#Country Music Star! Bucky

[eat-limes-bitches]

The Sounds That Bind Us

PAIRING: Female Farmer! Reader x Bucky Barnes

SUMMARY: Music has a way of tying two people together, in ways that only the universe can design.

WARNINGS: umm, major fluff, so so so fluffy! Minor injuries (for Bucky any way)

Word Count: 2967

Alternate Jun-iverse: C4027 | Square 1: Soulmate | Square 2: Country

A/N: OOO! I'm excited for this one yall! I've been working on it for a while! (Hence the word length hehe) But this is my first attempt at a soulmate AU and I hope I did it justice, but I'm really happy with it and I hope you guys love it as much as I do!

Song lyrics are in italics and the songs are:

Honey Take My Hand by Cody Francis

Didn’t See It Coming by My Brothers and I

Fallen Like A Star by St. Lundi

Enjoy! <3

Divider by Rookthorne, graphic by Eat-Limes-Bitches

Bucky was going to kill him. Steve had promised an easy in-and-out mission, something low stakes to get back into the groove after some time off in Wakanda. This was everything but that. Bucky was snapped out of his murderous thoughts by a bullet whizzing by his head, making him curse as he sped up. These HYDRA soldiers were hot on his tail, and not letting up. It didn’t help that he had been hit, the pain coursing through his right thigh a constant reminder of the bullet lodged in the flesh. As he tumbled through the treeline into a clearing, he saw an old barn, the moonlight reflecting off the tin roof seemed like a beacon of hope. Without any other options, he skillfully hopped over the fence, ducked into the barn, held his breath, and listened. The soldiers came exploding through the treeline and stopped, seeing no sign of Bucky anywhere. Bucky listened carefully as he heard them approach the barn and stop. Their boots crunched on the fallen leaves as they circled the barn. His heart was in his throat, blood rushing in his ears but after a moment that seemed like forever, they left. Bucky didn’t move for almost an hour, listening and making sure that he was in the clear before he pulled out his transponder. He looked down to activate it and saw that it had been trashed by a stray bullet. He groaned out a curse and threw the useless device across the barn. He tried to stand but the pain in his leg prevented him from supporting any weight so he pushed himself up against the wall, deciding that he’d just rest for a bit.

He was on the verge of sleep when a song started to flow through his mind, louder than it had been since, ever, causing him to startle. See, everyone had a soulmate, something Bucky never believed in, having never heard any music in the 40’s. After he fell off the train, he figured whoever they were would be long dead by now. However, since coming out of recovery, he started to hear the music again. Part of HYDRA’s programming, he found out, was to block the music that would be pumping into his mind from his soulmate but now that he was free from all of the things that HYDRA put in his head, he started hearing music. He didn’t think much of it, as it was always quiet and in the background like a thought, but this song was so loud that it sounded like it was being whispered in his ear. 

“Let's get out, we can leave this city. Let's drive to the open air. Yeah, the countryside is so pretty. With the wind blowing in your hair. We can look back someday Baby, don't you understand? That we only get one love, I wanna make it count. Honey, come on now and take my hand”

It was a soft melody, the gentle guitar soothing his frayed nerves, and just as quickly as it startled him awake, it soothed him back to sleep.

He was woken up by something cold and wet nuzzling into his cheek. Bucky groaned and tried to shift away from the intrusion but he was too stiff from his awkward sleeping predicament to move very fast. Swatting at whatever the hell was messing with him, he was greeted by more music flooding his senses. This time, even louder than the last. The guitar was vibrating his bones and the drums rattling his teeth when all of a sudden there was a gasp and the music promptly stopped. 

“Jake! Get away from him! Jesus, hey guy, are you ok?” 

A panicked voice called out as the presence next to him disappeared. Bucky shot open his eyes and shot up into a position ready to defend himself when he saw a woman staring at him. Her light blue button-up was tucked into a pair of old worn-out jeans with a dark belt securing them in place around her hips. A large black and white dog was standing at her side, tail wagging furiously back and forth as its warm brown eyes stared at him. 

Bucky blinked, all the memories of what happened yesterday came flooding back into the forefront of his brain.

“Uh- yeah, I uh- I think so.” He groaned, his leg screaming at him in pain causing him to hiss out in discomfort. 

“Are you sure? You don’t seem like it, here, let me help you.” The woman walked over, tucking an arm underneath his and wrapping it around him, hoisting him onto his feet and leading him to a bench on the other side of the barn. She gently placed him down and ran her eyes over him when she noticed the dried patch of blood on his thigh.

“Shit, have you been shot?!” Bucky was too busy gawking at how stunning this woman was to notice that he was bleeding again, her words caused him to look down where she was staring.

“Oh. Yeah, I guess I was. I kind of forgot about that.” Bucky shrugged as he watched the woman wander off to another area.

“How in the hell do you just forget that you were shot?!” She called out in between the slams of cabinet doors. Bucky took a deep breath, opening his mouth to respond when he noticed the dog, who he presumed to be the ‘Jake’ the woman had called out to, resting his head on Bucky’s non-injured thigh. He ran his fingers through the soft silky fur of the pup’s head, looking back up when he heard the woman's rapidly returning footsteps. She appeared from around an old tractor, med kit in tow. She saw the dog vibrating happily underneath Bucky’s attention and smiled softly.

“Jake! Leave…” She paused looking at Bucky for his name. 

“Bucky. You can call me Bucky.” She smiled.

“Y/n. Nice to meet you Bucky.” Bucky’s heart flipped in his chest at the sound of his name rolling off her tongue. His eyes followed her as she crouched down next to him, placing the med kit on the bench. 

“Are you ok with me taking care of this or would you rather do it,” Y/n asked as she began to rifle through the box looking for all of the necessary supplies. Bucky was shocked, she just found this strange man in her barn and was going to help him out instead of calling the cops. He realized she was waiting for an answer, her eyes full of worry staring at him, waiting for an answer. 

“Or, um, I can take you to the hospital, but that's a bit of a drive.” Bucky just shook his head.

“No, no. It’s fine. If you leave the supplies here I can take care of it. Thanks.” Y/n nodded standing up.

“Of course! I’ll get you a change of clothes. My brother left some clothes here, he’s about your height. Hopefully, they fit.”

Before Bucky could say anything else, Y/n walked out of the barn and disappeared, leaving Bucky alone with Jake and a med kit. Bucky gave the dog a final pet before tending to injury.

Once, he was cleaned up and in a fresh pair of clothes, Y/n brought him to the little farmhouse for some breakfast. Bucky sat on a stool watching Y/n cook.

“So how did you end up in my barn? It’s not every day that I get up to start chores and find a man in there.” She asked, flipping over the pancake in the skillet. Bucky chuckled scratching the back of his neck, trying to decide what to say.

“Well, uh… It’s kind of a long story...” 

A few days had passed since breakfast that morning, him spilling his entire life life story to this woman. She promised to try and help him get back to his team, however, the first snow of the season had fallen that same evening and there was no way for them to drive to the town some thirty miles away with the ice and snow covering the roads. 

“Being in the middle of nowhere has its advantages and disadvantages.” She had told him, shoveling a path out to the barn the next morning. “The fact that no plow trucks come through here just happens to be one of the shitty things.” 

Bucky felt strange just sitting around while she worked so he offered to help out while he was there. A sort of thank you for inadvertently saving his life. The more he worked around the farm, the more music he heard playing through his mind, but every time he tried to find the source, it would disappear and Y/N would appear from around a corner, tucking something into her pocket and then asking Bucky a question as she approached. 

The same thing was happening again as Bucky heard the first few chords from a new song drift into his mind, the same volume as the song that first night he slept in the barn.

“Fell in love with a girl that's a few years younger. Was a sister of a friend, didn’t see it coming.”

Bucky set down the bale of hay he had started to take to the horses, to follow the music. He walked over towards the door of the barn, the music getting louder with each step he took.

“I was hanging with him when I heard the door open.”

He pushed open the door and looked out to see Y/n and Jake walking towards the barn. She had earbuds tucked in under her hat, humming softly, and with each step she took towards the barn the louder the music in Bucky's ears got. He felt his heart start to race, his mouth ran dry.

“She walked into the room with a smile and that’s when, her eyes looked at me and said quietly,”

Y/n looked up to see Bucky staring at her and plucked the earbuds out of her ears and tucked them into her pocket, the music playing in Bucky’s mind disappearing with them.

“Hey, Bucky! I was lookin’ for ya!” She smiled at him, continuing to walk closer. “I was wondering if you could help me with something a little different.” She was standing right in front of him now, her bright eyes locking onto his. His pulse started to quicken as he hoped the cold masked the blush forming on his cheeks. 

“W-what might that be?” Y/n giggled and placed a hand on his shoulder sparks flooding throughout his body as she pushed him back into the barn. 

“I have to round up the cows today, since it’s snowed that means all of the bot flies are gone so we can go ahead and deworm them. I was hoping you could tag along. I know you’ve probably never done anything like this but it would really help me out a ton.” She smiled sweetly at him as she paused by the tack room, heading inside to grab her saddle and other equipment for the task at hand. 

“Uh sure, I’ll give it a go,” Bucky replied, following her into the small room, grabbing the other saddle sitting on the rack. It was then Bucky decided that he would do just about anything to get Y/n to smile at him like that again. It was so warm and bright that he felt ten times warmer than he did just moments ago.

“Awesome! Thank you so much, Buck! If you want to tack up Shanty I’ll hop on Zippy and we can go bring those cows up to the cattle shed!” 

Bucky saddled up Shanty with some difficulty due to the fact he had no idea what the hell he was doing, but with Y/n’s help, the pair were ready to go. Bucky watched as Y/n skillfully mounted the red horse who was stomping around impatiently waiting for her to get on. Taking a deep breath, he carefully pulled himself up into the saddle and nodded for Y/n to lead the way. As the pair began to jog through the snow Bucky called out,

“I hope you know I haven’t been on a horse since 1943, an’ never used em’ on a farm before so I have no idea what I’m doin’ darlin’.”

Y/n let out a laugh that seemed to sing off of the ice that covered a nearby pond. She looked over her shoulder and Bucky was convinced he had never seen a more beautiful sight. The morning sun reflected off the snow, causing its golden glow to dance across the landscape. Its golden rays were blocked by the brim of her dark cowboy hat, but the leather band almost seemed to be turned into gold as the beams of light that slipped around the edges wove into the intricate braid. Her eyes sparkled with something so warm and bright that Bucky was sure he was seeing an angel in person. 

“Don’t worry too much!” She replied, oblivious to the effect she had on the man. 

“Shanty’s a pro. She can basically do this on her own, she just prefers having someone on her back or a little extra guidance.” Y/n explained as the cow herd came into view. “Just point her in the right direction, she will do the rest.” 

Bucky nodded and watched as Y/n kicked Zippy forward toward the cows and once she rounded the back, the herd started running in his direction. Gripping onto the reins, he pointed Shanty in the direction and when the cows tried to jump out of line, Shanty would run and slide to a stop, forcing the cows to stay in a group as they ran towards the cattle shed. 

The journey back to the cattle shed was considerably more work than the ride out, constantly trying to keep the frisky cows from darting off one way or another but eventually, they were all secured in the barn, Y/n smiled at Bucky.

“Thank you for your help. I can take it from here. Meet you inside for dinner? I prepped some ravioli last week that’s in the freezer.” 

Bucky smiled and agreed, leading Shanty and Zippy back to the barn, the goofy grin remaining on his face all the way there.

Bucky grumbled angrily as the wrench slipped out of his hand. He reached out from under the tractor with his left hand when he remembered that his left hand was, essentially, an all-purpose tool. After finally getting the stubborn bolt off, he pushed himself out from underneath the tractor and took a sip of the hot cider in his mug that Y/n insisted he take with him after dinner. In between bites of the best ravioli that he had ever eaten, Y/n mentioned that the tractor had a bust pipe and that he had gotten the parts but hadn’t had the time to fix it herself so naturally, Bucky set off to fix it as soon as the dishes were done. 

Just as Bucky was about to get back to work, he heard a new melody whisper in his ear.

I'm flying, shining, bright like just like the Leonids, Heading for you.

Wiping his hands off on an old shop towel, Bucky made his way back to the farmhouse, and with each step he took, the music got a little louder.

Slowly, but surely, lighting up the pyramids, On my way to you

Kicking off his snow and mud-covered boots in the mud room, Bucky followed the sound of the music, to the back porch where he found Y/n sitting with a mug in her hands gazing up at the stars.

Ooh, ooh. I've fallen like a star for you

The music was so loud at this point, that Bucky was convinced that it was integrating itself into the very fiber of his being. Taking a steadying breath, he reached out a hand and placed it on Y/n’s shoulder startling her her slightly before realizing it was just him. He watched as she hit the pause button, and the music that was flowing so clearly stopped. Bucky felt his heart rate pick up. There is no way that he's finally found her after all this time.

“Hey Buck, What going on?” Y/n asks softly, offering a smile

“Can I see your Phone?” Bucky asks all in one breath.

Puzzled Y/n hands it to him. “Uh, sure why?”

“I just want to try something” He mumbled as he put the earbuds in and walked away from her to the opposite end of the porch. He locked eyes with her and hit play.

He watched as Y/n’s eyes grew wide, her hands flying up to cover her mouth. She heard it too. Bucky swallowed as he took a shaky step toward her, the music getting louder with each step he took until he was standing face-to-face with her.

Ooh, ooh. I've fallen like a star for you

“I think you’re my soulmate” He whispered, reaching out to cup her face with his flesh hand, the metal one still holding onto the phone.

