#and sometimes a part of me goes “let's do fucked up things 🤪”

[beastsovrevelation]

Right, then. The sick part of my brain is terrorizing me once more, and taking an idea from it is like taking a bone from an angry rottweiler.

Who wants a fucked up Michael Langdon x Reader oneshot?.. I really do not feel like making a yet another OC, and adding a yet enother epic to my endless list.

[foxymoxynoona]

Hellooo hello good morning/evening/afternoon🤪. I’m slowly coming back from the dead after uni classes started again and ugh didn’t really miss them, 3 days in and I already caught a cold🙂 anyway I snuggled under the covers and read flux with my vinyl of “DAMN” by Kendrick Lamar playing in the background so nice set up I’ll admit.

Okay so first of all MICHELE AND NAM I’M SAD BUT ALSO HOPEFUL? I believe in a comeback (and yes it is in fact because I love the fwb trope, that’s my red flag don’t judge me) and I’m also…hoping it’s one of those cases in which Michele cries now but will be out there living her best life in 2 weeks and Namjoon is doing great now but we’ll see him regret everything while bawling his eyes out stuffing his face with ice cream later on? That won’t happen BUT: let me dream✨

Onto the two dumbasses: I spent this chapter being like “okay but I see jk’s point… wait what? No way man okay Sasha’s right” lol. That’s pretty much the transcript of me reading. Coming from someone who’s absolutely terrified of commitment and the future in all its forms: I was rooting for JK at the beginning, as in I would never think what he thinks about Sasha and the future🙂 but I understand that this is pretty much normal? Like, if you’re in a relationship it can only go one way or another and the “another” way was very fucking painful foxy🤩 so there’s that. But… JK looked like he just wanted to be right? “I know for a fact she won’t come so I’m going to wait until I’m absolutely sure she won’t come and I’m going to be rightfully mad” siiiir? I get the anxiety because he cares about this meeting but c’mon😕 and I read a comment from “-Diane🍕” on your blog and I agree with everything they have said on the “I love you more than you love me” part, that is a vrt hopeless way to feel😕. My take on JK is: darling I can assure you that Dr.Kim has a free hour on Thursdays just GO. He’s not really the best at sorting out his issues💀 my man has a lot of internalized anger aaaand I’m scared😀.

Also: when they said “let’s only break up one time’. Sasha, JK, I’m so sorry to inform you there is a CERTAIN SOMEONE (you, foxy, you😠) that once said that y’all are going to break up “not as many times as people think” so probably 99 instead of 100. Good luck kids!

🌸

Welcome back but I'm sorry about your cold!

I love the analysis of Jungkook's intentions that Taehyung introduced (did you just wait until you knew she'd say no) but I also want to propose a counter-suggestion, not necessarily correct or more correct but for considering in the whole: Jungkook is just used to plans being last minute or changing because that's how he lives his life, and so to him a week's notice is decent amount of warning. Probably the truth is some combination of both 😅

"my man has a lot of internalized anger" I think this is a really interesting point to bring up about Jungkook overall. I feel like it would be really hard to have the whole world telling you "look you did it! You're a success! You're famous! You're so lucky! Aren't you grateful?" and completely ignoring the fact that all of that is really complicated and sometimes difficult. Like probably he has a lot of things internally he needs to work through, confclited feelings about his lifestyle. He even sort of notices it in himself sometimes, admitting in this chapter that sometime's he's emotional about the time he missed at home. I wonder if there are times when things were hard that he wishes his parents hadn't let him do this when he was so young, even if other times he's so grateful they did.

Anyway! Hope you feel better soon and the semester goes well for you!

[strangestcase]

I think a lot of writers need to understand that, when writing a mentally ill character, the “mentally ill” part shouldn’t be tacked on as an explanation of their morally unsound actions but as an explanation of their behavior in general. In a respectful way that is.

