"Well, it is still growing," Elena touched the tree trunk. "Must be around 65 feet, I'd say. It's been… 15 years?" she tried to remember.
Bucky looked up for a moment, trying to measure how high she'd probably gone decades ago.
"Weren't you afraid of falling?" he questioned, finally looking at his wife again. "25 feet… That's awfully high. Dangerous too."
She shrugged.
"I wasn't thinking much," the princess confessed. "I just wanted to prove them wrong."
She stood silently, feeling his hand in the middle of her back.
"That seems to be something you do frequently," he whispered and the redhead turned to look at him. "Prove them wrong."
Elena didn't have an answer. Instead, she sat on the closest thick branch – a relatively high one that had her long legs hanging in the air when she did so – and undid her shoes, letting them fall before reaching out to the branch above her, standing up.
"What are you doing?" Bucky smiled.
"Climbing it," the redhead looked at him like he had asked a stupid question. She was a bit drunk. Not too drunk but enough to ignore the danger of doing so. "What does it look like I'm doing? Hold my shoes, would you? I don't want them dirty."
He picked her high heels from the floor, putting them on a safe branch by his side and crossing his arms.
"Be careful, you don't want to fall down."
"Won't you catch me if I do?" she climbed up swiftly, surprising him. She was actually good doing that.
"I will try," he chuckled. "Be careful, though. I may be tall but I'm not able to fly."
"Oh, no, you're not tall," Elena stopped, looking down at him. "Darling, I'm tall. You are a giant."
The princess a tall girl, that's something she was always reminded of as a kid. While her father was of average high for a man, she had taken from her mother – who was slightly taller than him – to grow past what people expected.
"I'm lucky I got to marry you," she continued to climb up, not realising how her filters were practically inexistent now. "Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to wear heels ever again."
Bucky was obviously having fun. If he knew that getting his wife slightly drunk would be the key to unlocking her chatty mode, he would have done that much earlier.
"I thought the heels hurt your feet."
He moved from his spot when he noticed how Elena was moving the other side of the tree.
"Come on, darling, don't go so high. Your father will kill me if you show up hurt after our first date," he reminded her. "I don't think my brother will be so happy with it either."
The redhead giggled, sitting and smiling as her legs hang, swinging.
"Hello you there," she smiled. "I'm taller than you here."
"Apparently," he let out a laugh. "Will you come down, please?"
She faced the landscape in front of her for a moment, breathing deeply.
"I wish we could take pictures with our eyes," she muttered. "It's beautiful up here. You can watch the sunset too. Would be lovely."
He waited in silence as the princess moved down, following her with his eyes and opening his arms for her to jump when it became clear her feet couldn't touch the ground, otherwise her pantyhose would end up very dirty.
"Help me put on my shoes," Elena muttered, both thrilled and slightly uncomfortable with their position.
"No need," Bucky reached out with the hand he had under her knees, taking the pair. "I'll carry you."
With those words, he adjusted his wife in his strong arms and started walking away from the tree, carrying her inside and holding a chuckle with the looks the two were getting along the way.
"Your Royal Highnesses!" one of the staff men rushed to them when he noticed the couple.
"Don't worry, my dear wife is just barefoot," Bucky assured him. "I'm taking her to our room. There is no need to help us."
The man nodded, and Elena hid her face in the crook of her husband's neck, inhaling his rather delicious scent.
"Do you want us to dismiss the staff in your chambers, sir?" he questioned.
Elena's whole face filled with blood and heat with the implication of his words and she felt Bucky's hands squeezign her just a little bit tighter.
"Thank you, but no. Just give us a moment alone," he said firmly. "Now, if you'll excuse us."
Elena took another long breath on his neck, feeling a bit intoxicated and wanting to giggle. It was the wine, probably. She wouldn't be so giggly if it wasn't for it.
The redhead jumped when she felt and heard the low grumble emerge from his lips, feeling something run her spine.
"My darling," his hand caressed the back of her thigh. "If you keep doing that I won't be able to contain myself."
Before she could say anything else, he dropped her body on the bed and then sat by her side.
"Elena?" he whispered, moving his hand to her chin and caressing her milky skin.
"Yes?"
"Can I kiss you?"
Instead of answering, she leant closer to him, enough for their noses to touch.
"Please," she finally said, almost silently.
Before the pricness could give up or move out, Bucky cupped her cheek a pushed his lips against her, soft and careful before his tongue was involved in the kiss. It was odd, quiet, hot and sweet.
Goodness. If she knew that kissing felt so good, she would have done it much earlier in her life.
Not even thinking of her actions, Elena moved her hands to pull him closer and Bucky's hands wrapped on her waist, pulling her close to his body until the point she was sat on his thick thigh.
"Damn doll," he hummed as his hands climbed their way up her back, pressing her body harder against his and moving his lips to his wife's neck when he noticed her becoming breathless. "You smell so good."
"You too," she muttered back timidly, gasping loudly when she felt him nip on her skin.
Elena's cheeks were now not just pink red, and she could feel the tingly feeling on her body starting to concentrate between her legs and at the tips of her breasts, specially.
The kisses, though, didn't harder with time. They became calmer, and when he turned to kiss her lips once again, he wasn't hungry but sweet.
"My princess," he touched her nose with his, moving sweetly, rubbing them together and making the brown-eyed girl crack a small smile. "My lovely princess."
His hands left her side, touching her face delicately and making circles on her cheeks with his thumbs, his voice not louder than a whisper when he spoke again.
"My strong princess."
The couple didn't do more than that in that night, but it wasn't a big deal for him. When they were laid on the bed, he pulled her to his chest and wrapped his arm around his wife's body tightly.
He would need to adapt to her, learn her ways of doing things and proceed, so whatever they have could work. It needed to work, he couldn't fail. It would be a long journey.'