Y/n blinked a few times in surprise before surging forward and tackling him in a hug planting a firm but warm kiss on his lips. Bucky blinked in surprise but responded immediately, wrapping his other arm around her and pulling her flush against his body.  Eventually, they parted and Y/n smiled up at him.

 “Does that mean you’ll stay here with me?” She whispered.

Bucky pressed his forehead against hers before he replied, “Forever and always, for as long as you’ll have me.”

[late-to-the-party-81]

Because it's Eurovision! Okay..?

AN: I wanted to write this last year, but didn’t, and then the enablers in the BBE server forced encouraged me. So enjoy this cracky Avengers Tower fic, where nobody dies and everyone lives happily ever after.

Un-beta’d

Dividers by @firefly-graphics and moodboard by me

Masterlist

Relationship: - None - Just good old team bonding.

Word Count: 1k

CW: Eurovision spoilers, American confusion, Domestic Avengers

“Oki doki, kiddos - what’s so important we’ve brought forward movie night to…” Tony looked at his watch. “... 3 o’clock in the afternoon?”

He looked around the lounge in confusion as Nat, Wanda and Bucky rearranged all the sofas, cushions and beanbags. Flag bunting hung from the ceiling, and the small kitchenette counter was laden with various snacks.

“It’s Eurovision, Tony.” Nat’s tone of voice suggested that that explained it all.

It did not.

“Euro-what now?”

Wanda came up beside him and started to steer him towards one of the seats.

“Just sit down, Stark. It’s about to start. Now where are the others?”

She looked around, auburn hair flying, but relaxed as Clint walked in, a grin on his face, followed by Bruce, Steve, and Sam. Wanda looked around them and smiled as Vision floated through the wall and towards her.

Clint bounded forward, launching himself over the back of the sofa and bouncing down next to Tony.

“Boy, are you in for a treat! This is going to be epic.” He grinned, completely unfazed by the blank looks from the other men. 

Sam settled on one of the other couches after a stern glare from Bucky, Steve joining him.

“Umm, could you possibly explain further?”

“If you will allow me…” The dulcet tones of FRIDAY echoed through the room as Nat and Bucky continued to shift and shuffle things around their confused team mates. “The Eurovision Song Contest is an annual event held in mid May every year, where the countries across the European continent all submit a musical act singing an original song. There are two semi-finals and then the final 26 acts star in the Final.”

Steve still looked confused.

“Well, what do the winners get?”

“The winning country gets to host the competition the following year, providing a boost for tourism and culture.”

Bruce settled down on the third couch, somehow having already snagged a bowl of popcorn.

“So the songs are good then?”

Nat snorted derisively.

“Nope. They are camp and cheesy, with ludicrous outfits, smoke machines and lots of pyrotechnics. But that’s the joy of it. And lots of the countries sing in their own language, so you have no idea what the song is actually about.”

Tony’s eyes went wide, nothing any clearer than it was before.

“Then why are we watching?”

As one Nat, Bucky and Wanda turned towards him.

“Because it’s Eurovision.”

“Umm, okay then…” He sunk down into the cushions, not sure it was worth risking the ire of undoubtedly the most dangerous trio in the room. “Can I ask why Thor gets out of this…”

Just then, the building shook, the unmistakable rumbling and light display signifying the bifrost had just hit the roof.  “..Scratch that.”

Nat turned on the television and squished in next to Clint. Vision and Wanda snuggled down into the beanbags. Thor burst into the room a few minutes later, placing Mjolnir onto the countertop.

“I haven’t missed it, have I?”

He took the final space next to Bruce, who passed over the bowl of popcorn.

“It’s the flag parade, apparently.”

The blonde god leant forward, arms resting on his knees.

“Ooo. I know this one! That’s Norway. I like them.”

Bruce smiled and elbowed his friend.

“Of course you do, they still treat you like a god.”

Across the room, Steve leant over to Bucky to whisper in his ear.

“Can I ask, if this is a European competition, why are Australia taking part?”

“Because they love how camp it is, and asked if they could join in.”

“I’m going to be confused during this whole thing, aren’t I?”

“Uh-huh…” Bucky threw some M & Ms up in the air, catching them in his mouth.

Back on the central sofa, Nat started to bounce slightly.

“Here we go! Prepare to be amazed…”

For the next 2.5 hrs the team sat, glued to the television, all manner of emotions running through them as they watched the eclectic musical display.

“Am I missing something,” asked Sam. “Why are they singing about Edgar Allen Poe?”

Bucky shrugged. “Why not?”

“Okay..?”

Steve nudged Bucky.  

“Buck - what’s she singing?”

“About how her love for her man is driving her crazy, but she doesn’t know if he feels the same.”

“Okay..?”

“My love…”

“Yes, Vis?

“This is an anti-war song, isn’t it?”

“It is, Vis.”

“Okay..?”

“Earth to Sam! Earth to Sam!”

Tony threw a screwed up piece of paper across the room and watched Sam jolt and shake his head as it bounced off.

“What?”

“You seem a bit invested in the Cyprus act there….”

“Fuck off, Tony.”

“Okay..?”

“Nat?”

“Yes, Bruce?”

“I don’t want to be rude, but is there a reason she seems likes she’s dressed like a werewolf?”

“Because it’s Eurovision.”

“Umm…okay..?”

Thor was bouncing in his seat as the Finnish act started.  

“This is more like it!”

Bruce peered at the screen, as though the neon pink and green outfits were starting to give him a migraine.

“But…but what’s it about?”

“Going out drinking!”

“Okay..?”

“Errrrm, Buck…What the hell did I just watch?”

Bucky didn’t even turn his head at Steve’s question.

“Croatia.”

That didn’t really help. All Steve knew was that he’d just seen something he couldn’t unsee.

“Okay..?”

The act from the UK finished and Tony stood up, cracking his neck.

“Well, guys. Thanks for that, I think. But now that’s over…”

“Nope!” Nat reached across Clint, who’d fallen asleep between them, slowly drooling on a cushion, to grab hold of Tony’s t-shirt and pull him back down. “Now it’s the half time show while the voting is done, and then it’s the results. And this year, we can vote from outside Europe. Look, there’s an app and everything.���

Tony blinked slowly in disbelief. “When’s it due to finish?”

“About 7pm.”

“What!” At Tony’s shout Clint sat bolt upright, snorted and sucked up a string of drool. “This thing goes on for 4 hours. Like how?”

“BECAUSE IT’S EUROVISION!” Came the chanted reply, this time with Thor joining in.

“Okay..?”

Tony pulled out his phone and opened the app store with a shrug. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.

“I got $50 on Finland. Who wants in?”

At 7.05pm Tony sat staring at the screen, mouth wide open as the others groaned and started to pass cash towards Bruce.

“What the fuck just happened?”

Bruce smiled and shrugged.

“It’s Eurovision, Tony.”

Tag list: @jobean12-blog @sidepartskinnyjeans @flordeamatista @krissy25 @bodeckersdiamonddoll @goldylions @luxeavenger @wheezy-stucky @doasyoudesireandlive @chemtrails-club @seitmai @peaches1958 @pono-pura-vida @writing-for-marvel

[emmis15]

Bucky Barnes Birthday In The Country

―I never imagined seeing the Winter Soldier, the greatest and deadliest assassin of the last 50 years, wearing a plastic crown at a children's party― I heard a sweet and amused voice behind me.

I was trying to pour myself more vodka juice from the kitchen and taking the opportunity to catch some fresh air outside the circle of Avengers and parents I didn't know, besides small children running around everywhere.

―Neither did I, this wasn't my original plan for my day off― I replied, looking at her with a small smile as I leaned against the sink.

Cass had her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against the door frame, a smile on her face and a glass in her hands.

―I didn't tell you before, but thank you for coming. Lila was very happy to have you here― she said, approaching me slowly with a slight smile.

I sighed with a smile on my face as I listened to her. She had dragged me to a birthday party for Barnes' daughter at the farm, and instead of taking the opportunity to stay alone in the complex reading or listening to quiet music without having to listen to people passing by or arguing, I had knelt before Cass, and now I was at Clint's farm lifting children with my metal arm, wearing a plastic crown on my head.

―I'm sure she was― I sighed, looking down at my feet.

She placed her glass next to mine, and her hands tangled behind my neck with a slight smile. The scent of the perfume I liked was very close to me, almost like a mist on my face, enjoying her smile and the shine of her lips that had nagged me so much to drive slowly below the speed limit.

―Thank you, really. I promise I'll make it up to you― she whispered against my lips, looking into my eyes.

―It's not necessary. I'm just tired and needed a breather― I said, my hands reaching for her waist, feeling her skin goosebumps as she felt my cold metal arm.

―¿Do you want me to leave you alone?― she asked, uncertainty in her eyes.

―No, I never want to be alone if I can be with you for a moment. I just want to be here for a few minutes― I said, looking at her with a slight smile before giving her a small kiss.

She stayed looking at me with a small smile, and I don't know what she was looking at, but I really believe I had the best view. The sunset light hit her face through the window of the house, giving her such a homely and tranquil view that the idea of going somewhere just the two of us reappeared in my mind.

Having a house and living hidden from life, just the two of us quietly leaving behind the Avengers, Hydra, superheroes, or the society on our shoulders, staying in the quietest place in the world alone with our house.

―I would like to have something like that― I whispered, looking into her eyes while playing with her hair.

―¿A children's party or more time together?― she asked, confused.

―A house far from everyone and everything, just the two of us, letting ourselves be carried away by time.

―It would be nice to have some alone moments on a farm and the American dream.

She gave me a small smile, joining her left hand with my metal hand as she reached for a jug of juice since she couldn't drink alcohol due to medication.

―Not just a moment, a lifetime, in secret, and sometimes having missions, but instead of staying in the complex waiting for the next mission or training useless people to waste time, both of us sharing hobbies together without hiding― my flesh hand touched her chin to make her look into my eyes.

―We can't even let my father see us less than 40 meters apart, and you want me to pack my things and go to a house in the countryside? It's very nice, Buck, really, it sounds like something we could really live someday, but it's very difficult. I need medical attention all the time, and I'm always with my father― she said with a sad face, and I looked at the floor.

I let go of her chin to touch the star on her chest. I could see the faint red light coming from inside her chest, her body full of cables and constantly receiving medical attention and medication. It was a reality for her that even though we both wanted to show ourselves, we couldn't, and it would be very unfair, in addition to the increased life risks for her if we separated so much from the complex.

And then there was her father, Tony hated me, and although indirectly Cass tried to make him stop hating me, she only managed to make his sarcastic comments about my past in Hydra, giving me nicknames for my arms, and trying to leave the subject behind or hidden under the rug, but not much more. If he were to find out that I am with his daughter, the least he would do would be to banish me from the Avengers and the complex.

―¿Why is everything with us so difficult?

―Because it shows how strong we are― she touched my chin with the tips of her fingers. ―But I'm aware that the whole situation surrounding us sucks.

―Just a place where we both can be, where we can see each other and just be without the fear on our shoulders.

―We can create moments, we can do things to have a normal life within the parameters, but the idea of a house in the countryside or living alone together is very unlikely― she gave me a sad and melancholic smile, and it hurt my soul to know that as long as we were together, we would live in the shackles of Hydra, my past, and her father.

―I love you― I whispered as I carefully ran my fingers through her hair, looking down at her.

―I love you too― she whispered back with a smile, showing her teeth.

We heard the sound of a conversation nearby, so we quickly separated, me leaning against the countertop and her looking into the fridge with feigned doubt.

―¿What were you doing? Your father is looking for you― Lauren's voice broke the awkward silence.

She looked at us for a moment with a raised eyebrow before walking over to Cass and taking out the birthday cake.

―Tell him I'm coming now― she said tiredly, sighing.

―¿What were you doing?― Lauren asked.

―I was looking for something that doesn't have alcohol but also doesn't have too much sugar. Your husband said there was only orange juice in the fridge― she poured some of the orange liquid.

―¿And your sergeant?

―He needed some time away from sticky hands and loud songs― she sighed, looking at the floor.

She looked at us with a raised eyebrow before tilting her head, ready to leave.

―I don't need you to answer because you'll deny it, especially you, Cassady, but I know you two are up to something, I see it and feel it in the air, but the situation is difficult from what Clint told me, so I won't say anything, and you better both be there for the family photo― she sounded stern as she walked away with the white cake box.

We stayed silent without looking at each other before hearing her laugh.

―¿You wanted a normal couple life? There you have Lauren laughing at us and mocking because we can't hide anything― she said with a smile as she started walking back outside.

[justforbooks]

In the childhood memories of more than one generation, Glynis Johns, who has died aged 100, will be best remembered as the Edwardian materfamilias of the hugely popular Walt Disney musical Mary Poppins (1964). Winifred Banks, married to David Tomlinson’s George W Banks, is the mother of Jane and Michael, the children in the care of the magical nanny played by Julie Andrews. A protester for the right to vote, Winifred delivers a spirited rendition of the song Sister Suffragette – “Our daughters’ daughters will adore us. And they’ll sing in grateful chorus: ‘Well done, Sister Suffragette!’” – as the children’s previous nanny tries to quit.

But the husky-voiced actor had other claims to fame from her more than 60 films and 30 stage productions. In 1973, Stephen Sondheim composed the song Send in the Clowns for Johns when she was cast in the leading role of the premiere production of his musical A Little Night Music, on Broadway. And she had won initial stardom in the British cinema as a mermaid.

In the title role of the film comedy Miranda (1948), she travels from Cornwall to London and causes romantic complications among the Chelsea set. Although the film’s whimsy may now seem strained, it was a great commercial success in its day, making Johns a top-liner in British movies. Miranda returned in a rather belated sequel, Mad About Men (1954).

