New York City

Phoenix arrived at Bucky's apartment in the evening. He wanted to take her out to the amusement park at Coney Island and show her the ocean. They discussed the plan at length since Phoenix wasn't the best with crowds but the promise of the ocean overruled her hesitance. The chimera had lived her entire life wandering the interior of the Continent and had never seen either the Crystal Ocean to the north or the Grey Sea to the south. She was intrigued that bodies of water larger than lakes existed. Phoenix shifted into her human form before leaving the park and chose a bohemian style dress style. The two-piece silver dress was a cross wrap top with a skirt.

As she reappeared in front of his door, Phoenix took a deep breath and knocked. She was feeling uncharacteristically nervous. Bucky had been asking a lot of questions lately about the pair-bond concept and what it entailed before randomly asking what size her left middle finger was. His questions about pair-bonding were innocent enough. It was a concept that was foreign even to humans in All World. The question of her ring size was the oddball question to her and she admitted that she hadn't the slightest idea. Bucky got a tape measure and checked himself, doing the conversion in his head. Her middle finger was a size 7. The whole thing was rather bizarre now that she was thinking about it. He was up to something but for the life of her, she didn't know what. She decided to forget about it.

Bucky opened the door to see Phoenix standing there. He looked over her outfit, a rather bold one for her. She tended to favor styles that downplayed her presence, preferring to go as unnoticed as possible. The cross wrap top left her upper back bare. The separate skirt was loose and flowy. All in all, absolutely stunning. Grinning like a fool, Bucky invited her in and whistled. "Damn, Nix. Keep blowing me away like this and I might not survive the next time," he joked. Phoenix just laughed before giving him a quick kiss and a lookover of himself. Bucky was wearing his usual jeans with an indigo t-shirt. "Ready to go?" she asked. "Yeah. I just need to grab something," he responded before heading to his bedroom. Phoenix remained where she was, a bit curious about what he was getting but not enough to ask. Bucky came out wearing a light black leather jacket. The weather was warm currently but being near the ocean after nightfall was going to cause the temperature to drop a bit. Phoenix could handle that no problem since her temperature was higher.

They started heading for the subway. As usual, when out among the human population, Phoenix stuck to Bucky's side like glue and tried to manage her instincts. The White Wolf just kept his arm around her shoulders, keeping himself relaxed to help offset her own nervousness. When they got on the train to Coney Island, Bucky held her hand. They sat away from other people as much as possible, both for their own reasons. Even though Bucky was comfortable enough having his metal arm out in the open in Louisiana, it wasn't the same back home. Aside from his jacket, he still wore gloves. "These things are so unnatural," Phoenix said in a low tone meant for him. Bucky just chuckled. Earth was extremely advanced compared to All World. She described it as a world parallel to Earth's Iron Age years and the most advanced piece of tech was ballistae designed to kill dragons.

Magic was the order of the day and humans had access to alchemy. How All World had maintained that status for millennia wasn't for him to know. After all, it reminded him of Middle-Earth. The world it occupied, Arda, was extremely old but technology had never advanced beyond bladed weapons, bows, and the various siege machines used by the dark forces. Bucky knew Tolkien was writing from a perspective of a person who was sad to see the natural world getting wrecked by industry. He wrote it best through Saruman. Phoenix found much of Earth's tech to be unnatural and she wasn't wrong to think that. That was par for the course of living in a world where such things did not exist.

The ride down passed in relative silence. Phoenix was keeping an eye on everyone coming and going in a discreet way that only an equine could do. Bucky was doing the same thing just as subtly. They were only approached by a girl around seven. She complimented Phoenix on her clothes and hair, even expressing how pretty her eyes were when she noticed they were violet. After thanking her, their stop came up so she and Bucky exited. Phoenix waved at the girl as the train moved on. "She really liked you, Nix," Bucky said, sliding his arm around her. "Children aren't much of a threat to me. Adult humans are another thing entirely. She was cute and in my experience, children haven't learned to judge others to the same extent as adults. In my entire existence, the only ones who never judged me for being what I am are the phoenix who raised me for a time and younglings from other species," she explained.

