It starts with fabric.
Melany doesn't expect that.
Not the venue. Not the vows. Not the idea of walking down an aisle.
Fabric. Soft. White.
Unreal.
She stands in front of the mirror, barely breathing.
The boutique is quiet in that curated way—muted lighting, polished floors, mirrors placed at angles that make everything feel bigger than it is. There's a faint scent of something floral in the air, subtle but intentional.
Wanda is behind her.
Natasha is off to the side, arms crossed.
And Melany—
Melany doesn't recognize herself.
The dress fits like it was waiting for her.
It hugs her waist, falls clean and elegant, the fabric catching light in soft waves when she moves even slightly. It isn't overly dramatic. It isn't loud.
It's... her.
Which somehow makes it worse.
Her throat tightens.
"Oh."
The word slips out before she can stop it.
Wanda immediately presses a hand to her chest. "Oh, that's the one."
Nat tilts her head, studying her more critically—but even she can't hide the shift.
"...yeah," she says. "That's not subtle."
Melany laughs weakly.
But she can't look away from the mirror.
Because this—
This makes it real.
Not in the abstract way it's been living in her head.
Not in the quiet weight of the ring on her finger.
This is visible.
This is happening.
She lifts her hand slightly, almost without thinking.
The ring glints.
And suddenly—
Her chest tightens hard enough it almost hurts.
I'm getting married.
Not someday.
Not eventually.
Soon.
"Hey."
Wanda's voice softens, stepping closer behind her.
Melany meets her eyes in the mirror.
"You okay?"
Melany nods.
Then shakes her head.
Then laughs quietly at herself.
"I didn't think it would feel like this," she admits.
"Like what?" Wanda asks gently.
Melany swallows.
"Big," she says. "Like... bigger than I expected."
Nat hums lightly.
"That's because it is."
Melany exhales slowly.
Her fingers brush the fabric at her waist, grounding herself in it.
"I feel like I'm stepping into something," she murmurs.
YOU ARE READING
Doll. // Bucky Barnes X OC
Hayran KurguMelany Banner has spent her entire life being watched, protected, and managed - all because of who her father is. When a classified S.H.I.E.L.D. protocol forces her into close quarters with James Buchanan Barnes, she expects another soldier followin...