By that time, Johns had moved almost completely from stage to films, where she was associated chiefly with lightweight roles, alternately fluffy and feisty. One of her most appealing opportunities came in the thriller State Secret (1950, released as The Great Manhunt in the US), playing a cabaret artiste in a fictitious Balkan country, and gamely singing Paper Doll in a wholly invented language.

It says something for her properties of youthfulness that at the age of 30 she could play a teenage schoolgirl in the melodrama Personal Affair (1953). The same year she played in two fanciful Walt Disney British productions, as Mary Tudor in The Sword and the Rose, and as the heroine wife of Rob Roy, and she went on to make her first Hollywood picture, the Danny Kaye comedy The Court Jester, in 1955. The following year she played a cameo role in the star-studded Around the World in 80 Days.

At the time Johns alternated between American and British films, generally in subordinate roles, but a rewarding one came in The Sundowners (1960), set in Australia, as a jolly barmaid who takes a shine to a visiting Englishman played by Peter Ustinov. It brought her an Oscar nomination as best supporting actress. Top billing came in a stylish horror movie, The Cabinet of Caligari (1962). She was well enough known to American audiences by this time to star in 1963 in Glynis, a TV sitcom series that ran for just one season.

In 1966 Johns returned to the London stage in The King’s Mare, as Anne of Cleves to Keith Michell’s Henry VIII. Her Welsh heritage came into play when she took the role of Myfanwy Price in a screen version of Dylan Thomas’s Under Milk Wood (1971) starring Richard Burton, Elizabeth Taylor and Peter O’Toole, and two years later came her great Broadway success as Desiree Armfeldt in A Little Night Music, which brought her a Tony award.

Glynis came from a show business background: her mother, Alice Steele (nee Wareham), was a concert pianist who performed under the name Alys Steele-Payne, and her father was the prolific character actor Mervyn Johns. He was a stalwart in particular of Ealing Studios films: father and daughter appeared together in an Ealing drama, The Halfway House (1944).

Though her vocal intonations pointed to her Welshness, Glynis was born in Pretoria, South Africa, where her parents were on tour. She was reportedly carried on to the stage at the age of three weeks, and it was not too much longer before she was appearing there in a professional capacity, making her performing debut at the Garrick theatre, London, as a dancer in a revue called Buckie’s Bears (1935).

Educated at Clifton high school, Bristol, and South Hampstead high school and the Cone School of Dancing in London, she rapidly graduated to juvenile acting roles in both theatre and cinema. Her first screen appearance came at the age of 14, as politician Ralph Richardson’s troublesome daughter in South Riding (1938), and on stage she was the young sister, another Miranda, in Esther McCracken’s comedies Quiet Wedding (1938) and Quiet Weekend (1941).

That year brought the opportunity to appear in the film 49th Parallel, starring Leslie Howard and Laurence Olivier in a spy thriller intended to bolster second world war support in the US. When the prospect of playing a mermaid came after the war, she was able to draw on her theatrical versatility: “I was quite an athlete, my muscles were strong from dancing, so the tail was just fine. I swam like a porpoise.”

Johns returned to the London stage in 1977, as Terence Rattigan’s choice to play the murderer Alma Rattenbury in his well-received dramatisation of the Rattenbury case, Cause Célèbre. Her acting appearances became sporadic, though in 1989 she starred with Rex Harrison and Stewart Granger on Broadway in Somerset Maugham’s The Circle.

She was occasionally a guest star in US television series such as Murder She Wrote and The Love Boat, and played Diane’s rich mother, Helen Chambers, in the first series of Cheers (1983) and Trudie Pepper in the sitcom Coming of Age (1988-89). By the time of her final films, While You Were Sleeping (1995) and Superstar (1999), she was a characterful grandmother.

Johns was married and divorced four times. Her first husband, from 1942 to 1948, was the actor Anthony Forwood. Their son, Gareth, also an actor, died in 2007. Marriages to two businessmen followed: David Foster, from 1952 to 1956, and Cecil Henderson, from 1960 to 1962. She was married to Elliott Arnold, a novelist, from 1964 to 1973, and is survived by a grandson and three great-grandchildren.

🔔 Glynis Margaret Payne Johns, actor, born 5 October 1923; died 4 January 2024

Daily inspiration. Discover more photos at Just for Books…?

[imaginedreamwrite]

I feel like this is Thick thighs save lives. One of the boys decorated the horse stall to replicate city lights so she feels at home and has music playing and they connect a little more.

Ari, Steve & Bucky wished it was easier to keep you distracted and away from the ranch. Having Hal take you to town and spoil you for the day wasn’t as easy as they had anticipated, not since you’d confessed to feeling torn between the buzz of the city and the lights that captivated you, and the peaceful quiet lull of a country night.

They were trying to sway you to the quietude of the ranch and the homeliness of the country. They were trying to sway you to stay with them in the peaceful atmosphere, selfishly of course, and had made a ploy to win you over with a barnyard dance. It was an effort they knew they wouldn’t be wasted, whether you went back to the city or stayed in their small ranching town they would give you the world.

“They’re on the way.” Bucky stepped into the barn, watching the last Edison light being hooked before he stepped in front of Steve to straighten his hat. “Hal said little miss city girl is antsy.”

“She’s being torn in two different directions. Does she stay in the city and go long distance or stay here?” Ari surmised, sympathizing with you and your inner turmoil. “We all know what we want-“

“I want her to be happy, Ari. Whether that’s here-” Steve was silenced by a knock on the barn wall, the sound setting him in his place by the side before the quickened tug sent the door opening.

“Hal I just want-“

“-to dance?” Hal’s hand slid down, resting upon your lower back. “In a barn?”

You turned your head, eyes growing twice in size as you looked around the magnificent barn. It was transformed into a wonderland, a breathtaking world of romance with synthesized starlit roof. It was nothing like you had ever seen before and the first few steps you’d taken had felt like you were walking on air.

You moved forward and stopped, a bright smile on your face as you studied the world around you. You didn’t understand why Hal was so insistent on taking you off the property and keeping you in town, but now you knew.

“You did this for me?” Your question was soft as you reached for Ari, hand resting upon his chest. “You all did this for me?”

A song began to play in the background and a pair of hands rest on your hips. Your eyes fluttered closed as you and your cowboy began to sway, soon joined by another who had held your hands and trapped you between their bodies.

You were transported, taken away from the dusty barn floor to the clutch of stars that were going to have a hold on you. You were in a place so close to heaven it made you feel otherworldly.

“Whatever you decide,” a hand clutched your chin and tilted your gaze to his own, “we’re here for you. Wherever you go, we go.”

Remember when…

“How can I possibly leave you?” You leaned in, your lips brushing against his. “I can’t…not a single city in this whole world could be better than this barn.”

“You’ll stay?” Steve whispered in your ear, switching off with another. “Here? With us?”

“Every day for the rest of my life…” you leaned, resting your forehead against his chest.

“Sounds like marriage vows, city girl. Are you wanting to marry us, sweet omega?” Hal teased, drawing a hand down your back.

“If you’ll have me.”

[iam93percentstardust]

Electric Touch

I finally wrote something for @lightsonparkave! Written for this prompt, you can find this fic on ao3 here (and a brief preview below)

~

Breakups are hard enough on their own, but they’re even worse when your best friend won’t let you cope in your preferred way.

“Bucky, I don’t want a vacation,” Steve says, trying to sound patient and not like he’s growling.

Bucky nods like he understands, which he clearly doesn’t or they wouldn’t still be having this conversation two months after he first brought it up. “I know you keep saying that, and I hear ya, I really do. But I think you’re not hearing me, pal. I’m not saying you want a vacation, I’m saying you need one.”

Steve loses the battle with his growl. “Bucky—”

“Steve. Listen to me. When’s the last time you went out on a Friday night? Forget going to the bar or anywhere you might meet someone—when’s the last time you went to the movies? Or out to Coney Island? For that matter, when’s the last time you left this office? I know you’ve got a bed in that private office back there, and Natasha tells me you’re still here when she leaves every night and here when she gets here in the morning. Steve, she’s one of the first people in the office, so what are you doing getting here so early? Are you sleeping in there? That’s it exactly, isn’t it? You’re sleeping inside your office, and that’s just another whole level of sad.”

“I’m not sleeping in my office,” Steve snarls, but he is and Bucky absolutely knows it going by his judgmental scowl.

“Really? So if I went downstairs and pulled the security logs…”

“Fine! So I’m sleeping here. Who cares?”

“I care, Steve. It’s been six months since Peggy left, and you’re a fucking wreck!”

“Star Designs has had its most successful quarter since—”

“I don’t give a fuck about the company. I care about you. You might have the board fooled with your expensive suits and fancy hair, but I see right past that to the kid from Brooklyn, and I’m telling you, you’re floundering. What’s going on?”

“What do you think?” Steve snaps, dropping heavily into the ergonomic chair behind his desk. He doesn’t drop his head into his hands but that’s only because that seems a little too melodramatic. He’s the CEO and founder of the biggest advertisement and marketing company in the country. He is not a high schooler experiencing their first breakup on prom night.

“She hasn’t been by to pick her stuff up yet,” he says quieter. And I can’t bear to go back home and see her sheet music and clothes and programs from her concerts, he doesn’t add.

Bucky blinks at him. “So?”

“What do you mean so?”

“So text her, tell her she’s got another week to pick up her shit, and then hire a moving company, but stop letting her push you out of your own goddamn apartment.”

“I can’t do that! Most of those are from her shows. They mean something to her.”

“Well, they can’t mean that much if she’s left them there for the last six months,” Bucky points out reasonably. But the idea of just throwing them out makes him want to shudder. His dad used to throw his mom’s things out every time she did something he didn’t like. Eventually she stopped doing them, but by that point, she wasn’t really Steve’s mom anymore, just an empty husk.

Maybe Bucky remembers that because his face softens just a touch. “Look, take the week off. Take the vacation that Natasha booked for you. I’ll handle getting Peggy’s things out of the apartment, and when you come back, promise me you’ll stop sleeping in your office. You’re thirty-two years old Steve. Stop acting like you’re ninety.”

Steve sighs. He still doesn’t want to, but maybe Bucky is right. Maybe he’s been pushing everyone—and himself especially—too hard so that he doesn’t have to think about Peggy. It’s been hard enough trying to get used to sleeping alone again, but maybe he should stop trying in his cold office and get used to the warm sunlight on his face waking him up in the morning in his east-facing apartment instead of his alarm in his windowless private office.

“Fine,” he agrees.

“Yes!” Bucky exclaims, pumping his fist in the air. He’s not even a little bit subtle about it, and Steve can’t help the chuckle that escapes him.

“But only for a week,” Steve adds.

[bookgeekgrrl]

My media this week (7-13 Jul 2024)

📚 STUFF I READ 📚

😊Lessons & Love (Marie Reynard) - short story; widowed single dad getting together with the bear shifter who's mentoring/training his bear shifter son; short but cute

🥰 Five Star Review (Marie Reynard) - 25K novella set in the MateHub universe - "best friends to lovers, roommates to mates novella featuring two geeky astronomy majors, some very realistic merchandise, years of pining, a lot of astrophysics homework, and knotting" - enjoyable, I am having a lot of fun in this universe

😍 Green Feet and Lightning (One-EyedBossman (desert000rose), SecretFandomStories) - 44K, Stucky modern D/s AU - Part 12 of the Differently Okay Local Idiots series - the guys get a lovely, soft morning at home, Steve runs a race, Bucky meets the (overprotective) best friend and they take care of each other. Beyond thrilled to have a new installment of one of my fave series to start out this week! UGH I love these versions of them so much!!!

😊 Share Your Address (Lolo (TheLittleLo)) - 60K Kaysanova modern college AU - Joe & Nicky (reluctantly) get set up by their friends but then pretty quickly find they aren't mad about it.

💖💖 +201K of shorter fic so shout out to these I really loved 💖💖

chrysalis (liadan14) - The Old Guard: Kaysanova, 38K - a wonderful fic told in 2 time periods: one where they've been together for 8 years & have to deal with a death in Nicky's estranged family and one where they are getting together & Nicky is learning to cook for Joe

Buck gets F**ked series (erstwhiled) - 9-1-1: mostly BuckTommy, last one Buck/Tommy/Eddie, 31K - to quote the author: "What it says on the tin!" Super hot sex & more tenderness & emotion than you might expect. big win for fisting & DP fans, A+++ all the way around.

baby, if you think you're able (you need to take this rough medicine) (jay (tofupofu)) - 9-1-1: BuckTommy, 6K - the 9-1-1 bucktommy writers are really hitting it out of the park with the daddy kink

📺 STUFF I WATCHED 📺

McDonald & Dodds - s1, e1

Taskmaster - s4, e1-3

Thousandaires - s1, e4

D20: Never Stop Blowing Up - "The Deluxe Royale" (s22, e3)

D20: Adventuring Party - "Boongo" (s17, e3)

🎧 PODCASTS 🎧

NPR's Book of the Day - In 'Do I Know You?,' a science reporter tackles her own face blindness

⭐ Decoder Ring - Stuffed Animals Gone Wild

Wild Card - The light and dark of Ted Danson

What Next: TBD - The Blu-Ray-naissance Is Here. Sort of.