When they reached the amusement park, Bucky paid for them to get in and they entered the crowd. They had a good time, even though some rides like the various roller coasters were off the table. Bucky didn't mind. Phoenix wasn't human and so rides were limited. He was happy enough just playing the games. He won her a stuffed bear in a target game, drawing on his decades of firearm experience. As the evening started to fall, the two found themselves near the Wonder Wheel. Phoenix looked up at it with a sense of wonderment. "What is this?" she asked. Bucky looked at it with a smile. "This is called a Ferris wheel. As you can see, it's a slow ride that takes you way up," he explained. He looked down at the woman at his side. "Let's ride it," he suggested. Phoenix met his eyes and she looked a bit unsure. "I don't know, Bucky. I don't think I'd do well with heights," she said. "It's safe. But I'll let you make the choice. I want to share a ride with you but I won't pressure you if you don't want to," he responded.

Phoenix looked back up at the Wonder Wheel, weighing the experience in her mind. On the one hand, her faith in Earth technology was shaky at best but on the other, the desire to see the world from a different angle was strong. Plus Bucky really wanted to go on it. She could suck it up for one ride. "Okay, let's do this. Just...hold my hand…," she said. Bucky tilted her face up to meet his with a smile. "I'll never let go. If you're sure, let's do this," he said, taking her hand and leading her to the line. Bucky could tell she was getting anxious the closer they got. He touched base several times to assure her they could get out of line if she was getting too uncomfortable about the prospect. She shot him down each time, determined to conquer her fear and give Bucky the experience of riding it again after so long.

The pair was about two steps away when a very old memory suddenly resurfaced in Bucky's mind. He remembered being here long ago with a girl he had been sweet on in high school. The sudden memory caused a lump to form in his throat but Bucky stubbornly swallowed it. Those days were long gone and he was never getting them back. He was here now with a woman he loved more than life itself. A woman with something special about her and who gave him the love and acceptance he had been craving ever since he broke from HYDRA. But still, the intrusive memory was a strong one and Bucky wondered whatever happened to that girl. He couldn't remember her name and what she looked like was fuzzy at best. His sudden distress didn't go unnoticed and he felt Phoenix squeeze his hand. "You okay?" she asked. Bucky met her gaze and he found himself recentering.

"I'll be fine. Just remembered something that happened before. Don't worry about it, Nix," he assured her. Phoenix looked like she wanted to contradict him but she just nodded in her "if you're sure" way and turned her attention back to the Ferris wheel. She was looking really nervous and ready to bolt but Bucky was impressed when their time to board came and she resolutely stepped into the car. She sat across from Bucky and held his hand tightly. "Take a deep breath. I'm here," Bucky assured her as they started to climb. Phoenix did as instructed and she relaxed. She looked out and her eyes widened when she saw the ocean. While on the ground, she had been too busy taking in the sights and sounds of Coney Island to take notice. "Is that the ocean? That big water?" she asked, her voice taking on almost childlike wonder. Bucky chuckled. "That's right, sweetheart. That ocean is called the Atlantic," he responded.

Phoenix looked at him with a huge smile. "How many oceans are there in this world?" she asked. "Seven but there's a number of seas as well. But the Atlantic and the Pacific on the other side of the country are the largest. Want to go down to the shore when we're on the ground?" Bucky inquired. She vigorously nodded. Then she noticed they were at the top and her face visibly paled. "Oh Weaver," she squeaked. Bucky took her other hand and squeezed them. "Look at me, Nix," he said, trying to prevent her from panicking. When she didn't respond, he set a hand on her face and turned her to face him. She met his eyes and swallowed hard. "You're okay. You're safe with me. I won't let you get hurt. We're about to start the trip down. Eyes on me," he assured her. Phoenix still looked afraid for her life but she nodded slowly.

Bucky just pulled her head towards his and planted a deep kiss on her. She sank into it after a few seconds and her newly freed hand came up to his chest. After a moment, he broke the kiss and gave her a lopsided grin. "And now we're almost down," he said. Phoenix looked and saw it to be true. They were just about to the bottom. The attendant opened the door and they exited the car. They stepped away from the crowd so Phoenix could get a breather. "You okay?" Bucky asked as she held the bear. "Yes. I know it didn't seem like it but while that was terrifying, it was equally as thrilling being up that high and to see for miles," she said. Bucky smiled and took her hand. "Let's go sit on the boardwalk. We can watch the ocean and take a break," he said. Leading her to the boardwalk and finding a bench, the two sat down and took a breath. "Thank you, Bucky. I'm having a good time," Phoenix said after a moment. She set the bear next to her as she leaned into his shoulder.

