Modern Royalty

Preparations and Board Games

Chapter 48
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Bucky wakes up first and pulls Steve a little closer. "Morning", the blond mumbles, yawns and leans his forehead against Bucky's. "Good morning, sunshine", James answers and takes it all in. How close their wedding is. How lucky he is to still be around. How beautiful the man, who he will call husband in two weeks, is. Steve smiles slightly, gazing into Bucky's eyes. He is beyond happy to have him. He enjoys the silence and that they don't always need words to understand eachother. Steve tries to think of something to say; he sneezes all of a sudden.

Bucky flinches and falls off the bed, landing on the floor with a loud thud, mainly due to his metal arm. "Ow!", he exclaims, but doesn't attempt to stand up. "Bless you." Steve spies over the edge of the bed, looking down at his fiancé. "Are you okay, Buck?", he asks. "I guess", James says and grabs the collar of Steve's shirt with his metal arm. He pulls himself up and kisses the blond gently. "Warn me next time." "I'll try", Steve grins and somehow pulls Bucky back onto the bed. "Do you happen to have an aspirin somewhere?" Hydra's prince nods and opens a drawer on his nightstand. "I'll get you some water", he mumbles.

He walks over to the bathroom and fills a small cup with tap water. "I still don't understand how they got you drunk", Bucky says and hands the glass to Steve. "Me neither, honey", the blond shrugs and swallows the aspirin. Bucky shuffels over the bed to sit behind him and rests his head on Steve's shoulder. "We gotta drive to Liberty later. To get your car", he whispers and holds up Steve's car keys. Lehigh's prince snatches the keys from him and grins. "I hope that that won't be a problem", he answers and kisses Bucky's cheek. "It's not. Anything for you, love", James says and closes his eyes. "But...later."

He plummets to the side and into the pillows. "Still sleepy?", Steve chuckles. "Yes", Bucky says and lets out a yawn. Steve hugs him gently and cuddles Bucky while he sleeps for another hour. They get dressed and go to eat breakfast once James woke up entirely. Steve checks his phone and frowns at a link Natasha sent him. "Oh no", he sighs and hands the phone to Bucky. "Didn't you notice?", the brunet asks and looks at the picture that's been posted online. "No...", Steve admits. "We should tell our fathers. They could pull some strings to get it taken down", Bucky says. "Even though a lot of people probably saved it already." He feels weird, seeing the picture of Steve kissing someone else. "I'll call my dad", Lehigh's prince mumbles, takes his phone and leaves the dining room. Bucky sighs softly at how pained Steve looked and prepares some tea for him. He cuts up an apple, some strawberries and a banana and sets it on the table for Steve.

"Hey, Dad", the blond says as soon as his father answers the phone. "You didn't come home yesterday", Joseph says, awaiting an explanation. "They somehow got me drunk and Bucky refused to let me drive", Steve answers and brushes a hand through his hair. "Can you do me a favor?" "What kind of favor, Steven?", Joseph asks. "Could you please work through some contacts to have a picture removed from the news?", Steve says and blushes at the silence that follows. "Send me an according link and I will, Steve. What is on the photo?", Lehigh's king answers. "While I was drunk, some guy kissed me and another took a picture of it. I was too boozed to react or realize what happened", the prince admits and sighs. "Thank you, Dad."

"I'll do my best. Such things happen, Steven. Don't worry too much about it. Did you tell James?", Joseph answers calmly, he knows that bachelor parties can get out of hand sometimes. "Of course, I did", the blond says. "So? If he can understand it, you're fine. I can't picture him being mad at you for something you had no say in", Lehigh's king says in order to reassure his son. "He's not. He said, it's okay... Thank you again, I'll send you the link now. See you in a bit", Steve says and ends the call. He copies the link to the original picture and sends it to his father, before going back into the dining room. "Oh Buck, you're too lovely", he smiles, noticing the effort Bucky put into the tiny breakfast. "You looked upset, Stevie. And I know that you like fruit salad for breakfast... And cereal, but that's a different topic", the brunet grins and kisses Steve's cheek.