⭐ Here & Now Anytime - Red, white and purple: 40 years of Prince's 'Purple Rain'

⭐ Today, Explained - Why “Country Roads” feels like home

Ologies - Disability Sociology (DISABILITY PRIDE) with Guinevere Chambers

Storylines - The great baby last name debate

Re: Dracula - July 8: Method in His Madness

Art of History - J.C. Leyendecker: The Making of American Manhood

The Sporkful - Searching For The Donut King

⭐ All Songs Considered - 'Born In The U.S.A.' at 40

⭐ Death, Sex & Money - Sex Parties and Shakespeare With Carvell Wallace

Switched on Pop - Lawrence: the eight-piece family band reshaping the music business

The Fandom Show - Muppets

Vibe Check - Give Us the Wheel!

⭐ It's Been a Minute - Mavis Staples on Prince, MLK and a life onstage

WikiHole - Little Shop of Horrors (with Ben Platt, Noah Galvin and Katie Silberman)

The Atlas Obscura Podcast - A Walk Through Sandwich History with Barry Enderwick

You're Dead to Me - Printing in England

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Three great sports documentaries

Throughline - The Roots of Poverty in America

⭐ Wild Card - Nikki Giovanni doesn't think about her legacy

Wild Card - Ted Danson's journey to adulthood + Nikki Giovanni's defense of marriage

Ologies - Psychedeliology (HALLUCINOGENS) Part 1 with Charles Grob

Shedunnit - Death at the Speakeasy

It's Been a Minute - 'Hawk tuah,' the Zynternet, & the bro-vote; plus, cowboys are having a moment

NPR's Book of the Day - Two books dive into the musical histories of The Police and Joni Mitchell

Dear Prudence - My BFF Bullied Her Husband Into Allowing Her to Sleep With Other Men. Help!

Dear Prudence - Prudie Plus: I Found Dating Apps In My Wife’s Phone. Help!

Endless Thread - How to Fight a Shark

⭐ Storylines - Missing in Action: the decades-long effort to get stunt workers their Oscar due

Pop Culture Happy Hour - Fly Me to the Moon and what's making us happy

Today, Explained - The song of the summer is DEAD

99% Invisible - As Slow As Possible

Wait Wait… Don't Tell Me! - Sam Sanders & Zach Stafford

You're Dead to Me - Mary Anning

🎶 MUSIC 🎶

'60s Folk Rock

Chappell Roan

Lawrence

Nitzer Ebb Radio • Pump-up

Revolting Cocks Radio

Iron Maiden Radio • Hard rock

[midnightswithdearkatytspb]

MidnightsWithDearKatyTSPB's Masterlist 03/02/2023

Peaky Blinders

Series:

In This Heart >> Tommy Shelby x OFC!Estella Holland - Summary: Two souls, forever bound in the multiverse. 

Ted Lasso (Coming Soon...)

Drabbles:

I'm Falling Too (coming soon)

Chris Evans

One-Shots:

Never Just A Kill >> Chris Evans x Teacher!Reader - Summary: Chris really just wants a kiss but honestly the reader knows better, a kiss is never just a kiss.

His Favorite Day >> Chris Evans x Reader - Summary: Chris’s favorite day of the year is your birthday.

Steve Rogers

One-Shots:

Can I Have This Dance? >> Steve Rogers x Reader - Summary: 4 times the reader asked Steve to dance with her and one time Steve her.

You've Been Everything >> Steve Rogers x OFC!Orchid Black - Summary: They haven’t shared a bed in months, the snap has changed them both. There is no one to blame.

Blurbs:

I'll Stand By You >> Steve Rogers x Reader - Summary: Steve Rogers will never leave you, no matter how dark your past is.

Series:

It Takes A Village >> Steve Rogers x Reader - Summary: The saying "it takes a village to raise a child," never rang more true. (coming soon.../TBA)

Bucky Barnes

One-Shots:

Take On Me >> MusicProducer!Bucky Barnes x Female!Reader - Summary:  Reader gets asked what is the most romantic thing she could dream of Bucky doing for them, Bucky pulls out all the stops with the help of their friends.

Maybe 107 It's So Bad >> Bucky Barnes x Reader - Summary: It’s Bucky’s birthday and the gangs all here to throw him a party but the thing is he’s just not that into it. That is till the reader gives him his birthday gift. 

I Hear A Symphony >> Bucky Barnes x Mutant!Reader - REQUESTED -- Summary: Reader plays an important song to her for Bucky. 

Everything's Gonna Be Alright >> Bucky Barnes x OFC!Stark - Summary: Bruce snaps everyone back into existence and Thanos is gone. 5 years have passed and many things have changed for Remedy Stark, she’s an older sister, her dads gotten married to her mother figure and she isn’t sure where she fits in it all.

Drabbles:

Oven Mitts >> Mafia!Bucky x Reader — Summary: Bucky just wanted to surprise his wife with a cooked meal for being amazing.

Series:

The Spark >> CountryMusicStar!Bucky Barnes x CountryMusicStar!OFC Sparrow Lake — Summary: What do you do when the man who holds your career comes to you with an ultimatum that not only affects you but the lives around you? That is what is happening for Sparrow Lake, she thought she would start 2020 with just her close friends and family, but when Tony Stark shows up at her family’s Smokey Mountain home with fellow country star Bucky Barnes and their manager, that was not going to happen. (To Be Rewritten...)

Sebastian Stan

Better Than This (Sebastian Stan x Muscian!Reader [Mini-Series/Hiatus]

Better Than This: The Precipice [1/?] » Sebastian Stan x Reader - Drabble — Summary: Sebastian wakes to find his girlfriend missing in bed and hears music; he knows she playing music, but the story it’s telling is a sad one.

Better Than This: Another Day in Paradise [2/?] » Sebastian Stan x Reader - Drabble — Summary: Y/N, with the help of Mary, throws Sebastian a wonderful birthday Italian feast. After everyone has gone home with the assurance of Mary, he decides to just tell Y/N how much she means to him.

Better Than This: Forever & For Always [3/?] » Sebastian Stan x Reader - Drabble — At Y/N Grandmother’s birthday party, Sebastian has an extra birthday gift and the whole family, but Y/N is in on it.

Better Than This: You Song [4/?] » Sebastian Stan x Reader - Drabble — It’s a pretty rough time of the year for siblings Y/N and Bey, but they have an amazing support system who do everything they can to make them happy. Even if it sometimes includes random musical moments and tap-dancing shoes.

MORE COMING SOON...

I TAKE REQUEST...

2021 Recomendation List

[dimeurz]

hiii i'm here to send a lyric prompt!

"You know I'd leave any party for you / Cause no party's so sweet as a party of two"

“Shouldn’t Captain America be mingling inside with the guests? A lot of ladies are looking for you.”

Bucky’s voice slices through the thoughts of Sam as he sits on a marble bench under a gazebo. He turns his head to Bucky with a scoff of a chuckle.

Sam was invited to tonight’s state dinner with the president of Keraadistan. He didn’t really anticipate the letter in the mail, but hey, he’s Captain America. He doubted that Thaddeus Ross would pass up an opportunity to look good in front of another country leader despite the bad blood between them. He wasn’t surprised that Ross’s Thunderbolts were here too, though.

“Yeah, well.” Sam shrugs, looking up the sky. The stars are quite visible tonight, and the September chill is just right. “I thought US Agent was enjoying himself with the guests. He’s quite popular back there.”

“He’s enjoying it way too much. The guests, not really.” Bucky smiles as he stares at how Sam’s lashes naturally curl to his lid, his brown eyes as dark as the night. There’s a sparkle reflected on them from the nearby lamp, and it looks like he caught the stars inside his irises. “You coming back soon? The dance just started.”

Sam finally looks at Bucky, and somehow it makes Bucky blush. Thank god it’s not that bright, otherwise Bucky would’ve had to look away. “Is that why you came for me out here? To ask me to dance?”

Bucky shrugs to play it cool, keeping his hands buried in his pockets. He laughs. “There’s people inside that would love to dance with you.”

“Mm.” Sam hums, holding the eye contact. He sounded a little disappointed, just a tad, then he turns his focus back up to the stars.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Bucky slightly and nervously moves from where he’s standing. He looks back to the White House, its windows illuminated while shadows of people danced across. He then drifts his gaze to the grassy ground, his newly-shined loafers he bought just for this event, then back to Sam who looks painfully pretty in his tuxedo.

Bucky quietly mutters a song, his voice shaky and bashful. “Stars shining bright above you, night breezes seem to whisper ‘I love you’.”

With a tiny jolt of surprise, Sam turns back to Bucky. Bucky extends his metal hand towards Sam, his eyebrows gently raised. Both of them don’t say a word just yet, and Sam lets the offer linger in the air for a minute before reaching for Bucky’s hand and standing up. Bucky pulls him closer and finally takes his other hand out of his pocket to place it on Sam’s back. He starts swaying the both of them, dancing cheek to cheek to nothing but each other’s heartbeats.

Bucky starts singing the rest of Dream A Little Dream Of Me to Sam’s ear, soft and whispering as if the song itself is only meant for him. Sam would often tease Bucky about his taste in music, but he admits to himself that this is something straight out of a romantic movie Sarah would force him to watch when they were teenagers. He never found the appeal of them, but now he does. He now knows the feeling of butterflies in the stomach, the exhilarating intwining of hands as they dance. Bucky sounds like he’s so embarrassed, chuckling in between some lines to fill the awkwardness, though Sam finds it endearing.

“We should do this more often.” Sam says lowly, leaning his head on Bucky’s temple with a small smile.

“Do what?” Bucky asks; the question sounds stupid but he doesn’t know if it’s the dancing or the fact that they look like fools swaying to nothing.

“Act like we’re in love.” Sam answers. “Because I am. With you.”

Bucky’s heart skips a beat as he stares wide-eyed at the garden ahead of him, allowing Sam’s words to sink in. He wants to say God, Sam, me too, but he couldn’t even speak at the revelation. Instead, he pulls Sam closer, hiding his reddened face in the crook of Sam’s neck. He hums and nods bashfully, making Sam grin.

send me lyrics as prompt for a little sambucky fic :)

[mysticstarlightduck]

Happy STS! 💕

Sorry for the late ask, I've actually been writing all day and I genuinely thought it was still Friday until I checked my inbox!!

If you could have one of your own characters meet another fictional character of a writer of your choice (this can include mutuals!), who would you choose and how do you imagine their interaction would go?

Hello! Thank you so much for the Ask!

I am terribly sorry for the very late answer, I have been catching up on a lot of my writing in the last few days, as it is a local holiday here in my country, and only now was I able to answer your ask, as I wanted to answer it properly.

It is a very interesting question!

I will choose some of my favorite characters from my favorite books and movies that I think my own characters would love to meet in person, but I might mention some of my mutual's characters too.

RAELEN ASHIREN: I think that Raelen would love to meet Arya Stark (Game of Thrones), Hiccup Haddock (How to Train Your Dragon), Toph Beifong (Avatar The Last Airbender), Alucard (Castlevania), Merida (Brave), Sam Winchester (Supernatural), Esmeralda (The Hunchback Of Notre Dame) and Tulio (Road to El Dorado)

AZRA MOORSWORTH: I think that Azra would love to meet, and would likely become good friends with: Lo'ak (Avatar 2: The Way of Water), Richard Grayson/Nightwing (Titans from DC Comics), Kili (The Hobbit), Jim Hawkings (Treasure Planet) and Apollo (The Trials of Apollo). Another character that I think reminds me of him is Palem from one of my Mutual's works (head to @lassiesandiego to check this character out!).

JULYAN ASHIREN: I think that Julyan would love to meet Dean Winchester (Supernatural), Hector (Castlevania), Prince Caspian (Chronicles of Narnia), Mako (Legend of Korra), Robb Stark (Game of Thrones), Runaan (The Dragon Prince), Shiro (Voltron: Legendary Defender) and Violet (Arcane).

BRYN SEPERI: In my opinion, Bryn would like to meet (even if that interaction would probably end with someone getting stabbed): Kaz Brekker (Shadow and Bone), Theon Greyjoy (Game of Thrones), Trevor Belmont (Castlevania), Murtagh (Eragon: The Inheritance Cycle), Nico Di Angelo (Percy Jackson Books), Nanashi (Sword of The Stranger), Morgana Pendragon (Merlin) and Geralt of Rivia (The Witcher).

NYX FAESTORM: I think Nyx would like to meet Legolas (Lord of The Rings), Jaskier (The Witcher), Vax'ildan (Legend of Vox Machina), Jesper Fahey (Shadow and Bone), Vignette (Carnival Row), Julian Devorak (The Arcana), and Jack Sparrow (Pirates of the Caribbean)

VALLERIUS ZYNDROSAR: Vall would definitely like to meet and talk to characters like: Edmund Pevensie (Chronicles of Narnia), Jayce Tallis (Arcane), Aleksander Morosova/The Darkling (Shadow and Bone), Will Turner (Pirates of The Caribbean), Callum (The Dragon Prince), James Kirk (Star Trek), and Enjolras (Les Miserables).

TANWIN LYRANDETH: I think the characters he would like to meet would be Lotor (Voltron), Bucky Barnes (Captain America: Winter Soldier), Tauriel (The Hobbit), Loki (Thor and Avenger Movies), Tim Drake (DC Comics), and Odysseus (Epic The Musical and the original Odyssey).

(and last but not least for this ask)

ELLINOR DALLANTES: She would like to meet Ciri (The Wicher), King Ezran (The Dragon Prince), Fa Mulan (Mulan), Percy De Rolo (Legend of Vox Machina), Susan Pevensie (Chronicles of Narnia), Jaqen H'ghar (Game of Thrones), Elizabeth Swann (Pirates of The Caribbean), and, Lancelot (King Arthur, especially the 2004 movie) Leia Organa (Star Wars).

