miss Bucky."

"I want him back," Y/N sniffled, "It wasn't his fault I got hurt, and he apologized so much… but I don't think he's ever coming back after the way I sent him back the last time." Mrs Abbott placed a hand on her shoulder. "If he doesn't come, you go to him. After your leg gets healed, we can visit him at his palace." Y/N looked up, teary eyed. "Do you think he will want to see me again?"

"I know love when I see it. A man's love can be one of the strongest things in the world; he truly does like you, sweetheart, he will want to see you again, definitely." Why did Mrs Abbott think he loved her? That couldn't possibly be true… As silence followed their conversation, Mrs Abbott turned on the radio. But what they heard shocked them both.

"...is to be imprisoned for life. According to sources, King James Barnes was out fishing with a female companion when a guard shot her in the foot, severely hurting her. His Majesty has ordered severe punishment for the guard."

"What?" Y/N whispered. "When asked what the female companion means to him, he said this." And the voice cut to Bucky's. "She's my everything. She is the woman I want to marry, the woman destined to be your future queen. The guard has essentially, deliberately hurt a member of the Royal family, for which he deserves his punishment." Y/N covered her mouth in shock. The woman he wanted to marry? "See, darling? I told you," Mrs Abbott laughed, running her fingers through Y/N's hair.

Y/N refused to believe it. A man of his prestige and reputation, wanted to marry a village girl like her? But why? Slowly, a shy smile appeared on her face and she chuckled. Yes, she wanted him too. "We just have to wait one more day, tomorrow marks the weekend, remember?"

The day couldn't have passed quicker. The next afternoon, as Y/N sat in her house going through her phone, the doorbell suddenly rang. Hurriedly grabbing her crutches, she went to open the door only to be lifted up by a pair of strong arms. "I'm not letting you go this time," Bucky whispered, "Last time you sent me back but this time, I'm not going. You're mine, damn it! I'm yours, and you're mine, and I'm not easily letting go of what's—"

He stopped rambling when he heard laughter. Looking up, he saw Y/N smiling amusedly, her arms wrapped around his neck. "Just shut up and kiss me already, you idiot." Bucky didn't need to be told twice. One hand going to the back of her head, Bucky brought her in and crashed their lips together, giving her a fierce kiss. Y/N's fingers played with the hair on the nape of his neck, her legs wrapping around his waist for balance. The crutches fell against the ground as Bucky walked in, closing the door behind him.

When they finally broke the kiss, Bucky laughed and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, pressing his forehead against hers. "What changed your mind?" She shrugged. "After I sent… After I sent you back last week, I couldn't stop thinking about you. In the months we passed together before your identity was revealed, I'd… fallen in love with you. But when I got hurt, because of you, I hated it. I hated you. Then I realised, it wasn't your fault. You didn't know. You were equally as surprised as I was."

"I swear I didn't, Y/N, and the guards— it's their duty to protect me, you know, and since I was hanging out with an unknown woman, they assumed the worst, and when you shoved me, they thought you were hurting me. It was never their intention to hurt you, but that one guard— I've sent him to prison."

"Life imprisonment, yes, I heard on the radio." Bucky blinked at her. "Wait, you actually heard it? And did you also hear what I said about—" Bucky's cheeks went red as Y/N smirked at him. "My everything," she teased him, "The future queen. You are so cliché, holy shit." And Bucky sighed as she squished his cheeks. "Okay, okay, that's enough… I did mean it, though. I want to be yours, Y/N, I wanna make you mine." Bucky sat on the couch, pulling Y/N on his lap. She laughed.

"Didn't you already claim it? When you came through the door, you were rambling like a crazy asshole— hey!" Y/N pouted when he gently slapped her arm. "I love it when you call me nicknames but nobody likes to hear the word asshole, doll," he chided and she smiled apologetically. "I'm sorry." Bucky smiled along and brought her in for another kiss. "Besides, you are now the only person in the kingdom who is allowed to call me by my name."

"What about your friends?"

"Since they are the reason you got hurt in the first place, I've revoked their permission to call me by my name. Now they must strictly call me Your Majesty and nothing else." Y/N burst into loud laughter. "Bucky! Come on, that's harsh, they're your friends."

"No one's allowed to hurt my darling, though, and if they do— even if they're my closest friends— they must suffer the consequences." Y/N's laughter died out, but a smile remained plastered on her face. "I've never had someone like me so much," she whispered, "Thank you, Bucky." He smiled along, cupping her face in his hands. "The pleasure's all mine, sweetheart, thank you for allowing me to love a precious person like you."

As they sat there, content in each other's arms, Bucky ran his finger over her leg. The cast had come off, but there was still a bandage tied over the wound. "How is this feeling now?" Y/N rested her head on his shoulder. "I don't feel the pain anymore, but the wound hasn't healed properly yet." Bucky gently kissed her head. "Then I'll be super careful." A confused look appeared on her face as Bucky stood up, carrying her bridal style in his arms.

"Where are you going?"

When he smirked at her, she understood. "What I've been wanting to do for a long, long time, baby." She chuckled and kissed him as he carried her to her room.

As for what they did in there… you can probably fill in the blanks.

---

a/n: thanks for reading, leave a like if you enjoyed!

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