#sparklefics

Bucky agrees with you and once you’re out of his room he opens the door and his mama bursts through like a nervous wreck. 

“Jamie! Oh honey!”

“Ma, what’s wrong?”

“Mrs. Y/L/N just got back from work and her girl’s gone!”

“Gone, what do you mean gone?” Bucky hated lying to his mom but for you he’d do just about anything. 

You managed to get back into your room seeing as the window was now unlocked and wide open. Quickly you get rid of Bucky’s blue sweater and walk out of your room nonchalantly. 

“Oh Winnie I just don’t know what to do—”

“Mom? Mrs. Barnes– Bucky? What’s going on?”

Your mom runs over and hugs you then pinches your arm. “Where were you, young lady?!”

“I was just in my room, mom.”

“I swear if you were with that Hodge guy, Y/N I already told you I don’t like him. You’re not to see him again.” Your mom threatened while Bucky stood there barely suppressing a smile. “Why can’t you get a nice boy like Barnes. Winnie’s son is a nice young man, appropriate.”

If only your mom knew how inappropriate you two already had been last night. 

“Well, actually I–” Bucky tried to interrupt but you cut him off. 

“Shut it, Barnes!”

“Y/N! Don’t be rude.” Your mom scolded you and turned back to Bucky’s mom. “Winnie, darling can you stop by for tea after lunch?”

“It’d be my pleasure.” 

___________________________

While Winnie and your mom have tea…

You sit on the fire escape again, this time Bucky joins you. The excuse for him being there was sharing your English literature book Bucky had ‘misplaced’ his. So you sat there pressed up against Bucky, your head gently resting on his shoulder and his left arm wrapped around your waist. 

“I’m afraid he won’t come back, my father,” you took a deep breath as you confessed your deepest fears to Bucky. “I’m afraid he’s going to die in this war, Buck. I can’t–” you let your sobs escape. Bucky holds you as you slowly stop crying, giving you forehead kisses and squeezing your hand.

He gently squeezed your hand again to get your attention. “Darlin, I know that I should wait for him for this but I’ll ask your momma if I have to. I’ll ask her today for her blessing. I want to marry you, take care of you–even your mamma. God forbid your father doesn’t make it back, I want you to feel safe and taken care of.”

“Buck, that’s sweet but aren’t we too young?”

“My dad married my ma when they were just fifteen. We’re almost eighteen. I don’t see the difference.” Bucky pressed his lips to your forehead. “Would you want to? I’m sorry I didn’t really ask. Would you like to marry me?” 

Bucky stares down at you with his big blue shiny eyes, full of affection for you. You couldn’t say no even if you wanted to. “James, it would be a dream come true. Yes. I would love to marry you.” 

Bucky takes a deep breath and slowly lets it out. “I need a minute to talk with our mothers. I’ll be right back.”

Bucky untangles himself from you and turns back to sneak into your house through your bedroom window, only to find his mom, your mom and your dad staring back at him. 

“Umm, Sir I can explain.” Bucky starts as he tumbles through the open window.

“Sir?” You turn around, “Dad?!” you screech. 

You scramble to get into your room but as soon as you do, your dad pulls you into his arms. And all you can do is cry happy tears. “You’re back!”

He buries his face in your hair and hums happily. “I am darling. I’m home.” He smiles down at you and squeezes your cheeks and drops a kiss to your forehead. Your dad makes eye contact with Bucky, who stands by behind you. “You have our blessing, son.” 

“You…approve? But- but we’ve only just met.” Bucky stammers like an idiot.

“I heard– we all did, we heard what you said to my little girl. I know enough, James Buchanan Barnes, y/n would ramble on and on about you on the letters I got from home.” 

“Dad!” You groaned and buried your face into his chest. “You’re embarrassing me.”

Jinpachi and Sasuke had already disappeared on their own way; our work was done, the battle was in its final throes.

The castle looms before me, and with the leader of the ambush that targeted the Sanada's main forces just another stain on my blade, the pincer of Sanada and Takeda both had nothing left to stop it.

I emerge from the cover of the trees, slashing open another throat before its owner even realises I'm beside him.

And my navigation was perfect. Just a little way ahead, there was a flash of red atop a rearing mare.

"We have them…!! Fight to your last!”

Yukimura rallies his men with a fierce shout, his great spear in the air for a moment before it is once again brought down upon the next fool to challenge him in the height of his bloodlust.

"Sanada! I'll have your hea-aah!!”

"Hah! You'll have to do better than that if you want it!” His enemy falls to the ground, crushed beneath the hooves of his mare as he powers on.

I pick through the enemy behind him, finishing fight after fight with men too caught up in their own battles to notice my presence.

Praise falls on my ears from grateful retainers, exhaustion clear in their voices, but I am only here for one man, and as I fight my way back to his side, he finally turns to see me amongst the carnage.

"Saizo…!" Yukimura's face lights up, the blood splattering it an uncanny contrast to his sunny grin.