I choose these characters because I think that their personalities would match enough for them to have an interesting interaction, as they could discuss similar worldviews and struggles, though they would quite possibly generate far too much chaos together lol.

[themculibrary]

Bucky And Wanda (WinterWitch) Masterlist

All the Stars are There Before Us (ao3) - myadamantiumheart M, 34k

Summary: If you give a kid some sprinkles, he’s gonna want a cherry on top. If you give a Bucky a smile, he’s gonna want to kiss you. That is, if you’re Wanda Maximoff, frozen yogurt entrepreneur and resident (neither confirmed nor denied) witch.

In which Wanda and Pietro have a froyo shop and a cat, Bucky has a really cute kid, and everyone else is hell bent on getting them together.

Built This House (ao3) - myracingthoughts G, 

Summary: Neither of them would have thought they’d go for all-out country life, but somewhere between the constant threat of gunfire, the continuous rumbling of the metro, and the not-so-quiet hum of QuinJets, they’d come to appreciate the value of silence. And distance.

Destiny May Keep You Warm (ao3) - MarshmallowNerd T, 9k

Summary: While helping Steve's team of rogue Avengers, Bucky finds himself stranded on a cold mountainside once again. This time, though, he has his favorite witch with him to keep him warm.

For My One and Only (ao3) - MarshmallowNerd E, 15k

Summary: The hidden White Wolf of Wakanda is finally ready to re-enter the rest of the world. And his first mission is to find the little witch who first helped him regain control of his own mind.

I Need You (ao3) - myracingthoughts M, 4k

Summary: Wanda barely looked up at him, face grey and still smudged with soot.

Her forearm against the doorframe was the only thing keeping her upright from the looks of it, her other arm cradling her ribs. Bucky wasn’t sure if he noticed the bruising around her eyes first or the shoddily done bandages that were clearly rushed in the field and not done by the medical staff at the Tower.

What the hell happened?

In the Absence of Light (ao3) - MarshmallowNerd T, 8k

Summary: In moments of darkness, it is not help or consolation she seeks. Only love.

i want to love you (but i don't know how) (ao3) - leothelioness333 T, 14k

Summary: Bucky is healing. Wanda helps.

Long Story Short, I Survived (ao3) - myracingthoughts T, 2k

Summary: “C’mon, sweetheart,” James offered in a low voice, pulling her into his side. “Let’s get us some sleep, yeah?”

He could feel the way her hands shook tucked against him, fingers burying themselves into his sweater as they wove through the facility and towards their apartment.

The silence as they navigated the complex was deafening; it was like he could hear her bracing for impact.

Season of the Lion and Wolf (ao3) - MarshmallowNerd M, 239k

Summary: Tensions arise within the Avengers team in the events that follow two of Hydra's greatest assets meeting in the world outside both heroes and villains.

The Experience of Survival (ao3) - MarshmallowNerd T, 9k

Summary: The aftermath of an alien invasion and the near end of the world is tough enough for the mind. For a tired soldier who can’t trust his own mind most days anyways, it’s a little tougher. Nights in particular are when he needs an extra reminder of what is dream versus what was reality.

The Sound Of You And Me (ao3) - myracingthoughts M, 92k

Summary: Wanda Maximoff never thought she’d be standing in this line. The one that put her one step closer to a stage —one of the biggest in the world, in fact— as she auditioned for the musical television showdown that was Instant Star.

So, imagine her surprise when she gets paired with one James Barnes as her on-screen mentor. The one mentor she’s honestly never heard of before.

And with his attitude, Wanda kind of wished she could have kept it that way.

The Winter Soldier and the Scarlet Witch, or Five Conversations between Bucky Barnes and Wanda Maximoff (ao3) - royalblue31 N/R, 8k

Summary: It started with a question, Wilson's question: "We looked everywhere for you, but we never came close," Wilson said. "Where the hell were you?"

this, i promise you (ao3) - chalantness T, 13k

Summary: Collection of prompt fills from a completed "the way you said, 'I love you' " meme on tumblr.

Where the Clouds are Far Behind (ao3) - themarshmallownerd G, 5k

Summary: He once likened coming home to her to the first time using a colored television set. Once you discover the wonder of it, you never want to go back to the loneliness of black and white.

you came back as the underdog - buries E, 119

Summary: After the events of Westview, Wanda’s content to isolate herself away from the rest of the world in Sokovia. Unfortunately for her, Bucky has other plans.

[escaping-to-fiction]

AU fic idea - clegan reincarnation

(This has been sitting untouched in my notes since May)

I am aware that there are a few reincarnation fics floating around on here - very, very good ones at that. But to throw a different spin on it, what about a reincarnation fic where from infancy or very early childhood John and Gale remember each other and their previous life.

(Also, I shouldn't have to add this, but obviously, there wouldn't be any sort of romance between Gale and John when they are children)

This idea is up for grabs, I don't have time to do it justice so if you feel inspired, go for it!

***

If they remember as infants, maybe they don't remember everything at once, i.e. not the war, but they do remember each other. The safety, peace, and love they felt with each other, but as they grow, the memories grow with them.

(Or as John is older, he doesn't remember until he is a toddler when Gale is born, and one (traumatic??) night, the memories of his previous life flood in)

Remembering early means that as babies, they sometimes cry when they miss each other, inconsolable until they hear, see, or smell something that reminds them of each other, and they settle. For example, Gale settles when hearing a baseball game or old time-y jazz music (Blue skies being a favourite), and John settles when he chews on his fingers, hears a deep voice, or smells a familiar cologne...

Maybe mental figments of their older selves "talk" to them in their minds, providing comfort that neither set of parents could ever imagine.

(Not discounting the love that they have for their parents or the love their parents have for them, but sometimes the only thing they want/need is each other)

As they grow they inexplicably find things they have never encountered before fascinating, for example, Gale loves listening to baseball games, he still doesn't care about who wins or wants to play, but listening to commentators ramble on about a game, reminds him so much of John, it feels like home. While Bucky, on the other hand, becomes obsessed with horses, cowboys, and stars.

Once they are old enough to talk and request things from their parents, they beg to go to each other’s state/city, their parents are understandably completely bewildered at their seemingly random requests to travel across the country to places that they have no reason to know anything of. Maybe sometime during their childhood, one set of parents relents, which could lead to Buck and Bucky's "first" meeting.

(When they are little and have few inhibitions, they make reference to each other, with their wider families assuming that they have particularly good imaginations and have created elaborate imaginary friends.)

[reigne-604]

WEEK 9 - Draft Poster Presentation (Left Side Elements)

20 Elements/Objects

1.Baybayin 'Palangga' - Baybayin is a pre-colonial script from the Philippines historically used for writing and communication, it serves as a cultural heritage symbol and source Filipino pride. This reads ‘Palangga’ which translates to ‘Beloved’, one of many nicknames my grandparents have called me since forever.

2. Rosary - Born into a Catholic household, in times of joy and sorrow, the rosary is a constant, offering solace and a profound reminder of our Catholic heritage and the importance of faith in my family’s life.

3. Luggage - Leaving my home country was akin to zipping up that suitcase, a bittersweet moment of closure, with each zip echoing the finality of a chapter’s end and the promise of a new adventure waiting to be unpacked.

4. Goko Film Camera - My film camera is a time capsule for my memories. It brings a unique, deliberate mindfulness to preserving moments in a world of digital convenience. Each click of the shutter captures a piece of my history, it’s a tangible link to my past, preserving my life’s essence in a way no digital device can.

5. Star Bracelet - The star bracelet my mom gave me is a precious keepsake that holds immense significance in my life. It’s not just a piece of jewelry; it’s a symbol of her love and the countless times she’s been there for me, like a guiding star in my journey.

6. Dream Catcher - During my childhood, the dream catcher above my bed was a source of wonder and comfort. I believed in its ability to ward off nightmares and found solace in its delicate twine web and gentle feathers. It was a tangible link between my imagination and the mysterious realm of dreams, a treasured reminder of the power of belief.

7. Three Stars and a Sun - The three iconic shapes in the Philippine flag. My culture and heritage is something I truly am proud of, I cherish my experiences and will always refer to Philippines as my home.

8. Passports - My passport is my humble reminder of being a first gen immigrant. It represents not only my identity but also the hopes and dreams of my family who left their homeland for a new beginning. My passport is a tangible symbol of resilience.

9. Plane Ticket - The thrill of new adventures, diverse cultures, and breathtaking landscapes fills me with a profound sense of joy.

10. Philippine Jeepney - The filipino jeepney has truely been part of my most vivid memories, from falling asleep in it on the way to school to riding it on the way to the airport where I had to part ways from my loved ones to immigrate to NZ.

11. Grandma - Maming has been my number one supporter for as long as I can remember. From the earliest days when she cheered me on at school ceremonies & games to the more recent milestones like graduation and career achievements, her pride in me has never wavered, she has been a guiding light.

12. Headphones -Music is an escape for me, it’s there when I need to focus, cheer up or extinguish my emotions. My Bose Headphones are always with me wherever I go, it feeds into my creativity and helps me visualise my ideas.

13. Fridge Magnets - Being fortunate enough to travel to different countries, growing up in a family full of memory hoarders, we always make sure to buy a fridge magnet suitable to the place where we are to bring souvenir back home.

14. Record Player - In our family, the record player is significant as we come together to share our love for music. It’s not just a source of creativity but a bond that unites us, these are memories that I can cherish forever.

15. Dog Tag - My dog is my best friend, I wouldn’t know what I would do without my Bucky.

16. Journal - A journal is a treasured tool for self-reflection. Its blank pages become a sanctuary for my thoughts, dreams, and emotions, where I can pour out my innermost self.

17. Sea Shell - Being born in an area near the water and still being close to water to this day, I find the ocean as my comfort place especially going to the beach to cool down or to past time. I’ve also grown up to collect shells from beaches that I have visited.

18. Before the coffee gets cold - Written by Toshikazu Kawaguchi, It underscores the importance of seizing the present moment & expressing one’s feelings.

19. Backpack - Backpack is an essential companion, reliably holding all my important essentials close at hand. Beyond its practicality, my backpack symbolizes independence, self-sufficiency, and readiness to tackle whatever challenges come my way.

20. Acoustic Guitar - Coming from a family full of music enthusiasts, I am fortunate enough to own a guitar and learn songs along with compose my own for my own enjoyment. It feeds into my creativity.

[cfsouthernbelles]

(—) ★ spotted!! SAVANNAH PRESTON on the cover of this week’s most recent tabloid! many say that the 32 year old looks like SOPHIA BUSH, but i don’t really see it. while  the SINGER/ACTRESS is known for being OUTGOING my inside sources say that they have a tendency to be RESENTFUL i swear, every time i think of them, i hear the song AIN’T NO DIME by TYRA MADISON  {she/her / female} - penned by SUSHI, 27, FEMALE, SHE/HER (BETTY PRESTON’S WANTED YOUNGEST DAUGHTER CONNECTION)

BASICS

Name: Savannah Noelle Preston Nicknames/Alias: Sav, Savvy Face Claim: Sophia Bush Age: 32 Gender: Female Sexuality: Heterosexual Date/Place of Birth: August 29, 1990 in Nashville, TN Currently: Ojai, CA (2 hour drive outside of LA) Nationality: American Occupation: Singer/Actress

PERSONALITY

Positives/Virtues/Skills: Independent: free from outside control; not depending on another’s authority. Confidence: feeling or showing confidence in oneself; self-assured. Intuitive: using or based on what one feels to be true even without conscious reasoning; instinctive. Endearing: inspiring love or affection. Self-Aware: having conscious knowledge of one’s own character and feelings. Outgoing:  friendly and socially confident.

Flaws/Weaknesses: Stubborn: having or showing dogged determination not to change one’s attitude or position on something, especially in spite of good arguments or reasons to do so. Blunt: uncompromisingly forthright. Opinionated: conceitedly assertive and dogmatic in one’s opinions. Resentful: feeling or expressing bitterness or indignation at having been treated unfairly.

Archetype: Leader: Always knows the best thing to do—and people follow. Rebel/Revelutionary: Stands opposed to the status quo and fights for his cause. Survivor: Pulls through no matter what happens, doesn’t give up.

Likes Favourite colour? Green Favourite foods? Salmon, Chicken (especially fried), Chicken and Dumplings, Fried Pickles, Biscuits and Gravy, Banana Pudding (Literally her favorite thing in the world), Chicken Pot Pie, Corn Nuggets, Sweet Tea, Cornbread, Shrimp and Grits, Seafood Boil with Cajun Seasoning  Favourite music? Country, Pop, Rock Favorite books? Romance Fears: TBD

RELATIONSHIPS

Parents: Unnamed Preston (Father, Country Music Superstar) Bethany “Betty” Preston (Mother, Queen of Country Music/Founder and Owner of Preston Records)

Siblings: Unnamed Preston (Older Sister, Singer, Wanted Connection) Unnamed Preston (Younger Brother, UTP, Wanted Connection)

Children:  Bentley Kenneth Callaway (3-year-old son) Presley Loretta Callaway (3-year-old daughter)

Other family: TBD Pets:  Gypsy- 15 year old Mustang Chief- 21-year-old Thoroughbred Ace- 4-year-old German Shepherd Harley- 1-year-old Border Collie Loki (Orange Tabby), Bucky (Grey Tabby), and Natasha (Calico)- 7-month-old cats Spouse: N/A Current Partner: N/A Ex-Partners: TBD Co-Workers: TBD Co-Stars: Athena Sinclair (Coyote Ugly), Felicity Dupont (Coyote Ugly) Friends: TBD Enemies: TBD

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Build: 5'4", 121 lbs, Curvy muscular build Hair Colour: Dark brown Eye Colour: Green Distinguishing Marks: N/A

Accomplishments: 2 Emmy’s, 4 Grammy’s, 5 CMA’s, 2 AMA’s, 1 CMT Award, 5 PCA’s

Regrets: TBD

Secrets: She’s trying to break away from her family and do her own thing; Has been meeting with other record companies wanting to make the switch from Preston Records 

HISTORY

Nashville, TN the heart of country music and hometown of the Preston children. Savannah born into bright lights and celebrity as the second born child of Unnamed Preston, Country Superstar, an Madelyn Preston, Queen of Country Music and Dallas Dame. 

