nyx ulric (galahdan) wrote in valloic, @ 2021-01-29 20:41:00 |
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Entry tags: | !: action/thread/log, ₴ inactive: bucky barnes, ₴ inactive: nyx ulric |
I give you my spirit, 'til our life shall be done ↪
The idea cemented itself in his brain somewhere between smashing a row of bottles and from there it only spiraled.
It was easy enough to sneak out relatively early that morning. He excused needing a final fitting on the suit (he didn't, it had fit perfectly and hung safely in Noctis' apartment for the time being) and slipped out just after nine.
Given the nature of Vallo it was also pretty easy to find what he needed. Or at least a close enough alternative. Some lengths of narrow cord, a thin green ribbon. He'd pulled some leaves from the trees on their property on his way out, paid far too much to get a small bronze medallion engraved with the date on such short notice. Took it all to the bar, empty of course at that time of day, and set about braiding.
He had thought when they started planning the wedding to incorporate the tradition but had talked himself out it. After all it had been nearly fifteen years since the last time he'd even been to a wedding back in Galahd. He worried it would bring a sombreness to an otherwise not sombre event, a stark reminder of the home he had lost, the traditions that for all they had tried to keep alive in the city streets of Insomnia had eventually faded, lost to time and war.
But as he braided the lengths of rope from memory - visceral and far more ingrained in his muscle memory than he thought - it wasn't sombre. It was nice. Sure there was a heaviness in knowing the rope being used had been purchased from some craft store and not handed down from generation to generation for this exact usage. But they would put their own meaning on it.
He worked through the knots, the braids, used some bronze coloured wire to fasten the leaves and the medallion. All in all not too bad he figured for the length of time it had been since he'd last done anything remotely close to this. But still - missing something. He summoned his dagger, the one Selena had made for him for his sixteenth birthday. Carefully he took off the cord with the two coeurl teeth and knotted it to one of the ends of the rope.
Nyx made his way back to their property but veered south toward a little brook a few minutes walk from the house. It was nowhere near the river that ran through the island he'd grown up on, the one everyone would wade out to their knees in to do this, but it would work. Nyx sent Bucky a quick text to tell him to come out and set about taking off his boots and socks, rolled up his jeans to mid calf and walked into the water which was - thankfully - not nearly as cold as he thought it would be. Finished rope in hand, he waited.
When Nyx had messaged him, asking him to meet him, Bucky hadn't thought twice. If it was Nyx asking, he'd probably drop everything in a heartbeat, with no questions. Which probably made Bucky some kind of lovesick dumbass, but hey, he was about to get married to Nyx, he was allowed to be soft.
The past year had been an adventure in growth for him, especially with all the memories he had gotten about lives he had lived and not lived. But even during the messiness of trying to figure out who he was and who people were to him, Nyx had remained a constant as he sorted out his thoughts and feelings. A steadying presence that he had refused to let go far. Without him, he didn't know if he would have made it through the ordeals of the last year.
There were still some things that were blurry or he didn't remember, but he was content. And he would feel a lot more whole once he finally got that ring on Nyx's finger tomorrow.
Following the pin that his finacé had sent him to meet at, he made his way away from their home and emerged past some trees to find the little brook. He had been past here a few times when taking Han out on walks, but they had never gotten into the brook like Nyx was.
"Hey there," he called out, sticking his thumbs into his front belt loops and leaning back a little. Head tilted to one side, he asked, "Uh, whatcha doing there, sweetheart?"
There were some nerves as he waited there. Not that he expected the gesture to be refuted but marriage had been, for so long, something he had just never - thought about. And while there was absolutely nothing legally binding about what he was about to do, the intent was there. A sort of anxious feeling that all but faded away as Bucky walked over.
He was sure it looked strange, standing in the water when there was perfectly good dry land there. He grinned a little at Bucky and cocked his head to motion for Bucky to come over. "Come over and find out?"
Nyx waited until Bucky did just that and smiled as Bucky stepped in front of him. "I was thinking - about your impatience..." he started, a teasing tone to the word impatience.
He moved the rope from both hands into his left and reached for Bucky's right hand with his own, speaking as he did, "back in Galahd when people got married they would stand in the river, everyone would watch from the banks," so that Bucky would know why they were standing in while not freezing still pretty chilly water.
He continued as he shook out the rope to its full length, "part of the ceremony was a fasting of hands. I know this isn't exactly the city hall scenario you were trying to make the argument for, this definitely isn't gonna hold up in any legal sense, and it's been well over a decade since I've watched this so bear with me if I forget half the words, but.." he paused for a moment, looked up and gave Bucky a grin, "you in?"