"Glad you are, sweetheart," the White Wolf responded, his left hand going into his jacket pocket. A companionable silence filled the space and they listened to the waves crashing into the shore. Bucky's mind was on the object he had in his pocket. He had thought long and hard about what he was about to say. He almost faltered when that old memory surfaced but he knew he wasn't going to meet another girl like Phoenix. He steeled himself and nudged her. "Nix…there's something I want to say," he said. She looked up at him and he shifted to face her. He pulled out a small velvet box and held it up to her. Phoenix looked at him curiously and his heart started to race and roar in his ears. Taking it from him, she opened it and audibly gasped. Inside was a ring. It was a simple silver band but in the lights of the amusement park behind them she could make out two stones, an emerald and an aquamarine.

Her eyes shot up to meet Bucky's and he could tell the pieces were falling into place. All the questions he had asked about pair-bonding, what it entailed, how it was established. It had all been leading to this moment. "Bucky…," she said before words failed. She had more to say and he waited patiently. "In human culture…a ring means something," she finally said. Bucky nodded before taking the hand that held the box. "If we were an ordinary couple, this would be about the time I'd ask you to marry me, Nix," he said simply. Phoenix swallowed, her hands starting to shake. From what, he didn't know but the White Wolf felt completely at peace, even with the possibility things could go wrong from this point out.

"But we're not ordinary. So I decided to do things the way the animal kingdom does it in your world. I'm taking a huge risk and putting everything on the line with this but I have to say this. I want to be your pair-bond. Please be mine," he confessed. To his own ears, it was an odd proposal but a proposal nonetheless. From what he understood, things between them wouldn't change very much. Their relationship would just become more of a commitment, similar to marriage but not at the same level. Pair-bonding varied depending on the various Nations' cultures. "What do you say?" Bucky asked in a small voice. Internally, he was still surprised that he wasn't panicking over the possibility she was going to get mad or even reject him. He just felt so calm.

Phoenix's own mind was a mass of stuck gears. Then the gears shot forward. "Yes!" she blurted out. She launched herself at him and planted her lips to his. Bucky responded and pulled her into him, crushing her body against his. The kiss was hard to the point their teeth almost clashed. When they pulled back, Phoenix couldn't stop smiling. She looked down at the ring before Bucky took it from the box. "Traditionally, rings like this go on the ring finger but I figured that wouldn't be appropriate for us. So I figured the middle finger was a good compromise. But if you want it resized for your ring finger, we can do that," he said, slipping it on. Phoenix just looked at the ring, her heart swelling. She hadn't felt like this in sixty years. Deep down, she felt a stab of sadness because Seiryu was now alone but she had to hold on to what he had taught her. He was always alone, even when they were together. He would've wanted this for her.

"I think this is a good compromise. I don't think it would be right for me to wear it on that finger either, if only because I'm not a human and don't have much right to some human traditions. Though I am curious about something. Why the ring finger on the left hand," she asked. Bucky took her hand with a smile. "It's an old superstition but it was once believed that there's a nerve in the left ring finger that goes straight to the heart. So rings on that finger play into that belief. No one believes that nowadays but it's tradition," he explained. "What about the stones? Any significance there? From what little I know, the traditional stone is a diamond or cubic zirconia for those economically-minded," she said. "These are our birthstones. Aquamarine is mine because my birthday is in March. You were born in May so the emerald is yours," Bucky responded.

Their eyes met. "Are you sure about this, Bucky? I mean, have you given this a lot of thought?" Phoenix asked. The White Wolf pulled her onto his lap and cradled her. "I gave this a lot of thought. I didn't do this on a whim. But after all this time and after all the discussions we've had since we went a step beyond friendship, I came to the conclusion that this was coming no matter what," he explained. He looked at Phoenix and pulled her forward a bit to kiss her forehead. "I love you, Nix. I can't make you my wife but I want to be more than just your boyfriend. I figured that being your new pair-bond would be something we can both have. I know that ideally, I should've asked if you could see a future with me but I'm afraid of losing you," he explained. The shifter hummed. Bucky, as per his human nature, operated under the belief she thought the same as a human herself.

She didn't mind that he never asked. Phoenix wasn't spontaneous. She just lived each day as it came. As bad as it was, she never felt like an active participant in her own life. Bucky changed all that. He made her want to be more involved with her own future and in retrospect, if he asked her if she saw a future with him, the answer would be yes. Bucky took the right to choose very seriously because he had gone decades with no rights at all. He was always so afraid of overstepping bounds with her. She was working with him on that.

