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Leaves floated past, dancing in the early autumn wind as the pair of you stood by the water. Sounds of a distant party drifted through the air, but neither of you paid it any mind. You had snuck away the moment the opportunity arose and everyone was distracted. Being the center of attention was never your favorite thing.
The moonlight cast a light glow over the lake. So many memories of days gone by. Barbecues with the team during a stretch with no missions. An impromptu snowball fight with Nat, Steve, and Bucky when the four of you were supposed to be doing a dry run of a mission that saw you trekking through miles of snow. And your favorite memory of all. The day he asked you to marry him.
“What’s on your mind?” he asked, spinning you so you were facing him. You smiled at him. You still weren’t used to his hair being shorter, something that had been necessary for a mission.
“How long we can be away from the party before they send a search party to drag us back,” you replied. He chuckled at that. Neither of you liked crowds. His name had been cleared long ago. You were one of the more popular Avengers in the media, one of the ones paraded about for PR and staying in the good graces of the civilian population. Your wedding was supposed to be a small affair, but Tony had taken control of the guest list. A few photos sold to People Magazine would humanize your beloved more to a population that was still wary of him.
“I think we’re in the clear, doll,” he said with a small smirk. You raised a brow, curious about the confidence he had.
“What makes you say that?” you asked him.
“Stark will be too busy dealing with a mess to worry about where we disappeared to,” he told you as the two of you started walking hand in hand closer to the lake. The water was shallow at the edge and the autumn air unseasonably warm.
“Well, maybe he’ll be too distracted by that mess to worry about this one,” you said before taking off for the edge of the water, Bucky’s laughter following you as you reached the edge of the water, waiting for him to catch you. And he did. The two of you kicked your shoes off before running into the water, neither of you caring about the fancy clothes you wore. You had held your ground on the dress, not wanting something that was thousands of dollars. Instead, you’d found something on the clearance rack one day when out shopping. The dress didn’t matter, not when you had him with you.
Your relationship wasn’t about a wedding. It was about the small moments like this. Splashing in the water under the moonlight dressed up with the sounds of a party in the distance, just the two of you, together, for better or worse.
Bucky pulled you close, capturing your lips in a kiss as fireworks went off overhead. The two of you separated, sharing a look before cracking up laughing. You slipped backwards into the water, dragging your husband with you, smiles on your faces, the beginning of a new chapter.