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Sam really should have thought about running away before he actually put on his wedding outfit. The whole thing is gorgeous, made to fit him perfectly. Which is why as he steps over the window sill, he can hear it rip. Too late.
See, Sam has always been a good person. He was a kind and quiet kid, the perfect son, the dutiful heir. And here he was, 22 years old, about to get married to someone he never met just because his mother thought it would help the kingdom.
As the second in line to the throne, Sam was only supposed to hold diplomatic roles. He loved learning about the politics of his country, how things worked while being free of most of the burdens that came with kingship. He did not expect his elder brother to start a war with one of their most dangerous neighbors. And now Sam had to get married to another country’s prince in hope of securing allies.
He thought he would get to spend many more years hidden away in the castle’s aviary, surrounded by his birds. Maybe he would have slowly worked up to asking his best friend Riley to become more than friends. He never expected to have to marry James Barnes. He doesn’t even know the guy!
So yeah, Sam is running away from his wedding. At the very last minute. He thought he would feel more at ease with the wedding, but the closer it got, the more anxious Sam felt. He always prided himself on his loyalty to his family and his kingdom but that was too much. He loved his freedom more than anything.
He was running through the gardens, thinking about making a small detour to the aviary to bring Redwing with him when he collided with someone.
He didn’t even have the time to try and hold on to something before they went barrelling down on the grass.
“Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit” Sam wasn’t even sure which one of them was swearing, he grabbed the man’s arms and held on tight.
Their fall was broken by a particularly luscious bush and Sam felt grateful for a second that his father decided to redo the entire garden in celebration of the wedding.
The mystery man was lying on top of him, staring down at him with bright blue eyes. And Sam’s first thought was that the man was cute , quickly followed by the disappointment that he didn’t have time to flirt when he was, quite urgently, fleeing his own wedding. The jacket fisted in his hand felt soft and precious at the same time, it was a deep blue with gold accents.
“I’m so sorry” Mystery man apologized, wincing at the proximity with Sam. “I was in a bit of a hurry and I really didn’t see you there” He sat up, his thighs splayed around Sam’s middle, and ran a nervous hand through his hair.
“It’s alright, I guess I wasn’t really watching where I was going as well.” Sam extended his hand, hoping to keep the cute stranger on his lap a little longer. “I’m Sam.”
“Nice to meet you Sam” He answered with a blinding smile. “Wait… Sam as in Prince Sam?”
Sam didn’t answer right away but he was pretty sure his facial expression alone was clear enough to answer the question.
“Oh my god, you’re running away from your wedding!” Mystery man looked positively vexed, his brow furrowed in a very cute angry expression that made Sam want to pinch his cheeks. “I can’t believe you would do that”
“Come on, I know absolutely nothing about my future husband. He could be an asshole as far as I know. Maybe he’s not even into dudes!”
“I’ll let you know I’m a perfectly nice guy” Mystery man pouted.
“You’re James Barnes?” Sam dropped his hand, staring helplessly at the man sitting atop of him.
“I mean, technically we were to be married so you can call me Bucky but yeah that would be me.” He had a sheepish smile that didn’t help Sam’s speeding heart.
It’s just Sam’s luck that he would meet his husband while trying to run away from their wedding.
“Wait a minute” Sam squints “You were running away from our wedding as well!”
Bucky opens his mouth and closes it after a few seconds of silence before opening it again. “I didn’t know you were hot!” His arms are flailing around in an endearing way and Sam can’t help but snort at his train of thought. Only Sam could get a crush on the husband he’s trying to run away from.
Bucky gets up and holds a hand to Sam “Wanna run away together?” He winks at Sam, a terrible excuse of a wink really, but Sam laughs anyway. “I mean, I’m not sure you don’t look very reliable.”
“Hey, I’m plenty reliable!” Bucky argues, just before taking a step back and tripping on a fallen branch. Sam catches him, the momentum bringing them closer together.
“I’m not sure about being a good husband but I know I can be a great running away partner” Bucky whispers, staring in Sam’s deep brown eyes. Listen, Sam is a sucker for pretty eyes and lost white men. And this absurd situation is just making him want to kiss the breath out of that man. He’s just about to do so when a bulky blond man and Riley show up out of breath.
“Oh god, Bucky what are you doing! You can’t run away with a guy you’ve barely met, you’re supposed to get married in two hours!” Unknown-bulky-blond-man says just as Riley pushes past him.
“Jesus fuck Sam what on earth are you doing? Your mother is looking for you!” He grabs Sam’s hand and starts walking back to the castle. “I swear you’re gonna be the death of me Sammy, I thought the queen was going to burn me to the stake if I’d lost you”
Tuning out the rambling of his best friend, Sam turns back to his fiance and winks at him. “See you soon hubby”
Maybe this wedding won’t be so bad after all.