t felt different walking through the familiar halls of the Citadel and no longer calling this place home. He had spent months here, growing accustomed to every turn and tucked away room. He knew all the scuff marks or the chips in the stone. He knew the window in the Sovereigns bedroom used to squeak every time it was opened. He used to know so much about this place, but now Bucky couldn’t help but feel something of an outsider as he stepped boldly towards the ever present music playing and beckoning him towards the throngs of patrons.
Retirement had done Liam well, Bucky had observed after the pair had slipped from the public eye to enjoy some of the quieter side of the Dusk Court. They had never left the lands, but had instead found themselves a comfortable adobe not far from the Citadel. In the weeks that had passed since the former Sovereign had stepped down, Bucky had noticed the quiet coming from those who might have once been family. There wasn’t a knock, or an inquiry. Not even a letter slipped under their door — not that he minded. Bucky thrived in the solitude this time had provided him, but he knew the same couldn’t be said for Liam.
So when news of these festivities reached them the older stallion had been the one to offer the suggestion. They could attend the ball together, and perhaps get a glimpse at those familiar faces.
Some hours before the ball was set to begin, Bucky had slipped away and offered to meet Liam there. He knew he wasn’t one for fineries and dressing up — and he certainly wasn’t about to wear a mask — but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to clean himself up. His mane and tail were properly groomed for once, the ties back strands now brushed out and loose. There was little he could do about the mangled mess of scars on his leg, but he’d managed to adorn himself with just a few golden jewelry in an attempt to shift the attention away from it.
Liam might have already been well acquainted with the old wound, but for tonight Bucky wanted to make sure that it wasn’t such a glaringly obvious thing. His movements were fluid as he weaved his way through the growing crowds, watching as pairs drifted off to occupy the dance floor. For now he would find himself a quiet corner, tucked away like usual and he would wait. Liam would find him — but the search was half the fun.
His gaze scanned some of the masked faces, noting perhaps a few that might have been familiar to him. Most, however, were dressed in some way and none entirely stood out to him.
Humming lowly to himself, Bucky settled his side against the wall as he smiled secretly. If Liam wanted a dance with him, then Liam was going to have to find him. He certainly wasn’t hidden, and unlike the others his face was completely bare. It’s almost as though he was making this easy for his lover.
The Citadel. Only once had he been here since he'd stepped down, and the stallion wasn't entirely certain that he wanted to set foot in there again. For nearly a year, he'd been calling it home, spending nearly every waking moment there, and handling numerous debates between his citizens. More importantly, it was where he grew as both a leader and as himself, where he realized that he needed to start putting himself first, and where he realized that he was doing more harm to himself than good. All in all, Liam did enjoy himself when he was Sovereign, but toward the end, he realized just how miserable the position was making him.
But retirement? Oh, retirement was where he shone. He'd put on a bit of weight that complimented his slim frame, and his pace in life had slowed down tremendously. No longer did he rise before the sun every morning and go out on a double digit mile run, and no longer did he feel the need to hang around the armory or the military encampments. No, instead, all he did was walk around Novus with Bucky, checking out the different stalls that the merchants had, their wares on full display. It was nice, the retirement life. Still, there was a sense of loneliness nagging at the copper-burnished stallion like nothing he'd ever felt before. Despite what he'd said, despite what he'd done, he thought the family he'd gathered around him would be around him even in his lowest of days. But when he turned to look for support, only Bucky was there for him. The pain that Liam felt, the hatred he could feel eminating off the walls of the Citadel the one time he wandered the halls after stepping down, curled their talons into his heart and tore it to pieces. The family he'd chosen left him to suffer and wallow in his darkness, and only Bucky's careful support and love were there to lift him out.
Liam knew that Bucky thrived in the solitude this time was providing them, but the former Sovereign felt like a failure in the worst of ways.
When news of the festivities reached them, Liam had declined the offer at first, not wanting to set foot in the halls of the one place he used to feel welcomed in, but eventually, he'd given in, and relented because it was Bucky asking. If it'd been anyone else, Liam would have stuck to his guns and wouldn't have agreed.
Hours before the ball was set to begin, Liam was awoken by Bucky slipping out of their shared bed, and when questioned, the older stallion didn't offer an explanation, but instead offered to meet him there. In his still-asleep confusion, Liam frowned and agreed groggily, slipping back into the grasp of sleep as the door clicked shut behind his lover. Just a couple hours later, Liam finally roused himself from the still-warm sheets and cleaned himself up as best he could before grimacing at himself in the mirror. Always struggling with self-image issues, the copper-coated stallion was struggling with it even more now, and he knew it was because he looked like a failure in the eyes of everyone in the Court. Sighing heavily, he departed the silent home he shared with Bucky and headed to the local boutique, where the hairdresser, he found, was a traveling hairdresser and was visiting solely for the ball that the Dusk Court was throwing.
There wasn't much that was done to his hair. Washed, dried, and slicked back, the stallion was primped and polished by the hairdresser, and the former Sovereign wasn't allowed to leave until every single strand of hair was in its proper place. Offering the hairdresser a shy smile and a generous tip, Liam left the boutique for the Citadel.
Approaching it, Liam hesitated. Staring up at the towering building, the last gasps of home had left the very same day he'd stepped down. He could still hear Asta's angry words ringing in his ear, and how no one even checked in on them. No letters, no visits, no happenstance stumbled-upon meet-ups in the markets or out in the greater world of Novus.