Yes, I’m saying this because I’ve gotten back into Gotham Rogues, a fandom in which basically all of the characters are both mentally ill AND literal supervillains. And I get the feeling a lot of both the writers and the fan base for the Gotham Rogues must think either that mental illness alone is directly or indirectly affecting a lot of their actions regardless of context AT BEST, or that being neurodivergent makes you evil AT WORST. Fortunately this is more of a problem in the canon, but the fandom sometimes irks me a lot in this respect. Like. DC comics IS ableist. You can, amazing but true, write mentally ill villains as long as you don’t make the mental illness be the responsible and even then the mentally ill bad guy trope is so pervasive, sometimes it’s better to let go. It’s not a coincidence a lot of the gimmick-y one-shot villains don’t get much personality besides “oh they’re unhealthily obsessed with [insert inane shit here]”. GRANTED these villains were created in the 40s, and, true, erasing disabilities is wrong, but seriously, if the only way you can fathom writing an ND villain is by deliberately doing so that THE bad thing is them being “””””crazy””””” or “”””””weird”””””” and not the fact that they’ve turned to violent crime for one reason or another... then for the love of god erase their disability you’ll literally won’t fuck it up that way?????

The worst part is, BATMAN, THE HERO, IS NEURODIVERGENT TOO, LITERALLY HE HAS CANON PTSD AND DEPRESSION AND BELIEVES HES A BAT IN SOME MEDIA BUT APPARENTLY ITS ONLY BAD TO BE SAD AND WEIRD AS FUCK WHEN YOURE DOING CRIMES BECAUSE OF WHATEVER OR HAVE “UGLY” SYMPTOMS! So, this is not a case of DC deciding only the bad guys are mentally ill, or the only ND rep being bad. It is a case of them deciding Bruce Wayne reacting to his childhood trauma by pretending to be a vampire and disassociating and having flashbacks and being triggered is tragic, but Harvey Dent reacting to his childhood trauma by splitting is Extremely Fucked Up And Definitely The One Thing That Makes Him Kill People Totally in true evil alter trope fashion like. Ironically half of the time.

The same goes for pretty much every villain but The Riddler, the Mad Hatter, and Two-face are the most obvious examples I can think of rn because they’ve actually got like, a diagnosis (WHEN DC BOTHERS TO GIVE THEM ONE THAT IS LMAO) instead of a throwaway “oh they’re insane and WEiRd lmao imagine caring so much about [insert inane shit here] 🤪” . Because DC kinda likes to parade this fact around for angst points all like “SERIAL KILLER HAS OCD THATS WHY HE LEAVES EVIDENCE!!!!!” or “INCEL THINKS HES FICTIONAL CHARACTER ISNT THAT FUCKED UP AND SHOCKING?”. Probably not realizing saying what amounts to “HEY! THIS BAD GUY HAS A DEBILITATING MENTAL ILLNESS WHICH CONDITIONS A LOT OF THEIR CRIMES” is not the amazing bigbrained plot point they think it is.

TLDR: DC And part of its fanbase have an ableism problem in which mentally ill heroes get closure and a shred of respect but mentally ill villains, even when the writer doesn’t entirely blame their evil in their illness, get to be ogled at in a very voyeuristic fashion instead, as if the shocking part of their mentality was the one thing they have no control over. “Cointidentially”, and by that I mean It’s deliberate, villains, unlike heroes, usually show their illness in socially “unacceptable” ways- while Batman’s own self-destructive behavior, that would be treated as incoherent and ShOCKing if he were evil, is seen as sad.

[treatbuckywkisses]

col i have so much to say to you. starting with im sorry im late but also no im not because im literally sobbing in my fucking kitchen rn it's only 2pm and im having midnight+ feelings.

review time (very late + period addition)

As if you had stepped into a time machine, your eyes caught Bucky’s in the reflection of the mirror, and you were brought back to a time when you were a teenager wearing your high school prom dress in your bedroom. okay so i started fucking sobbing here and never stopped. this parallel are you joking right now. this went STRAIGHT to my heart.

Bucky gave you the same look now as he did then, one of complete awe and admiration. One that said that he had never seen someone so beautiful ever before in his life. I hate you (affectionate ig)

Your large, tough, beefy boyfriend pouted, his bottom lip puckering out and you felt your resolve start to slip. “You mean I’m supposed to look at the most gorgeous woman in the universe and I’m not allowed to touch her? This is unfair.” He is so whiney I love it–such a little baby<3

He whined in protest as your hands rested on his chest. “Are you rubbing in the fact that I can’t touch you but you can grope me as much as you please? This is torture Oak. Can’t I just have one kiss?” he begged, raising both hands in the air, your sandwich in one of them. “I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself.” please he is everything to me. the things i would do for just one kiss. outrageous.

