Soul ties (Bucky Barnes AU)

Part 1

"Oh, my my my soul so glad
He's popped by to say hello to me„

Your wedding day was coming soon, which is why you were parading around the store in a puffy white dress. You had insisted this is the last thing you did, since you didn't trust yourself with a white dress and unsupervised. Your best friend was there, obviously, and he was a little too excited about this dress.

"I love it", he said. "You look like a princess."

"I'm not sure..." You sighed. "It's too much, I'd like something slimmer, like..."

"A mermaid cut would be stunning on you," the sales assistant chimed in. "I actually think of this dress...wait a second."

She came back as quickly as she'd left with a gorgeous long-sleeved white dress. It was simple, with some lace here and there, and you loved it at first sight. After putting it on, you were convinced Darren, your groom, would love it as much as you did.

"Considering the smile on your face, I don't think I need to ask if you like it."

"No need, indeed. Oh Steve, isn't it beautiful?"

"It is, y/n. This dress found its owner, I believe."

Steve Rogers hadn't been in your life for a long time, and yet you could not imagine your days without his precious advice. He'd done a great job at rescuing you in Sokovia and even though you might not have had the same powers as your little sister Wanda, he decided to protect you as well. That's what Steve did : he protected people he cared about and now, he was your best friend, a brother, a shoulder to cry on and a contagious smile to hear.

"I can't wait to walk you down the aisle."

"Are those tears in your eyes, big guy ?"

He shook his head, visibly moved. You flashed him a cheeky smile as you walked to the changing room and you heard him snort. In the car back home, Steve couldn't help but think about your dress choice. You'd been avoiding this kind question the whole day.

"I love the dress you picked, of course, but is there a peculiar reason you rejected the one that showed some skin?"

You anticipated his next question and decided it was best to answer it right away. Talking about soulmate tattoos never missed to make you feel like an imposter, a liar. You couldn't say you liked that.

"You know the skin isn't the problem, Steve. And no, I still haven't changed my mind about Darren."

Steve looked back at the road and nodded.

"I support you no matter what, you already know that. I just wonder how it's possible he hasn't seen the tattoo yet."

"I'm careful. And whenever he asks, I tell him I was born without one."

"He buys that ?"

"Yeah. It's happened to other people, sadly. He can never know the tattoo doesn't show his first words to me. I love him and that is all that matters." You desperately searched for a change of subject or a way to lighten the mood. "I'm still wondering what my supposed soulmate did – or will do – to me though... I mean, 'shit, i'm sorry' isn't common. I've never seen swear words on anyone's body except mine."

"Well, you are far from common yourself after all."

"I guess you're right."

---

"Ready ?"

You exhaled slowly and closed your eyes for a second. The smell of roses and grass was all around you and you could feel some rays of sunshine hitting your skin. Coming back to yourself, you looked at Steve and placed your hand on his arm.

"Ready," you answered, even though you did not mean that.

"Easy," he said as he felt your hand shake. "Darren is already crazy about you, he's not gonna run away. You on the other hand...well, it's still time to make it happen."

"I don't wanna run away, silly! I... I want to marry him. I am just, you know, slightly anxious."

"Yeah, slightly." He scoffed. "It's okay, you have the right to be anxious. Let's go, shall we?"

You almost couldn't hear the music playing as you started walking down the aisle. Every one was looking at you and it made you feel...weird ? Darren, at the other end of the path, was smiling at you. He strongly believed in you being his soulmate. After all, all his tattoo said was "hello", and he'd been confused his whole life at the amount of people speaking that word around him. You tried to smile back, of course, even though it felt slightly off. No one was looking at you weird, though, so it must've been just a feeling. Steve finally left you next to Darren.

"Dear guests, friends and family, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union in marriage of Darren Garrett Ward and y/n y/l/n."

Wanda, your sister and bridesmaid, gave you a reassuring look. She knew about the tattoo as well, even though she always thought of it as an old-dated superstition who tricked people into believing there was only one person right for them in the universe. That couldn't be true in her opinion, since she was blissfully in love with an android, who – technically speaking – had no skin to put a tattoo on. Her views on this had played a great role into making you feel better about lying to Darren.

"I, Darren Garrett Ward, take you, y/n y/l/n, to be my wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."

Okay, your turn now. You had this. With a smile on your face, you proceeded.

"I, y/n y/l/n, take you, Darren Garett Ward, to be my husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part."

"I now pronounce you husband and wife. Sir, you may kiss the bride."

As Darren leaned in to kiss you, the whole crowd cheered and threw flower petals at you. That was the moment you finally felt filled with joy. The sun was shining above your head and everyone was perfectly happy for a moment. The kiss ended and Darren took your hand to take you a little farther in the beautiful garden, where all the tables had been installed for the party. Seated at the biggest table, you felt good, even with all those pair of eyes over you. You were married to the man you'd loved for three years, and nothing could ruin this perfect night. Steve finally joined you after speaking of the last details with the band he'd hired.

"Mrs y/l-Ward, I believe I haven't properly introduced you to my friend here..."

Unfortunately for the friend ini question, that was the moment a kid chose to hit him with a football, causing him to spill coffee all over your chest.

"F*ck, that's hot!" you exclaimed after getting up as a reflex.

"Shit, I'm sorry," he said instantly, with a somewhat grumpy voice because of the slight humiliation.

The two of you immediately shot looks at each other, at loss for words. Steve, who'd heard the exchange, couldn't believe his eyes. He'd always thought that his friend's "f*ck, that's hot" tattoo meant...well, something else. In an effort to seem unsuspicious, he finished introducing his friend.

"Bucky, meet y/n. I..."

"Steve, you'll finish the presentations later," Darren interrupted. "Y/n needs to change. Can you take care of that ?"

In an another scenario, you would've preferred Darren to offer his own help but there and then, you jumped on the occasion as Steve seized your hand and strode away from the scene. You were – undoubtedly – in total disbelief and when Steve handed you your evening dress, you had no idea what was going on anymore.

"What do I do now ?"