xliii. FAIRGROUND

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A/N – This chapter is inspired by an idea that was given to me by @Miricle25 !

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As soon as your alarm began to ring, you grinned and shot out of bed. It was 8am and you weren't a morning person at all, but this was different. Bucky was taking you on a date, hence your immediate excitement as you rushed to get dressed.

You'd been with Bucky for almost a year, and the two of you knew each other inside out. Therefore, being familiar with the secret childish side of your personality, Bucky had decided to purchase fast track tickets to an amusement park.

By the time you were ready, Bucky was already in the kitchen, packing some of your favourite snacks and drinks into a bag. He smiled as you walked in, and leaned across to quickly kiss your cheek as you poured a bowl of cereal. He couldn't help but laugh as you shovelled the food into your mouth, eager to leave as soon as possible.

"Slow down, Y/N, you'll choke," he chuckled, shaking his head affectionately.

"'M fine," you mumbled, almost unintelligibly.

Before long, the two of you were in the car, on your way to the amusement park. You were already having fun – when you weren't talking and laughing with Bucky, you were belting out the lyrics to your favourite songs, giggling lightheartedly when he occasionally decided to sing with you. Although the drive was two hours long, it went by in a flash, and soon you were excitedly tugging on Bucky's hand, practically dragging him through the gates of the park.

"Where do you wanna start, doll?" Bucky hooked an arm around your waist as you stopped walking for a second, deliberating. You finally decided to begin with the small rides, before moving on to the more scary rollercoasters.

The two of you made your way over to the carousel. You walked around it a couple of times, determined to choose the best horse to ride. Eventually, you settled on one which was painted black with a red and gold saddle. Bucky didn't question your somewhat odd (but for you, completely normal) behaviour, and sat down on the horse next to yours.

When the ride started to move, you squealed and threw your arms up, pretending to be a cowboy with a lasso.

"This town ain't big enough for the both of us!" you yelled in a terrible Western accent, before pointing finger guns at Bucky and pretending to shoot him down. Playing along, he clutched his heart dramatically and slid down on his horse, almost falling off in the process. People were giving you both strange looks, but you were laughing too hard to notice.

Bucky's eyes shone with love as he chuckled. He admired how carefree you were, how you made even the simplest of things so much more fun and interesting. He wasn't one for public displays of affection, but he really couldn't help himself; when the ride was over, Bucky grabbed both of your hands, pulled you towards him and kissed you gently.

"I, uh, wow... what was that for?" you stuttered breathlessly when he pulled away. Even though you were used to it by now, kissing Bucky still gave you butterflies.

"Just love you," he mumbled, ducking his head shyly. You resisted the strong urge to reach out and pinch his cheek because of how cute he was.

"I love you too, you big softie. Now let's try out some more rides."

After about an hour, you'd pretty much finished with all of the kids rides – including the teacups, where Bucky spun your cup so quickly with his metal arm that you were dizzy for several minutes afterwards. Now, you found yourself staring up in astonishment at a crazily tall rollercoaster, complete with several loops, sharp twists and vertical drops.

Bucky mistook your awestruck expression for fear and squeezed your hand in reassurance.

"Don't worry, sweetheart, we don't have to go on that if you don't want to."

"Don't want to?" you scoffed, turning to face him. "I love rollercoasters, it looks amazing! Let's go."

Although the queue was long, the two of you got to skip it thanks to your fast track tickets. Within five minutes, you were eagerly climbing into the front right seat of the ride, with Bucky on your left. As the staff began to secure everyone's seatbelts, you glanced across at your boyfriend and suddenly realised that his face had become significantly paler.

"Buck?" you murmured hesitantly, reaching across to hold his hand, which was shaking a little. "You okay?"

He exhaled slowly, giving a hesitant smile as he glanced at you. "It's a little late for this, but can I make a confession?"

"Go ahead," you replied, slightly confused.

"I, uh... I didn't realise how much you love this kind of thing and I kinda thought that I would get to hold you and comfort you if you got scared but—"

Bucky's words were cut off as the rollercoaster suddenly shuddered and began to move forward, slowly climbing the steep gradient until it reached the very top. Your car teetered precariously over the edge, the ride threatening to drop suddenly at any time.

"But..." you prompted, waiting for Bucky to finish his previous sentence.

"Y/N," he muttered, through gritted teeth, "I'm afraid of heights."

As if on cue, as soon as those words left Bucky's mouth, the rollercoaster tipped and began to hurtle downhill so quickly that you felt your stomach drop.

"GOD, SAVE ME!" Bucky screamed, almost crushing your hand because he was holding onto it so tightly. You couldn't help the small giggle that you let out – although you really shouldn't have been laughing, the situation really was comical.

About halfway through the insane ride, Bucky stopped yelling various profanities and simply closed his eyes instead. He even managed to crack a tiny smile when he noticed how much you were enjoying the experience.

When you were both standing on firm ground again, you turned to Bucky to make sure he was okay. His pale eyes were as wide as saucers and his hair was all messed up from the wind – he looked utterly shocked, which was adorable.

"So..." you murmured, still smiling widely as adrenaline coursed through your veins.

You placed your hands steadily on Bucky's shoulders and leaned up, kissing his nose softly – something that you always did to calm him down when he was nervous.

"...Wanna go again?"

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