Life from the start was something of a fight, the wild spirit within Savannah never wanting to die down.

Her first televised appearance was at the age of 5 when her family signed a deal with ABC, a show called the Preston Hour that went on for 2 seasons before being cancelled.

Growing up, Savannah always felt she had to vie for her mother’s affection, leaning more towards her father, her wild, carefree spirit more centered with his own and feeling as though her mother pushed her way harder than her older sister and younger brother combined which only caused for resentment to grow untethered within the middle Preston child.

She started her music career at a young age, being cast as Cindy Lou Who in How A Grinch Stole Christmas and joining a local Children’s Choir after endless pleading to her parents.

From 10 to 17, Savannah enjoyed being a part of the Choir, dividing her time between that and her horses. Parents split when Sav was 15, mom got full custody, Savannah’s relationship with father becomes short to not fault of her or her father’s own, relationship with her mother continued to dwindle

Her first major career move happened at 16 when she released her self titled album Savannah Preston. Needless to say, the album was a hit and her rise to stardom was almost instantaneous and the signing on with her parents record label was to follow.

Every two years, a new album would be released and the time in between a few singles have been scattered. Music was where her heart was and while she wanted nothing more than to pull away from the shadow she was cast in behind her mother and older sister (whom she knew her mother wanted to take over the Queen of Country Music mantle) that wouldn’t come for a few years, her desire to impress her mother, prove to her that she could be the Queen of Country Music, and finally get the some affection and pride that her older sister got burning far to strong within the young star.

She had been cast in a few movies, all wholesome country movies until 2017 at the age of 27, when the realization that her mother would never give her the attention she so craved and so like the typical middle child and much like her own mother had done at one point, Savannah accepted a role in Coyote Ugly, a stunt that would only fuel her growing celebrity.

There was a pause in released albums from 24-31, focus on her roles in her various movies and her lead role in the TV show Nashville but also her return home to Nashville where she spent her time off from acting to help out her childhood best friend with their farm and even contributing to some of Aiyla’s humanitarian work, hosting fundraisers and raising money for some of the charities that she was on board with.

A series of unfortunate relationships have been left in Savannah’s wake, some ending because of her and others ending because of them but all inspiring a song or two. 

Though no albums were released while she was taking time off to focus on her acting, her friends farm, and the charities, Savannah did still write music and release a couple of singles and covers, including Jolene which was written and performed by her mother. During this break Savannah got into a whirlwind romance with one of the stable hands she worked with on her best friends farm, her pregnancy with her twins a result of this at the age of 29. She has 50/50 custody of her twins and absolutely adores them.

Age 31 and the release of Midnights (3am Edition), brought with Savannah a newfound sense of self, the realization that competing with her older sister was a losing battle and that her mother was clearly intent on the oldest taking over her mantle, saw the brunette beginning to pull away from her family, not as connected to them as she once was and secretly meeting with other record labels in attempts to get away from Preston Records.

Now at 32, Savannah has found herself becoming more in tune with herself and the things she wants and loves. Not letting the pressures of anyone’s expectations drag her down or hold her back from what she can be. The release of her latest album, Backroad Therapy, had been a longtime coming, some of the songs having been written over the years and Sav not quite ready to release them until now. This album was a recent release, end of November and ever since it’s release she has felt nothing but high as she begins filming season 3 of Sweet Magnolias where she plays leading role, Maddie Townsend.

RESUME

Music Career:

Savannah Preston (Released, age 16)

Tim McGraw 3:54

Picture to Burn 2:55

Teardrops on My Guitar 3:35

A Place in This World 3:22

Cold as You 4:01

The Outside 3:29

Tied Together with a Smile 4:11

Stay Beautiful 3:58

Should've Said No 4:04

Mary's Song (Oh My My My) 3:35

Our Song 3:24

I'm Only Me When I'm with You 3:35

Invisible 3:26

A Perfectly Good Heart 3:42

Teardrops on My Guitar (Pop Version) 2:58

Fearless (Released, age 18)

Fearless 4:02 

Fifteen 4:54

Love Story 3:55

Hey Stephen 4:15

White Horse 3:54

You Belong With Me 3:51

Breathe 4:24

Tell Me Why 3:20

You’re Not Sorry 4:22

The Way I Loved You 4:05

Forever & Always 3:45

The Best Day 4:05 (For her dad)

Change 4:40

Long Live (Released, age 20)

Mine 3:51

Sparks Fly 4:21

Back To December 4:54

Speak Now 4:01

Dear John 6:44 (Inspired by Valentine Laurent)

Mean 3:58

The Story Of Us 4:26 

Never Grow Up 4:50 

Enchanted 5:52 

Better Than Revenge 3:37 (Inspired by Valentine Laurent)

Innocent 5:02 

Haunted 4:02

Last Kiss 6:07

Long Live 5:18

Red (Released, age 22)

State of Grace 4:55

Red 3:41

Treacherous 4:01

I Knew You Were Trouble 3:38

All Too Well 5:28

22 3:50

I Almost Do 4:03

We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together 3:12

Stay Stay Stay 3:25

The Last Time 4:58

Holy Ground 3:22

Sad Beautiful Tragic 4:44

The Lucky One 4:00

Everything Has Changed 4:04

Starlight 3:38

Begin Again 3:58 (Inspired by Valentine Laurent)

1990 (Released, age 24)

Welcome To New York 3:32

Blank Space 3:52

Style 3:51

Out Of The Woods 3:56

All You Had To Do Was Stay 3:13

Shake It Off 3:39 

I Wish You Would 3:27

Bad Blood 3:32

Wildest Dreams 3:40

How You Get The Girl 4:08

This Love 4:10

I Know Places 3:16

Clean 4:31

Midnights (3am Edition) (Released, age 31)

Lavender Haze 3:23

Maroon 3:39

Anti-Hero 3:21

Snow On The Beach 4:17

You're On Your Own, Kid 3:15

Midnight Rain 2:55

Question...? 3:31

Vigilante Shit 2:45 (Inspired by Valentine Laurent)

Bejeweled 3:15

Labyrinth 4:08

Karma 3:25 (Inspired by Valentine Laurent)

Sweet Nothing 3:09

Mastermind 3:12

The Great War 4:01

Bigger Than The Whole Sky 3:39

Paris 3:17

High Infidelity 3:52

Glitch 2:29

Would've, Could've, Should've 4:21

Dear Reader 3:46

Backroad Therapy (Released, age 32)

Better Than Goodbye 4:00

Dive Bar Dreamer 3:33

I Kinda Don’t 3:47

All The Cowboys  3:48

How Do We Go 3:28

Best Worst Ex 2:54

That’s What Love Is 4:04 (Was a wedding gift for Val & Julian lol)

Backroad Therapy 3:39 (Inspired by Louie Wiley)

Skip This Part 3:19

Tall Boys 3:23

Singles (Various Ages, All Released)

Where Are You Christmas 3:51 (age 10, performed in movie and in One Voice Children’s Choir)

Hero 3:48 (age 14, performed with One Voice Children’s Choir)

Mary, Did You Know? 3:41 (age 16, performed with One Voice Children’s Choir)

Holding Out For A Hero 4:21 (Cover, age 16)

I’ll Always Remember You 4:27 (age 17, with One Voice Children’s Choir Seniors)

She’s Mine 3:00 (age 17)

Makeup Is Expensive 3:18 (age 19)

Just Cause I Love You 3:19 (age 19)

Can’t Miss You Anymore 2:52 (age 19)

Give Into Me 3:30 (age 20, Country Strong)

Asking For A Friend 3:11 (age 21)

Waste More Time 3:08 (age 22)

Villain 2:56 (age 23) (Inspired by Louie)

What He Didn’t Do 3:18 (age 23) 

What It Means To Be A Girl 2:48 (age 23)

Damsel In This Dress 2:58 (age 25)

We Wouldn’t Be Us 3:17 (age 25)

Strawberry Wine 4:04 (Cover, age 25)

Country Boy’s Dream Girl 3:04 (age 25)

Jolene 2:38 (Cover, age 26)

Close To You 3:45 (age 26)

Lived It Twice 2:54 (age 27)

Whiskey Side Of Me 2:47 (age 27)

Ain’t No Dime 3:12 (age 27)

Don’t Take The girl 3:37 (Cover, age 27)

Right Girl Wrong Time 3:48 (age 28)

Flowers 2:37 (age 28) (Inspired by Louie Wiley)

One Of The Guys 3:11 (age 29)

Lightning 3:46 (age 30)

Battlefield 3:00 (age 30)

I Hope You’re Happy Now 3:19 (age 30, ft. Lee Brice)

I Hope 3:33 (age 31)

This Is How I Learn To Say No 2:23 (age 31)

Hard Candy Christmas 4:00 (age 32)

Damn You 3:03 (age 32) (Inspired by Louie Wiley)

Voices 3:16 (age 32)

Do It Like A Girl 2:43 (age 32)

Movie Career:

2000- How The Grinch Stole Christmas; role: Cindy Lou Who, age 10

2006- Flicka; role: Katy McLaughlin, age: 16

2006- Bring It On: All Or Nothing; role: Brittney Allen, age: 16

2008- Step Up 2; role: Andie, age: 18

2011- Country Strong; role: Chiles Stanton, age: 21

2014- Dakota’s Summer; role: Kristin, age: 24

2014- Step Up: All In; role: Andie, age: 24

2017- Coyote Ugly; role: Rachel, age: 27

2018- Forever My Girl; role: Josie, age: 28

Television Career:

1995-1996- The Preston Hour; role: Herself, age: 5-6

2012-2018- Nashville; role: Juliette Barnes, age: 22-28

2020-Present- Sweet Magnolia’s; role: Maddie Townsend, age: 30-32

[little-spicy]

Being !Tarzan Stucky’s Girlfriend includes..

Warning: 18+, little dab of smut, NSFW 🔥🔥

- SO MUCH MAN HANDLING; these boys will pick you up without a word and hold you as long as they can.

- These men hate wearing shirts, you'll always find them only in their boxers.

- VERY possessive, if any man talks to you or even looks at you, both men are coming straight to you and holding you. Glaring til the man LITERALLY runs away.

- They love when you show them new things, one day you decided to try painting, and they loved using different colors and eventually got paint on each other.

- These men love sweets, which means endless tubs of ice cream in the freezer for your guys' movie night.

- Food is a big thing too, they always enjoy trying new food and want to help you cook.

- Lots of kisses on your neck from Steve and lots of kisses on your cheek from Bucky.

- You always sleep in the middle of the bed, you are in a super soldier sandwich.

- They love to pamper you, flowers are their favorite act of gifts. Bucky gets you orchids and Steve will get you bluebells.

- They hate loud noises, so of course you would find a place in the country. A nice place with lots of land, the boys would love it.

- LOTS OF SEX, these men have only had each other and when they have you, they can't stop.

- You are being dominated, they man handle you, tossing you like a rag doll.

- Steve loves eating you out, HIS FAVORITE THING.

- Bucky loves to eat you out, but his favorite is being inside you. He can't get enough to the point where he'll grab you out of nowhere and you cockwarm him.

- Both love being in charge in bed, nothing turns them on more than you being on your back and moaning for them.

- They can go four rounds if they wanted to, they wouldn't stop til you passed out.

- You are their treasure, and if someone tried to take you away from them, there would be a lot of broken bones and bloody injuries.

- Their favorite thing to do with you, is you reading to them. Of course you teach them to read and even though overtime they can do it themselves, they still prefer you reading to them.

- Both have a breeding kink!

- Sometimes you forget that they act like children, so sometimes you have to be assertive.

- They love when you wear their shirts, AND ONLY their shirts, it makes them happy and makes it easier when they want to have sex.

- On rainy days, you make a pillow fort and just lay in between them, falling asleep as Steve plays with your hair and Bucky rubbing circles on your thigh.

- Having to put out a lot of fires that are caused by them.

- LOTS of bubble baths.

- AND FINALLY they love to dance with you, you'll turn on the music and the three of you will listen to the music and enjoy being with one another.

Hope you liked this! If you want to give me prompts or suggestions for another preference or one shot let me know! I do Marvel, Star Wars, Doctor Who, and Harry Potter! ✨✨

[sunmoonandeddie]

and he kissed me right here

pairing: modern!bucky barnes x reader

word count: 6,100

summary: I've always been sure that all I ever wanted was a glamorous life.

warnings: Cuss words, mentions of the Afghanistan war (Bucky is a veteran), angst, happy ending, cheesy romantic confessions, age gap

a/n:  This is based on the song 'Stars and the Moon' from Songs for a New World! It's the first one shot in my musical series! This is written in first perspective, but there is no physical description or use of a name in this!

Twenty-Two

I sighed as I tossed a few more dirty plates into the dish window, wiping my brow. After a shitty dinner rush and an even shittier rush around two in the morning consisting only of drunk ass college kids looking for some sort of carb to suck up all the alcohol in their systems, I was ready to go the fuck home.