Swallowing thickly, the copper-burnished stallion flicked an ear back and entered the Citadel, following the sound of the music. His strides were hesitant, cautious, and he kept away from everyone else as they strode along toward their destination. Offering quiet smiles to those who greeted him, Liam finally made his way to the ballroom, his eyes scanning the crowd for his lover. The former Sovereign wasn't wearing a mask, and he assumed that Bucky wasn't, either. Still, the copper-coated equine couldn't seem to make out his lover's hulking form, and he frowned, wondering if Bucky had decided not to come after all.
"Liam Speaks."
Notes;; I love them so damn much ;u;
Tag;; @Buchanan
Voice claim;; Chris Evans
A small, private smile crossed Bucky’s lips as he spied Liam through the throngs of observers and dancers alike. Across the hall was the oh-so familiar face. He would know that face — even on his darkest of days he knew Liam. Perhaps he knew Liam even better than he knew himself, and somehow that wouldn’t have surprised him. He watched carefully as the stallion eyed the crowd, searching and looking for Bucky.
He stepped away from his place against the wall, carefully moving to avoid that seeking gaze. He wouldn’t have stood Liam up for something like this, and he desperately hoped that his lover wasn’t thinking such things. After all, Bucky had been the one to ask him. While situations like this might not have been the most comfortable thing he wasn’t about to just abandon Liam. But his smile remained as he approached carefully from behind. There, just barely out of reach was the most handsome stallion Bucky had ever seen.
Gone were the days of childhood youth and knobby knees. Gone were the days of dirt streaked cheeks and adrenaline filled veins. And gone were the days of kingly speeches and exhaustion. Before him was a stallion that Bucky had rarely seen. There was a sort of vibrancy to Liam — a life to his eyes, and a brightness to his skin that warmed the former assassin to see. Inhaling deeply, Bucky reached out and pressed a soft touch to Liam’s side as he finally closed the distance between them.
“Hello, stranger,” he spoke, just loud enough for the both of them to hear over the music. Their own private moment. “I must say, I’ve never seen a fella quite as handsome as you ‘round here before. Care to dance?”
Bucky teased, his smile growing warm as he settled close to Liam’s side. His gaze never left his lover, the usual chill to his steely eyes gone as he basked in adoration filling him. He couldn’t help the way he felt seeing the copper stallion this way — he looked stunning. As his lips pressed a soft kiss against the side of Liam’s neck, Bucky leaned in just a little bit closer.
“You looked worried for a moment there. I didn’t want ya thinkin’ I’d bailed on you,” he clarified gently, paying no attention to the sway of the equine around them, “Ya look real good, Liam. A right handsome fella tonight — an’ you’re here with me? M’lucky as all heck aren’t I?”
After several long minutes, he still hadn't located Bucky.
Observers and dancers alike crowded the dance floor and the edges, and the former Sovereign struggled to both ground himself in the moment from the large crowd of people and to find his lover. How someone so gargantuan could hide so easily boggled Liam's mind, but the copper-burnished stallion knew that's why he was such a skilled assassin before. An expression of defeat crossed Liam's face, and he grimaced as he felt the failure seep further into his heart, a sort of sadness gripping hold of his heart.
The music drifted over him, causing him to glance over at the band, nostrils quivering as he listened to the songs they played. Several of them reminded him of Agnosia, of days long gone from their childhood. Nostalgia soared through him, and he made a soft noise in the back of his throat at the memories playing before his mind's eye. Potentially being stood up by his new boyfriend wasn't exactly how he expected to spend the night, but here he was, looking through the crowd for that tall, dark, handsome love of his life.
Through the days of knobby knees and childhood scrapes, their friendship thrived. But those days were long gone, and now they had to deal with post-traumatic stress disorder, the horrors of their time in serving in the Agnosian military, not to mention the stresses and horrors of moving from land to land to land. Liam wasn't entirely sure how much more they could go through, but he was happy to have Bucky at his side through it all. The soft touch to his side had him gasping softly and jumping a bit as he turned a little, his eyes widening at the sight of his new boyfriend.
"Oh, hello. What's a handsome stranger like yourself doing here by your lonesome? Would ya like some company?" Liam inquired, playing along with the teasing Bucky carried on with. "I'd love to dance if ya don't mind me havin' two left feet," he teased right back.
As Bucky settled close to his side, Liam nickered lovingly, inhaling the dark stallion's scent deeply, the tension in his frame disappearing and easing. It was incredible what Bucky's presence did to him and how easily he relaxed when they were near each other. There was an adoration in the older stallion's eyes that Liam had never seen before, but it was nice to see, and at the soft kiss to the side of his neck, Liam sighed softly, trembling softly at the touch.
"To be perfectly honest, I was a bit worried," he explained, voice soft as he pressed his own muzzle to Bucky's neck. "I think m'the lucky one, Buck. Got ya takin' a chance on me, don' I? God, ya look just as good as ever, if not even better. What made ya get so dolled up, handsome?" Liam breathed, his voice catching as he pressed ever closer to Bucky, a soft noise escaping him as their shared warmth flared through him.
"Liam Speaks."
Notes;; I love them so damn much ;u;
Tag;; @Buchanan
Voice claim;; Chris Evans