Besides, every kiss from Bucky was perfect.“As soon as this goes off, you’re mine. Got it?” His voice had turned low, commanding, hungry. crying break now im h word ✌🤪

He nodded, taking a few steps back toward the door. “I’ll see you at the altar. Hopefully we didn’t cause any bad luck since I saw you before the ceremony.” HE IS THE CUTEST BEING PLEASE I CANNOT HANDLE HIM !!!!!!!!

Bucky’s eyebrows shot up, feigning a look of contemplation. “Now that’s an idea…” you stop that . you shut your freaking mouth . do you hear me . shut it. I can Not.

They named it the Oak Special. youre getting the faythie special<3 im on my period so i hope you enjoy im having a time I'll say

You were still working there part-time to help cover rent and school expenses. It took a few months of soul-searching and crying to Bucky on the couch about what you were going to do with the rest of your life because you still wanted to paint but you didn’t want to be an artist because it took the fun out of it all so what the hell were you supposed to- celebrities, they're just like us<3

Bucky was driving, one hand on the wheel and the other on your thigh, laughing just as hard. He shook his head with a smile. “That was the best. And now I can tell you that I lied about the time he was coming home because I wanted to be locked in there longer.” seriously shut the fuck up im. where is mine im literally crying so hard I hate him

It had always been a different memory for you. You remembered feeling self-conscious of the proximity, your body being so large and taking up so much space that Bucky was forced to touch you. nobody speak to me i cannot

Once again, so many years later, those memories were being rewritten. All of those moments you spent thinking that a guy like Bucky could never want you the way you wanted him; now you were learning that you couldn’t have been more wrong. this. collie when i fucking tell you this is my favorite thing your big beautiful brain has ever come up with i fucking mean it ohmygod. this is so insanely beautiful what the fuck i want this tattooed on my body.

His heart had been yours for as long as yours had been his. you are sick and twisted for this i hope you know that

It was a tiny two-bedroom just a few blocks from the bar. The water pressure in the shower was trash and sometimes if you had the toaster on in the kitchen and the tv on in the living room at the same time the power would go out. thank you i desperately needed the laugh i just let out– also not important at all but my power went out briefly today so<3

She was awesome. As soon as she got out of her car and hugged Bucky with the biggest smile on her face, the love for her brother radiating off of her, you knew that you loved her. this is so🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 i love that you put in how Oak was feeling about meeting Becca and it was so raw and honest and her feeling shame for her feelings you are so incredible i will never get over this

So now, whenever she was in the area, she had a permanent invitation to Sunday dinner. no thoughts only tears<3

“I know,” he peered around the building to the crowd of attendees. “I just…how do I look?” HE IS SO STUPID I LOVE HIM SGSOMSGKSV

Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he gave you the brightest smile you had ever seen from your brother. “Like I get to marry my favorite person.” you shut up. you shut your mouth i physically cannot handle this at all

“Just wait till you see me on your wedding day. I’m gonna be a fucking wreck.” STOP IM NOT OKAY JESUS FUCK ONE MORE WEDDING REFERENCE AND IM GOING TO DIE

His eyes widened, suddenly filled with tears as if he were surprised by the notion of having that honor. Before he could let emotions flood out of him, he cleared his throat, clenched his jaw, and nodded. “You got it, sis.” 🥲 what did i just say stop its too much im so emotional

“You okay, babe? No offense, but you kind of look like you’re going to throw up.” you asked as you approached. I am going to throw up ohmygod

“Well, I’ll be right here if you need me. Steve will be watching your front, but I’ve got your back, always.”

She took a deep breath. “Nothing, I’m just…I know you have my back, but will you also be by my side for this?”

shutup🥺🥺🥺🥺 i literally. you stop that like what do you hate me or someone what is this

But it was like she said, as soon as she locked eyes with Steve, her whole demeanor shifted, and her grip loosened as a smile brighter than the sun formed on her face. I don't know how I still have tears left I mean what the fuck ive cried so much already anyways they are so perfect for each other 🥺🥺🥺

Steve, however, burst into tears at the sight of her, even though they had just seen each other. PLEASE OF COURSE HE DID SGSOMSBSKGS

On either side of her were two chairs with two of your paintings resting on them. rude very rude how dare you she painted them😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

A year from now, that photo would be mounted in the living room of yours and Bucky’s home, along with a similar photo of Bucky in a blue suit that matched his eyes and you in a white dress, both placed on either side of the painting that hung over the fireplace. are you joking me right now stop the sound i just made was definitely not human i am never going to recover from this moment specifically

“Y/n, you are – and always will be – worth the wait.” I'm going to throw up<3 forget pride and prejudice i want what bucky and oak have.