Phoenix placed a hand to his face. "I just have one thing to say, love. I accepted your ring. If I had any issues with this new development, I wouldn't have accepted it. I love you, Bucky. I want to be with you for as long as possible, even until one of us dies. Sure, I have the potential to live much longer than you but anything can happen. I like it when you're spontaneous like this. It means you're getting back into the world and taking charge of your life," she said. Bucky smiled before setting his forehead to hers. "Thank you," he said. They sat quietly for a moment before he helped Phoenix to her feet. He stood up and took her hand. They started walking down the boardwalk, listening to the waves crashing against the shore.

"I just want to tell you before you ask that I don't expect anything from you that you're unwilling or unable to give, Nix. That has been our status quo ever since we got together and I want to maintain that unless you want something to change. If anything, asking to be your pair-bond was a formality," Bucky said. Phoenix looked up at him. She just smiled to herself and leaned on his arm. They reached a part of the boardwalk and saw a jazz band playing. Bucky pulled her into a dance and they had their fun. Bucky noticed how happy Phoenix was and he knew he had made the right call. He wanted to make her happy and he knew she wanted the same for him. He eventually became gobsmacked at how the moonlight made her hair shimmer and how her skirt flowed like water when he sent her into a twirl. Phoenix was beaming and Bucky no longer had a word to describe her. She was beyond beautiful.

It was close to ten at night by the time they got back to the apartment. Phoenix set the bear Bucky had won for her on the couch. A hand took hers and she turned to look up at the man she loved. Bucky gave her a lopsided grin before taking her left hand and bringing it up to kiss her ring. When he met her eyes again, Phoenix took note of how dark they became. He swallowed hard, clearly fighting some carnal force in his head. The shifter felt no fear. He was feeling something natural and that was no cause for alarm. She set her free hand on his face. "It's okay. Do whatever you want but be mindful. If I feel threatened in any way…I may not be able to hold back. I don't want to hurt you," she said in a soft tone.

Bucky dove right in. He crushed her to his body, kissing her deeply. Phoenix met his intensity like a champ and only broke the kiss when Bucky pulled back to pull his shirt off. His lips were on hers in seconds and he pulled her to his room. As he did, Phoenix's magic influenced her clothes so her cross wrap top turned into a strapless shirt. Her skirt shifted into her usual pants. Bucky pulled her onto the bed and rolled so he was on top. He noticed that her top had changed and smirked to himself. Phoenix didn't have that much conscious control over whatever magic survived the process that created her. Shifting between forms and some influence over her clothing when human was the extent he knew about but sometimes, her clothing shifted to fit her surroundings without much input from her. This was one of those times where he didn't think she made the conscious decision to give him as much skin as she did this time.

He only hesitated for a second before deciding that if Phoenix got uncomfortable, she would certainly let him know. She wasn't the sort of creature to just let things happen to her. He broke from her lips before planting his on her neck and peppering it with kisses. His hands took her wrists and used his vibranium hand to pin them above her head. He felt her legs tighten on his but she made no attempt to free herself. He smirked to himself and upped the ante a bit. His flesh hand came up her side and hooked her shirt. "Can I?" he asked in a low voice. Phoenix met his eyes in the dark but like the time they got together, her voice seemed to have deserted her. She lifted her head enough to capture his lips and he took that as permission. All the same, he went slow.

It was a known fact in the back of his mind that Phoenix could be spooked at the drop of a dime. Wild animals generally were. One wrong move and his back would meet the wall with no hesitation on her part. Bucky knew he was playing a dangerous game. Because Phoenix was dangerous. So far once they started dating, she had been nothing but compliant with everything Bucky had ever done with her. That could change at any given moment. Phoenix's default was docile but he had seen how aggressive she could get when pushed. His fingers tightened on her shirt and he slowly pulled it down.

Phoenix felt nothing about being exposed to Bucky's eyes. She only smiled a little as he took her in. Her human body was average by most metrics but he looked at her as if she was the most beautiful thing in the world. He met her gaze and released her wrists. He hesitated a moment before he set his hands on her. She only flinched a bit when the cool metal of vibranium touched her skin. "You okay? Am I going too fast?" Bucky asked quietly. "No. Your metal hand is just cold," she responded in a whisper. He chuckled a bit before his lips came down to kiss her neck. Phoenix closed her eyes and bit her lower lip. They had discussed her limitations plenty of times but they never talked about what she was capable of feeling or how it affected her. While she couldn't be, as the humans say, "turned on" completely, she could feel pleasure. She never felt the need to spell it out for Bucky. He knew. He left a trail of kisses down her sternum before sitting up and pulling her up into his lap.

