cleagan regency au!! bucky is a social & wealthy bachelor who loves partying and has a bit of a reputation for flirting with the boundaries of appropriaty but he gets away with by being so charming and charismatic and kind and charitable. gale on the other hand was raised in a very strict family, struggling with money due to his father’s gambling issues, and he was taught a very traditional understanding of value of modesty and chastity, definitely no premarital relations of an improper kind whatsoever, the image of the family is precarious as it is.
the one time his friend alexander manages to drag him to a dance bucky is of course there and is immediately intrigued with the beautiful blonde in corner, wondering how he has never seen him before, and asks him for a dance. gale is aware of bucky’s reputation but despite his parent’s warning voice in his head the urge to accept the invitation is too great, and they end up dancing a couple of times through the night, and even when bucky is dancing with someone else gale can feel his eyes on him and the attention makes him feel tingly, something new stirring in him.
they meet at a couple of more dances (gale accepts alexander’s suggestions to go for them much more often lately for some reason) and bucky keeps wanting get to know him, asking about his likes and dislikes as they dance, what he wants to do in life, things no one has cared about in him before. over the last few weeks gale has finally started to realize the new sensation he feels when he thinks about bucky is desire, and it scares him (his upbringing really managed to internalize that fear of social exclusion if he was ”to whore himself out” (the religious side never really got to him the same way despite his mom trying to warn him about going to hell too)) but also excits him, so when bucky asks if he wants to see the garden outside of the ballroom he accepts despite knowing it’s absolutely unacceptable to go with him *gasps* unchaperoned.
they find themselves in a remote corner and gale can’t remember laughing as much during his whole life as he has in these few moments he’s shared with bucky. he feels comfortable and genuinly appreciated & wanted, and while his breath hitches when bucky places a careful hand on his hip and steps into his space, he lets him, places his own shaking hand on bucky’s arm for support. he’s so nervous he might pass out when bucky’s eyes drop to his lips but it isn’t until bucky actually kisses him when he truly freaks out. he pulls away and stutters ”i’m sorry” about 11 times in 10 seconds and then runs away, leaving behind a confused bucky and a worried alexander when he tells him he’s not feeling well. he goes home and lies in his sorrow of having messed everything up with the loveliest person he ever knew and probably his only chance at real love. bucky’s lips still tingle on his and no matter how wrong it might be, he’d desperately want to feel that sensation again.
the next morning there’s a knock on the door when the whole household is having breakfast and his parent’s are completely blown away by the wealthiest high gentleman of the county in their living room (they haven’t asked about the ball’s and gale hasn’t told them) and even more so when he asks to speak with their son. the house’s maid walks behind them to not leave them compromised when they walk away from the house, and once they reach a lakeside (gale’s safe place, not that john would know) the older starts apologizing helplessly, asks gale to not think of him as a playboy who abused his position the night before, and seeing him so worried about hurting him breaks gale’s walls and he tells him everything, how the kiss was not unwanted but how he can’t take risks for scandals when he’s living in his parents house and his only option for a future is a good marriage. to his absolute surprise john drops to one knee right then and there and asks for his hand, that he will do it the right way despite not believing in that himself he that means he can get a life with gale.
after gale enthusiastically agrees they walk back to the house hand in hand and john asks for his parents approval, start the slowest three weeks of gale’s life. it’s so unlike him to welcome such a sudden change like this but bucky is all he can think about, and despite visiting each other daily his desire keeps growing the more they get to know each other. they are always chaperoned until they are officially married, of course, but bucky finds ways to show his affections, hands constantly on gale’s shoulder or lower back or thigh under the table or cheeks in a brief moment in the carriage; gale is obsessed with kissing him, every stolen moment adding to his need to always have access to john’s perfect lips, and bucky delights in making him blush my teasing him about how much better it will be, sweetheart, once we’re married and he can do his husband duties properly.
the wedding night… gale has never been touched by anyone anywhere, barely by himself even, so it’s intense, and he gets so worked up by bucky undressing him and kissing him that it’s enough to throw him over the edge the first time. he has no idea what to do and it worries him because he knows bucky is experienced but his new husband is already obsessed with him, encouraging and patient and more than happy to help gale find all the pleasures in the world that he alone will get to give him.