“Sweetheart, you head on home now,” the head chef insisted as he watched my head nod slightly as I tried my best to fight off sleep. “Ain’t nobody comin’ in before Melissa gets here. No point in you staying on your feet any longer.”

Louis was a godsend. At sixty-seven years old, you’d think he would rather be anywhere but a diner at almost four in the morning.

“Nah,” he had said when I’d asked him a few months after I’d first started. “My Ginny died a few years back, and since she’s been gone, I don’t really have the stomach to sit around that house all alone.” He had laughed, but there’d been a deep sorrow that had come over his deep brown eyes. “Kids are worried, but… Sleeping the day away is better than laying up at night staring at her side of the bed…”

“You sure, Lou?” I asked even as I headed for the back room where all the employees clocked in and kept their possessions in their own little cubbies. I did my checkout in view of the security camera, just like always. I didn’t want anyone to be able to say I stole anything.

Everyone who knew me knew that I wouldn’t, but I’d worked at two many places where the girls tried backstabbing each other and sabotaging everyone else to get them fired.

Though people were a lot nicer in Louisiana than any of the other places I’d lived.

Louis chuckled as he set a to-go box in the window, nodding towards it. “Mmhm. Long as Buck is getting you home safe.”

I gave him a joking eye roll as I took the to-go box gratefully, grinning at my name written in all caps with green Sharpie on top. “You know you don’t have to make me dinner every night.”

“Yes, I do,” he said, shooting me a look. “How else do I know you’re getting enough food in you, huh?” He pointed his rag at me. “Now you go ask him to get you home. Tell him I said he can clock out, and that he’s supposed to text me when he sees you safe inside. You better not say you’re gonna ask him again just to walk yourself home.” The old man shook his head as I headed for the back door, muttering to himself, “Damn girl thinks I’m gonna believe she’s feeding herself good enough when she’s risking her damn ass walking home alone.”

Despite the fact that I’d put off asking for Bucky Barnes’s service, I really did appreciate how fiercely Louis cared about me.

It had been a real long time since anyone had cared so much.

I hesitated at the back door of the diner, my hand resting against the cool metal.

What if he said no?

Granted, he most likely wouldn’t. But what if he said yes, and he secretly thought me some dumb little girl that couldn’t take care of herself?

What did I care if he thought that?

“I don’t care what he thinks of me,” I huffed as I straightened my shoulders, holding my chin a little higher.

“Stop talking to yourself and get going!”

I jumped in surprise, before shooting a glare in the direction of the kitchen. “Stop listening in on my private conversations!” I demanded before storming outside with new found vigor.

Only to freeze when Bucky looked up from where he was sitting on the curb, smoking a cigarette.

God, he was handsome.

“You okay, doll face?” He asked, his New York accent a sharp contrast to the southern drawls you were used to.

“Um… Y-Yeah,” I said faintly, glancing back at the door that I’d come in from. “Um… L-Louis wants me to ask you… Can you walk me home? Or give me a ride? I don’t… I don’t know if you drive…”

“I do drive.”

“O-Oh. Okay. Great.”

“But I don’t have my car on me.”

I peered at him curiously. “Oh. Um… I can just walk by myself. I don’t wanna… I don’t wanna be a nuisance…”

He stood up, tossing his cigarette to the ground and stomping it out. “Don’t be ridiculous, darlin.’ Come on. I’ll walk you.” He shoved his hands in his pockets as he began to head for the street. “Besides… It’s a real nice night.”

“Oh…,” I said in surprise at how ready he was to be of service. “Okay. But only if you’re sure.”

A faint smile graced his lips as he glanced at the ground, letting out a faint chuckle that rumbled deep in his chest. “I’m sure, darlin.’ But you gotta lead the way.”

I was surprised by the rapid pitter patter of my heart beat as we walked side by side down the street, the chorus of ‘Yellow Brick Road’ getting stuck in my head on a loop.

Bucky was an enigma that I found myself wondering about more often than not, but I always ended up talking myself out of going there. After all, he was an older man. A much older man. At least fifteen years older than my own twenty-two years, or something along those lines, not that he looked it. The man looked like some kind of rugged Greek god. Like Hades if Hades was born in the eighties. His dog tags clinked together under his shirt as we walked, his metal prosthetic glinting in the moon.

“So how did you end up in NOLA?”

It took me a moment to even realize that he was talking to me, my heart skipping a beat and my face going hot in embarrassment. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” I asked.

His bright blue eyes flickered over to look me over. “How’d you end up in New Orleans?”

“I actually don’t know,” I snorted, avoiding his eyes as I kicked at a few broken up pieces of asphalt. “I just… Picked a bus ticket and ended up in one of the Carolinas. Then I picked another bus ticket and ended up in Minnesota. And then I picked another, and another, and another, and then I actually just… ended up here.” The months I’d spent alone on those Greyhounds felt both so long ago and also like it was just yesterday. “The diner was the first place someone recommended for food that’s good but cheap, and as I was eating my mountain of cheese fries, I saw the flyer that said they were hiring. So here I am now…”

“Huh,” he said, his brows furrowed. “I didn’t take you for the type of person to run off on your own… riding buses all over the country…”

Head tilting to the side, I gave him a long look. “You didn’t? What kind of type did you peg me for?”

Bucky gave me a long look, a single brow raised as though silently telling me that I jumped to conclusions. “Just that jumping from place to place can take a lot outta someone,” he said slowly, his voice low and soothing. “Hell, if you were my girl—” He broke off as his cheeks flushed a pretty shade of pink, his long hair falling in his face.

I swore my heart had stopped inside of my chest, and I swallowed thickly around the lump in my throat. “Oh?”

He rushed to try to correct his wording. “I-I just mean, a lady should be comfortable. And if I had a g-girl like you, well… You’d never want for anything,” he stammered, stumbling over his words like a flustered school boy. “Hell, I… I’d give you the stars and the moon…”

I was shocked into silence, staring up at him like he was the sun itself. “Bucky…”

“No, no, don’t say anything. I… I know that was a lot,” he insisted quietly, unable to meet your eyes as he stared up at the shitty apartment building you called home. “Hell, you probably don’t want a gross old man hitting on you.” His metal hand, glinting in the low light of the street lamp, reached up to brush against my cheek for just a moment before it quickly dropped. “Just let me walk you home each night so I can make sure you’re safe, yeah?”

“Yeah,” I breathed out, unable to take my eyes off of him as he took a few steps back.

There’s a somewhat playful smirk on his lips as he watched me stumble up the steps, continuously glancing back at him. “Goodnight, baby doll.”

“Goodnight,” I said, barely audible before I finally headed inside.

Bucky kept his word. He walked me home every night, and honestly, there wasn’t a moment that I wasn’t thinking about what he had said, about if I was his girl.

What if I was his girl?

But… with that meant I’d have to give up the life I’d dreamed for myself. I wanted luxury, to never worry about bills or where I was gonna get my next meal or if I could afford to buy the nice work shoes or if I could only get the cheap ones that would fall apart in three months and then I’d just be right back where I started.

I wanted the life that celebrities lived. Hell, I wanted to go to parties on the same yachts the Kardashian-Jenners did, even if I couldn’t fucking stand them.

And with Bucky… I wouldn’t have that.

“So why’d you go on the run anyway?” Bucky asked one night as we sat on the curb, eating ice cream in the Louisiana heat. “I know you told me how you got here, but you’ve never told me why.”

“You’ve never told me how you ended up here or why either,” I shot back, nudging his shoulder with my own.

Somehow the age difference seemed non-existent as we sat there. Honestly, I felt like we were just a bunch of dumb teenagers, shooting the shit and enjoying each other’s company.

Bucky took in a deep breath, his shoulders sinking in a way that made it look like he had all the weight of the world on his shoulders. “I was over in Afghanistan for a long time,” he admitted quietly. “When the war first started, I was 19. I had no idea where my life was going and I had no options except my dad’s mechanic shop. So I enlisted with my best friend, Steve. The one I told you about.”

It’s completely silent except for the sound of an occasional car horn off in the distance.

“Neither one of us knew what we were doing. We realized very quickly that we had no reason being over there, but… but there was nothing else,” he said, swallowing around the lump in his throat. The ice cream he was holding was melting in his trembling hands. “I didn’t know how to do anything else, so I stayed. Steve moved up in the ranks, but I stayed pretty low… I didn’t mind. Kinda liked being the older guy all those young kids could talk to, could rely on… Because they were just like me, getting into a fight that wasn’t theirs because they had nothing else.”

My heart was shattering inside my chest as I scooted a little closer, my knee knocking against his as I tried to give him some sort of silent comfort. He’d been through Hell and made it through.

Bucky let his head rest against mine, his eyes closing as he breathed in the scent of my perfume. “They eventually moved me to some kind of specialized team… Called us the Howling Commandos. I found out that Steve was heading it and he picked me to be part of it. That’s how I met Sam, because he was on some sort of similar team with the Air Force, except it was just him and his friend, Riley,” he continued, taking a bite of his chocolate fudge brownie ice cream. “I am proud to say that I didn’t kill a single person while I was over there. I just couldn’t. Hell, they’re people just like me, terrified and unsure of what’s going to happen.” His lips pressed against my forehead, letting it linger. “But then about five years ago, I was on a mission with the Commandos, Sam, and Riley, and… this bomb went off while we were playing a game of soccer. I wasn’t even in a fight. That thing took my arm and it took Riley.”

Tentatively, I let my fingers find his, holding his hand and squeezing reassuringly.

“Sam decided to come home with me.” There was a forlorn look in his eyes, as though he was right back at that game of pick-up soccer. “After losing Riley… he couldn���t find a reason to be over there. And then Steve decided to stay, and hell, he’s still over there, leading that fucking team…” Glassy baby blue eyes finally found mine, the both of us doing our best to not cry. “I couldn’t face my family for a long time, so Sam asked me to come stay in Louisiana with him and his family, and I haven’t left since.”

“Have you gone to see your family?” I asked slowly, almost like I was scared I’d frighten him if I spoke too loudly, like a wild animal. “Let them know where you are? That you’re safe?”

He turned to look at me, his baby blues shining. “You worried about me, baby doll?”

“I can’t help it,” I said honestly, unable to tear my eyes away. I hadn’t opened up to someone like that in so damn long. “I can’t help but worry about you.”

The way that I felt about Bucky absolutely terrified me, but there was nothing I could do to stop it. It snuck up on me, like a train coming around a bend.

I hated it.

“What do you want out of this life?” Bucky asked on one walk home, his arm linked in mine. He’d become so much more… tactile. If anyone took a moment to look at us, they’d think we were a couple on a romantic stroll.

Perhaps we were.

But I couldn’t help but grin as I looked up at the sky, taking in the warm air. “I wanna live like how the movie stars do… I want a big house on the beach and twenty cars and a yacht and… and…”

He looked at me long and hard. “And you never wanna have to worry about where your next meal is coming from, if you’re gonna have a place to sleep at night…”

For some reason, I’d felt a bolt of panic over whether or not he’d understand. Whether or not he’d think differently of me, but I should’ve known that he wouldn’t. Hell, he knew me better than anyone else.

“You understand,” I said quietly, my hand squeezing his bicep gratefully. “I want to live how the other half lives for once. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with that.”

A small smile graced his features as we shuffled along. “There isn’t. But… What about love?” He asked.

“Love?”

“Love.”

Love.

Could I even have love? Did I want it?

“I don’t know if there’s a lot of room for love in my plans,” I admitted after a long moment. “In my experience, love has always just been a lie. A word used to manipulate and eventually abuse.”

Letting out a snort, he let his fingers tickle down my tricep until his fingers intertwined with mine. “I’d show you it’s not… I’d show you what real love is,” he said. “I’d give you every part of me, give you all my strength to help you grow into who you wanna be, even if I don’t particularly care about being famous or rich…” He brought my hand to his lips, kissing my knuckles. “I’ll give you a love story, a life, that’s a million times better than any recycled Hollywood plot… I’ll give you the stars and the moon, if you would just let me.”

I hated the way that he made my heart beat faster, the way my breath hitched. “Jamie,” I breathed out quietly, the two of us having stopped in our tracks to just… take each other in. Live in each other’s presence for a moment. “I…”

“You want a big life… one a lot bigger than little old me,” he said simply, shrugging. His blue eyes were so honest, so loving. So warm. A warmth I hadn’t ever experienced before. “I know. But that doesn’t change that I’m in love with you. And if you ever change your mind…” Bucky reached into his pocket and pulled out a business card, pressing it into my free hand. “This is where you can find me. I figure it’s time for me to go home.”

We’d come to a stop in front of my building, and I was shocked at how tight my chest felt. My eyes watered as I stared at him long and hard. “Jamie, please… I⏤”

“Don’t say it. It’s okay,” he insisted as he cupped my cheek, letting his thumb run over my skin as though he was memorizing it. “I just want you to be happy, darling. You got that?” His lips pressed to my forehead, letting it linger. “Go get that life you’ve been dreaming of.”

Twenty-Three

I left New Orleans the next day, grabbing a bus ticket after throwing all of my belongings into my old duffel bag. It was time to move on.

But God, did it hurt.

I didn’t stop crying for weeks, fighting the urge to go right back to Louisiana and tell Bucky to take it back, to get him to beg me to stay with him.

But what kind of life would that leave me with? Working in the diner day after day? Never getting anywhere?

But you’d have James, a voice inside my head reminded me snarkily.