I look up at him, my eyes narrowing for a fraction of a second in answer to the warmth his smile puts in my chest.

Though barely a beat in my dark symphony passes, time seems to still as I feel unease itch in the back of my mind and see Yukimura's eyes flick behind me, widening minutely.

I've turned before I've even considered the source of my discomfort, grip tightening on my blade and my muscles tensing for a movement they never get to make.

The flare of red I chased down to get here flashes across my vision, Yukimura's body flying from his horse to jump in front of me the last thing I see before the unmistakable whistle of an arrow stops suddenly and my oldest companion collapses to the ground, rolling a few times before he stops in a plume of dust, curled up on his side and clutching his chest.

Everything disappears around me. The battlefield falls away from my consciousness as I dive forward, already ripping the fabric from my belt to stop the blood seeping through his fingers.

"Yukimura."

"Nngh… Are you… hurt… Saizo…?” he manages to mumble on ragged breaths.

"Shh…" Rolling him onto his back, I take hold of the arrow lodged just beneath his ribs, pressing my fingers to his lips until I feel him take the pill I offer onto his tongue. "Hold onto me."

He swallows, whimpering quietly before he breathes out and grips my free arm. "Saizo…"

I give him an extra moment for the analgesic to kick in, though my pulse is racing and adrenaline begging me to rush through my treatment. "Why did you do that, little lord?" I murmur to him, watching his breathing start to steady. "I'm here to protect you, you know."

"I know…" he whispers. "But-aaghh!!"

I use his distraction to yank the arrow out, more careful than I've ever been of anything not to twist.

His lungs are still strong. No puncture. Thank the gods.

Tears come to his eyes before I even toss the cursed arrow away, his palms twitching to cling to the wound again even as I wrap it, so tightly I'm sure I hear his ribs creak.

"Saizo… nnngh… Saizo, it hurts…"

"You're just a little dumb aren't you." I whisper to him as I run a hand under his back.

He's heavy, but I barely feel it as I lift him over my shoulders and sprint off to safety.

Deep into the forest, my horse running behind us, I stop and lay Yukimura down into soft grass, pulling out all the medical supplies I carry with me. Even if I don't have the tools to check for splinters in the wound, I can stop the bleeding, prevent infection, and get him back to camp.

"Saizo…" Yukimura's voice is weak when he calls for me. "I'm sorry… I…"

I cast him a quick glance, my eyes hovering on his for a split second when I see the sorrow in his gaze as he watches me.

"I… I just didn't want… I couldn't… risk losing you…"

His fingers reach for mine where they work over salves and antiseptic oils.

"Quiet time now, Yukimura," I murmur, placating him with a gentle brush of my fingers over his hand before I reach for cloth keeping his blood in.

"Nnnhh… sss…" Squeezing his eyes shut, he tries not to arch up into my hands as I sting his skin with my concoctions. "Haa…"

Blood oozes from the wound with each beat of his heart, the cloth I tear from our robes soaked through all too quickly. The salve to staunch blood flow is being pushed from his body faster than I can apply it.

"Nnngh…"

"Shit," I mutter to myself, my gaze flicking up to his increasingly pale features. Panic unsteadies my hands as I watch his life slip away. There must be something else I could do.

Yukimura sighs quietly, his breath slow and shallow. Tilting his head, he looks up at me, giving me a small smile through half-open eyes. "Saizo…" he whispers my name, reaching up weakly with one hand and catching his fingers in my collar. "It's okay."

Pressing my palm against the wound I lean down with his quiet urging, my brows low and my jaw tight.

"If I die, I'm… I'm glad I… saved you…"

My frown deepens, the ache in my chest feeling as deep as the one beneath my hand.

"That's not how it works, little lord. You don't die before me." Though I don't raise my voice much beyond a whisper, even I hear it crack.

Yukimura's eyes narrow with his smile, the faintest of flushes warming his icy white cheeks. "Sorry… I could never say… before…"

His fingers creep up my neck, muscles straining with the effort before he cups the back of my head and pulls me down toward him.

"I always… loved you, Saizo…"

Gently, he brings our lips together, kissing me so softly I can barely feel how cold his skin is.

My stomach knots, agony rippling up to my heart as I feel him drift from consciousness.

"Yukimura…"

Teeth clenched against the pain in my chest, I stare at his features for a few more seconds before letting my gaze drift down his body to the ripped up bandages lying beside my hand.

My eyes widen minutely. That's it.

As fast as my hands can work, I coat a strip of cloth in salve and twist it into a point, pushing it into Yukimura's wound, deeper and deeper until just a tiny bloodstained flag emerges from his skin.

Barely another minute passes before the blood oozing from his wound slows and I heave a sigh, letting my head fall onto Yukimura's chest and clinging to him tightly.

"You damned fool," I whisper against his blood-wet kimono while the thud of my heart in my ears finally starts to slow, the crescendo of my panic fading to its dull, steady rhythm. "You gods damned idiot."