There had been a reason for his impatience, one Bucky couldn't fully verbalize. But the way their lives worked, here in this world and even in their own original worlds, there was always one constant - change. Whether you wanted it or not, it would come and sometimes change brought separation. It was the reality that they dealt with every day, the knowledge that one day you might wake up and the person you care for the most might not be there anymore.
When Nyx had been taken away into the snowglobe, Bucky had felt a taste of that. The panic of that moment hadn't receded for the near week that Nyx had been gone. So maybe that's why he was insistent on not waiting any longer. Because waiting...it might lead to a missed opportunity. Bucky didn't want to think about it, but it had happened countless times to him before. Get close to someone...then you lose them.
And there was no way Bucky wanted to lose Nyx. He saw a future with them, one where they grew old together, comfortable and settled. So there was an impatience in him that he wouldn't deny, even if it was only one day away.
Kicking off his shoes and socks and joining Nyx now in that little brook, listening to him explain the reason for why they were there, it lightened the anxiety of waiting. Letting Nyx take his hand, he tried to keep from shivering at the touch. Because legal or not, this was it. They were getting married and nothing could stop this moment from finally happening. "Of course I'm in," he grinned, eyes shining and happiness clear as the sky above them.
They were reasons Nyx understood clearly himself. Reasons he also would be hard pressed into verbalizing as well. That bone deep ache of knowing loss so vividly, that even with all the times he'd picked himself back up and started over it was still there. Haunting visions of the future with a nagging but... Waking up to their home in shambles in the snowglobe had been - hard. Harder than he was even willing to admit. A reminder of how quickly things could be gone. How short and fleeting anything could be, that the universe was cruel and unforgiving at times. That home was a precious thing to never be taken for granted because it was the hardest thing ever to lose.
Nyx had learned, the hard way, you had to take your moments when you got them. And this? Well this was one hell of a moment. One that he knew would not take away from the next day, that would not diminish how meaningful it would be to stand in front of their friends and family and declare themselves. This was just - theirs. And right then Nyx was so glad that the idea hadn't let go, that he could share a part of his life and where he came from with the man he loved.
He smiled brightly at Bucky and looked down to adjust his hand so that his fingers clasped just above Bucky's wrist and waited for him to do the same. He let out a slow breath, and looked back at Bucky. "Alright," he said softly.
Nyx had the cord in his left hand, grip in the middle area and he laid it over their wrists. It was a bit awkward to maneuver - of course someone else would usually do this part - but he figured he could manage.
He looked up to meet Bucky's eyes. "You are Blood of my Blood, and Bone of my Bone" he spoke, his words clear and his tone filled with conviction and not a single ounce of hesitation.
He glanced down and maneuvered the cord ends over each of their hands in turn to loop through the middle part that hung between them and looked up again before speaking. "I give you my body, that we two may be one. I give you my spirit, 'til our life shall be done." He paused to pull on the cord ends, so that the knot created tightened against their hands and wrists. "Blood of my Blood, and Bone of my Bone."
Something about this whole thing, it felt heavy. Heavy in a way that didn’t weigh you down, but put an emphasis on the importance of what was happening. Listening to Nyx speak with such clarity, with surety of wanting this, it filled Bucky with a kind of love and hope that he felt the day they asked each other to be partners for life. More so, because they were finally cementing their unspoken promises to each other.
Listening and committing the words to memory, he waited until it was his turn and repeated the words back, no wavering even with the unfamiliar promise he was making to the man who was becoming his husband.
And as he spoke, he felt that magical bond that they had come to rely on while they had been separated by that snowglobe. The bond that had been a presence for a long time now, it became stronger, another promise being made, another vow that Bucky hadn’t realized he was making, but knew in the moment, that he meant it just as much as the words.
Whatever else happened to them, they were connected now, in all ways that mattered.
Nyx kept his gaze on Bucky as he repeated the words. And really, as a kid Nyx hadn't given a whole lot of thought to it all. Other than it was a thing that happened sometimes, they all watched, cheered and then ate a ton of food after - the last part being what had been the more important piece of the puzzle as a teenager. But it was an entirely different thing right then. The words far more than just that, words. Instead something to be felt on every level possible - the path they had taken to get here, the love they shared, the bond that had taken hold these past months that instead of feeling daunting and uncertain instead just felt like the natural extension of their relationship.
It didn't matter then that the legal aspect of it was - well, non existent. Or that this really was just one part of what would have been a larger ceremony. The intent was there and that was all that mattered. None of that made the vow any less meaningful or less real.
Nyx smiled as Bucky finished repeating the words, his eyes bright. He stepped forward as he pulled Bucky in closer and slid his free hand behind Bucky's neck and kissed him.