Then again, he most likely wasn’t even in New Orleans anymore, if what he said was true when he gave me the business card of his father’s mechanic shop. Was he really planning on going home to New York City?

A few months later, and I’d worked my way all through the southwest to Santa Fe, where I met Pietro.

My heart was pounding as I pressed in the familiar numbers, having memorized them from the business card now soft and faded from how often I held it in my hands like a lifeline. “Come on… Pick up… Pick up…”

“Barnes Tires and Motors, this is George,” a man said in a gruff voice when he finally picked up. “How can I help you?”

“H-Hi, is James there? James Barnes? Bucky?” I stammered out, hands trembling so bad that the old payphone was almost rattling.

There was a pause, and then muffled talking away from the phone.

And then I heard it being picked up. “This is Bucky,” he said.

It felt like the wind had been knocked right out of my lungs. How had I gone so long without hearing his voice?

Breathing in sharply, I tried to figure out the words to say. But my throat was dry and it was like I’d suddenly forgotten the entire English language.

That was all that it took for Bucky to realize it was me. “Baby doll? Baby doll, is that you?” He asked quietly. “I…” He took in a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. “You don’t gotta say a thing, sweetheart… But just know that if you’re in trouble or you need help or… or anything at all, you better call me…” His voice wavered, as though he was fighting tears just like I was. “God, I miss you so much, baby doll. I love you.”

I love you, too.

I hung up before I could actually say the words. “God, I’m so fucking stupid,” I whispered as I leaned back against the wall of the gas station I’d found myself at, rubbing the heels of my hands into my eyes.

My dumb ass had decided to wander from the bus station, and I’d walked over a mile away. Unless I was staying in Santa Fe for a bit, I’d need to start making my way back.

“You okay?”

In my distress, I hadn’t even heard the rumbling of the motorcycle or noticed the handsome man making his way to me. “Uh, yeah. Yeah, I’m fine,” I said even as I wiped my nose with a pathetic sniffle.

He eyed me for a long moment, his eyes roaming over my figure. “You hungry? I know a great little place nearby. My treat.”

And well, I was never one to turn down free food.

Even if that ‘little place’ ended up being a food truck.

“You know, when you said it was a little place, I didn’t picture it having wheels,” I said teasingly, licking salsa off of my lower lip. “Though, it is the best food I’ve ever gotten from a food truck before.”

“Oh, come on. This is the best food of all time!” He laughed, shaking his head.

“I don’t know if I’d go that far,” I snorted, finishing off my flautas.

Pietro looked at me long and hard. “So, are you gonna tell me what the hell was going on to have a pretty girl like you all teary eyed?” He asked, his head tilting to the side.

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes. “Was this your plan all along?” I asked. Wiping my hands off on a napkin, I did everything I could to avoid his eyes. “Get me all fed and then question me?” But at the same time, the thought of being able to finally talk to someone about it was so appealing… After a long moment of hesitation, I finally gave in. “I fell in love with a man, and he let me go because he knew that I want a life he can’t give me,” I said. “And I was a bitch who didn’t even tell him I love him back when he said it to me.”

Pietro took in a deep breath, slowly letting it out. “Damn. You really are a stone cold bitch, aren’t you?”

“Hey!” I indignantly threw a chunk of tomato at him, glaring. “I just opened up my heart, you dickwad.”

“Dickwad?!” He said, blinking at me in shock. “No one’s ever called me a dickwad before.”

I raised a single eyebrow at him. “Maybe not to your face, but they definitely have.” He gave off the vibe of a fuckboy, of a really, really bad fuckboy.

“Well, since you’re running away from your feelings, how about you spend a week or two with me on the road?” He asked with a grin.

I couldn’t help but blink at him in shock. “What?” I let out a laugh, pulling one of my legs up to my chest. “Do you throw that line out to every girl you meet? Or am I just special?”

Pietro threw a chip at me, and I barely managed to dodge it. “No, I don’t. But… You remind me of me. Needing adventure. A life bigger than four walls and a fence.”

Instinctively, I wanted to snap back that sometimes, four walls and a fence could be an adventure, could be the biggest life there was, as Bucky’s face flashed across my mind.

But I couldn’t do that. Not when I wasn’t ready to face the truth myself.

“Come on, sweet cheeks,” he teased as his foot hooked around mine. “Just think of it. The open highway, a rhythm beneath your feet… Nights full of passion and days of adventure…” Pietro’s voice was deep and husky, as though he was trying to lure me in. “No strings… just warm summer rain soaking us to the bone before we find some cheap motel to huddle down in…”

Plastering on a smile, I stood up and brushed myself on. “Thanks, but… I’d rather be drinking champagne, and the quicker I get to LA, the sooner I will be.”

He let me go with a kiss on the cheek and his cell number pressed into my hand, with a promise to come and pick me up the second I rang.

And despite how sweet he was, how wild and funny and charismatic, there was only one man I wanted to call.

Twenty-Four

I sipped at my martini as I sat at the rooftop bar, absentmindedly watching the television that was mounted on the wall as people droned around me. I’d been in Los Angeles for a year, and I’d spent my time finding the best places to find a husband who could give me the life I dreamed of.

As much as I didn’t want to admit it, it took connections to build a career, and the best way to get a foot in the door when nepotism was so rampant was by marrying someone in the industry.

My silk dress was the most expensive thing I owned, something I’d saved up for months for, had skipped meals for. And fuck, was it worth it. I could feel the stares, the lingering gazes on the little bit of thigh that was exposed by the slit in the dress.

I’d already turned away several men, able to tell just from their expensive watches and cheap suits and shoes.

It was amazing how all the up and coming finance bros thought they fit in with the truly big dogs.

“Well, hello, gorgeous.”

I turned to see who was speaking, my heart skipping a beat when I realized who I was speaking to.

The world famous (or infamous) director, Tony Stark.

“Hello, handsome,” I said smoothly, my lashes fluttering innocently as I took a sip of my horrible drink.

I fucking hated martinis. Always had.

But ordering a martini was more sophisticated than ordering a frozen strawberry margarita.

“Is this seat taken?” He asked as he motioned to the empty bar stool right next to me, even as he was already sitting down. “Let me buy your next round.”

“I can’t think of anything better,” I said, feeling as though my dream life was already in reach.

Twenty-Eight

“Tony, where are you taking me?” I laughed as I let my boyfriend lead me to the private dock at our Malibu mansion.

Well, his mansion. I just happened to also live there.

It had been a whirlwind of a year since I had met Tony, and he’d bought me that second round. He’d taken me all over the globe, anywhere my heart desired.

But I made sure to avoid New York City, though he never understood why. I would never tell him.

Not when I was so close to my dream. I could practically taste it.

“Come on, come on. I have a surprise for you,” he said, keeping his hands over my eyes. He was sure to keep me from tripping and busting my ass, thank god.

The ocean waves were so comforting as they hit the shore, a sound I’d gotten used to over the past year.

He finally brought me to a stop, quietly telling me to keep my eyes closed. “Okay,” he said finally. “Open them.”

My eyes slowly opened, adjusting to the bright light of the California sun. But I was more shocked by the sight of Tony on one knee in front of me, holding out a box with a sparkling diamond ring in it. “Tony?”

The ring was the size of a fucking meteor. It was easily the biggest ring I’d ever seen.

“You know, I never thought I’d meet someone like you,” he said quietly, his dark eyes shining. But his voice was steady. “Someone who understands me, who doesn’t expect me to change into someone I’m not. You accept me as I am, and that’s why I want to give you the world.” He couldn’t help but grin as he nodded to the right. “Starting with that yacht you’ve always dreamed of.”

I hadn’t even noticed that there were two yachts at his private docks instead of just the one. The new one had SS Princess emblazoned on the side, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh… Tony…”

“So, what do you say?” He asked, bringing my attention back to him. “Will you be my wife?”

“Yes.”

Thirty-Two

Swallowing nervously, I looked down at the business card in my hand for the millionth time, the stock paper soft from how often I’d looked at it in the past ten years.

Hell, just how often I’d looked at it in the past six should’ve made it fall apart by now. Not that I didn’t have it memorized.

I’d finally ended my marriage after being miserable for so long. I’d gotten my yacht, my fancy houses, my career, all the jewelry that I could dream of, and none of it made me happy. Tony and I… never grew. And I never dreamed. Every day was the same, and every day was torture as I realized that I didn’t have the one thing that actually mattered.

The garage in front of me was busy, music blasting and the sound of men shouting to each other as they worked.

Suddenly I felt absolutely ridiculous wearing a Chanel dress and Gucci heels, an Hermés bag on my arm.

BARNES TIRES AND MOTORS was lit up along the top of the shop in bright red letters, though the lights in the ‘r’ of ‘motors’ were out.

I felt like a fool. I had wanted the life I had so desperately that I gave up everything for it. I got the movie star life, my name on billboards and my face on magazines.

But it wasn’t ever enough.

My heels clicked against the blacktop as I slowly made my way towards the front area of the shop, bells clinging above my head to let them know someone was there.

“Can I help you, ma’am?” A man asked as he came around the corner.

He looked so much like Bucky, it punched the air straight from my lungs.

“H-Hi. I’m looking for James Barnes. Is he here?” I asked after a long moment of hesitation. There was no way that the man was Bucky, but I didn’t doubt he was related.

The man raised his brows, wiping his hands on a rag. “My son’s in the shop. I’ll take you to him.” His full head of hair was white, his thick facial hair matching. Even with all the wrinkles on his face, he was a handsome man. Holding open the door for me, he led me into the loud shop, some eighties rock song blasting over the speakers.

I couldn’t help but smile as ‘Rock You Like a Hurricane’ by Scorpions came on. It was one of Bucky’s favorites back when we worked in the diner together.

“BUCK! YOU GOT A VISITOR!” The man shouted, causing several people to look our way.

My cheeks felt hot as I avoided their gaze, hoping they wouldn’t recognize me. I didn’t want to be a famous movie star anymore, a celebrity that had to beg for scraps of privacy.

My mind went numb, my heart stopping inside my chest as he stepped around a gray Ford Escape another man was working on.

He was even more handsome than he was the last time I saw him.

“Can I help y—” He broke off, his blue eyes going wide when he realized that it was me. “Hi.”

All of a sudden, everything I’d planned to say flew out of my head. All of the eloquent words I’d strung together were gone. And I just proceeded to word vomit.

“Did you know that, uh, when you marry someone you’re not in love with, you won’t… you won’t grow into it?” I asked, my voice shaking. “Um… I married a man who could give me a life I thought I always wanted, and he just… sucked.” Eyes stinging, I fought back against tears. “And I thought that all I ever wanted was the life I have now, was the life movie stars and the Kardashians lived. But… But I hate it. I hated every second I was away from you.” I let out a weak laugh, unable to stop the tears. “I wanted to turn around the second I got on the bus in New Orleans, but my stupid stubborn ass didn’t. I should have. I should’ve gotten off and just run right back to you because I… I love you, James. I always have.”

The garage had gone almost deadly quiet, and my heart sank when I realized Bucky looked almost frozen in shock.

“I know that I shouldn’t have showed up like this,” I scrambled to say. “But I… I’ve been trying to get my divorce finalized for two years and I finally did, and I kept telling myself that once it was done, I’d never hold myself back from what I really want ever again. From who I want. If… If you want me.” My face felt like it was on fire, my hands shaking. I shook my head as I took a step backwards. “What am I thinking? There’s no way you’re not married. I… I’m so so—”

Before I could finish the word ‘sorry,’ Bucky had closed the distance between us, his hands cradling my face so gently. He held me like I was made of fine crystal as he kissed me. He kissed me like his life depended on it, like I was the one source of oxygen.

And I kissed him back just as fiercely. “I love you. I love you so much,” I breathed out in between kisses, unwilling to let him go as my Hermés bag fell into the dust and oil on the concrete below.

Bucky smiled into the kiss, his arm wrapping around my waist to keep me pressed to his chest. “I love you so much, darlin.’ God, I’ve missed you…” His nose nudged against mine as we finally broke for air, both of us breathing heavily.

My knees felt like Jell-O as I held onto him. His grip was the only reason I hadn’t fallen to the ground already.

“I’m sorry I was a dumb twenty-two year old,” I said, snorting as he stole another kiss.

“No… Don’t be sorry,” he insisted, his fingers massaging my scalp as our foreheads pressed together. It was like he was scared to stop touching me, like I would disappear at any second. “You were young… You had to go out and make your own mistakes… I’ve just been waiting for the day you were ready.”

All the years apart melted away and all that remained was the two of us, two souls so intertwined that there was no way to truly separate us.

Our lips were half molded together as I said, “I’m never leaving you again. I promise I swear on everything…”

My heart almost stopped inside my chest as I heard someone clearing their throat, looking to see Bucky’s father staring at us with his arms crossed over his chest. “M-Mr. Barnes, sir…”

He gave a crooked smile that was so reminiscent of Bucky that I couldn’t help but grin back. “The Mrs. will wanna know if you’re staying for dinner.”

“Yeah,” I said as I looked up at Bucky, toying with a strand of his hair. “That sounds perfect.”

Later that night, Bucky and I laid in his bed, a mess of bare limbs as his fingers ran up and down my back soothingly. “What do you want from this life, baby girl?” He asked absentmindedly.

Humming, I traced shapes on his bare chest, sometimes pressing a kiss to where his prosthetic met his shoulder, on the tender scar tissue. “You.”

A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth, despite the already mischievous look on his face. “Really? Not even the stars and the moon?” He asked teasingly.

I knew he’d give it to me anyway, give me all that he could. But I was sure now that the only thing I wanted from this life was his love. “Not even the stars and the moon.”