Phoenix's fingers gripped his shoulders as he latched on. She gave a breathy gasp as foreign sensations hit her head. Bucky had her raised higher so her face dropped to his hair. His arms kept her pinned to his body. The attention he was giving was draining her energy. One of his hands slipped and hooked her waistband. That brought her back to alertness and she froze a bit. Bucky sensed the shift in demeanor and instead removed his fingers to cradle her hip. To make up for that, the White Wolf brought his lips up to meet hers and she gradually fell into it once she was sure he wasn't going places she couldn't. She remembered the winter cabin. Deep intimacy hadn't crossed Bucky's mind back then. He was too focused on trying to control his feelings for her at the time. That time had been safe. Now, though, they were both teetering on the edge of something Phoenix could not fall over.

It hit her right then that she wanted to be human. She wanted to let go of it all and let Bucky experience things again. She didn't want to be bound by what she was, permanently stunted and ruled by her instincts. The ring on her finger started to weigh heavily. Then, her existence as a chimera kicked in and she started to spiral into that familiar dark place that plagued her species. She broke the kiss and sat back. Bucky knew that something had changed but he didn't say a word. He gently held her elbows as she silently broke down.

Bucky, while wondering how things suddenly went sideways, knew that the cause of Phoenix's distress likely had less to do with what he had done. Ever since she started interacting with him regularly, she was more prone to emotional upsets. Thankfully, such episodes were few and far between. There wasn't always a sad reason behind her tears either. Sometimes her happiness was too much for her. Phoenix had a reason for that. She had a non-existent upbringing and learned to manage her emotions on her own. And spending sixty years with Seiryu meant she had learned to emulate how the dragons did it. Then she went from being with an emotionally-controlled dragon to a human, a creature she said was less than in control of their emotions by comparison. No wonder she was affected to this degree. He decided they had done enough for one night and Phoenix was very likely feeling tired.

Phoenix felt Bucky start to gently set her off his lap and she took hold of his shoulders. "You okay?" he asked. She met his eyes but said nothing. He gave her a lopsided grin before hooking her neck and kissing her hard. Phoenix wound her arms around his neck tightly and felt her back hit the bed as the White Wolf tilted himself forward to lie on top of her. His tongue worked itself into her mouth and he could feel her calming a bit. Her legs were around his waist and he rolled a bit, wanting to be as close to her as possible. He felt her hands take hold of his jeans' waistband as if she was trying to keep him there as well.

Bucky went to town again. His mouth was all over the place and he started talking dirty to her. He started driving his hips against hers as hard as he could, wishing they could make love for real but not dwelling on it since he was tripping out at loosening some of his own control. Phoenix just had her breath stolen over and over again. He was probably the most aggressive he had ever been and she felt exhilarated. Her nails scratched at his back, causing him to curse a bit before he followed up with a comment about how hot that was. His lips and teeth were all over the place and she was quickly losing her senses. She gave as good as she could but Bucky was relentless. She couldn't keep up. Towards the end, she managed to push him off a bit. "Bucky…I can't…" she stammered before she was cut off. Bucky had latched on again and was ruthlessly working her over. Her back arched and her breathing got shallow to the point she grew light-headed. Something in her mind snapped and her vision started fading fast. The last thing she saw was his smirk before she passed out.

Bucky breathed heavily as he watched Phoenix lose consciousness. He panicked a bit, wondering if he went too hard. "Nix?" he muttered between breaths. He got no reply but Phoenix's breathing was evening out in a clear indication that she had fallen asleep after initially passing out from overstimulation. Sighing a bit, Bucky sat up and ran a hand over his face. His enhancements were as much of an obstacle as Phoenix's own shortcomings. If a make-out session that intense caused someone of her stamina level (and her stamina was high thanks to her ancestry) to pass out, then it was probably a good thing they couldn't go all the way.

Far as he knew, Phoenix was healthy as a horse but some breeds, like thoroughbreds, had known heart issues and he couldn't be sure if any of that applied to unicorns. Phoenix being a chimera made it even murkier. Taking a deep breath, Bucky hovered over her and gently kissed the corner of her thoroughly swollen lips. She was completely dead to the world now. He gently shifted her over to her side of the bed before getting up and chucking his jeans off, replacing them with a pair of gym shorts. His own adrenaline levels were starting to crash as well so he collapsed into bed and gathered Phoenix in his arms before passing out himself.