“Yes, and it’s my favorite thing to hear in the whole damn world, so never stop telling me.” okay🥲🥲🥲

Though you were no longer at the peak of the massive tree, you could still see through the top where millions of stars shone in the sky, and the bright moon smack dab in the middle. The two of you stared up at them for a few seconds. stop is this the painting 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 stop no i am so emotional i can't do this my words are broken my brain is gone

“Well,” he started as he stepped down to a lower branch, gently guiding you to where he previously stood, “I can’t call you Queen of Big Oaky all the time. That’s too many words. Not a great nickname.” I'm seriously 🥺🥺🥺 and he loved her the whole time please i can't

“Anytime, Oak. I’ll always keep you safe.” stop and he did ohmygod this was terrible I have just cried for like an hour I think

my last official ite review🥺🥺 i truly cannot believe its over. this story means so much to me collie i will never be able to express just how special it is to me. everything about this world you created is absolutely breathtaking. it's so surreal and definitely one of my favorite series i have ever read. you are so incredible. my brain is literally soup from just crying so much omg i need like a weeks rest after that. i try to write these like im just talking to you but sometimes it's hard because i compare myself to others and i just don't feel like im good at expressing just how you made me feel like i want. i will never ever be able to thank you enough for writing this and sharing it collie. you have done so much for me through this story specifically. it is so nice to feel so seen and you've done it in such a raw and honest way that will truly stick with me forever i think. to see my feelings are valid in such an artistic and beautiful way is just so amazing. you know we can say all the time your weight / body don't determine your worth but you say it so much and they're kinda just words yk they feel so empty and just something you say to people who have body issues and for you to take that and make something so insanely beautiful and make me feel what those words should provide is so special to me. to have Oak feel the same feelings I do and have the same insecurities yeah im just going to be talking about this for the rest of my life. you have made such an impact on me through this story. your story. thank you and i love you so much. I have to go now because I'm crying again LMAO

In the Embers ~ Epilogue

Pairing: Firefighter!Bucky x Fem!Plus Size!Adopted Rogers!Reader

WC: 4.6k

Summary: After returning home from a failed career as an artist in LA, you are reunited with the boy next door who has always owned a piece of your heart, and there's no running from each other this time.

Chapter Note: We made it folks. Thank you so much for sharing Bucky and Oak's journey with me.

While there are many people I would love to thank for their constant love and support for this series, I would like to dedicate this story to my dear @sweetascanbee, who looked through a rough draft that I basically hated and gave me the encouragement I needed to share it with the world. I love you Rennie. Thanks for believing in me and this fic every step of the way (also shut up I'm not crying you are).

Series Masterlist / Series Playlist

ONE YEAR LATER (ish)

You stared at the floor-length mirror, running your hands over the purple fabric, moving around to catch yourself in different angles to check for any weird creases or stains.

Nope, everything looked fine. Great.

Some people - yourself included - might even say you looked stunning.

Steve and Nat were currently doing a pre-ceremony shoot in one of the gardens on the venue’s property, and the rest of the bridal party had gone down to the bar to grab some food since you all had been up since the crack of dawn for hair and makeup and the squad was hungry. You were going to meet them there once you completed your Maid of Honor duties and ran to the bridal suite to grab a few extra hairpins in case any of those gorgeous red locks decided to rebel in the middle of the bride’s wedding.

Luckily, before you stepped away, you had managed to catch the moment your brother’s eyes landed on his gorgeous bride for the first time, and you could see the tears in his eyes from 50 feet away which almost made you ruin your makeup with your own tears.

Today was going to be a really, really good day.

“Hey Oak, I managed to grab you a sandwich before the guys fuckin’ demolished the platter of food for us….oh.”

As if you had stepped into a time machine, your eyes caught Bucky’s in the reflection of the mirror, and you were brought back to a time when you were a teenager wearing your high school prom dress in your bedroom.

To a time when you looked in the mirror and didn’t love what you saw, when you felt anxious about being seen by those gorgeous blue eyes, nervous that they didn’t like what they saw.

What an idiot you had been.

Bucky gave you the same look now as he did then, one of complete awe and admiration. One that said that he had never seen someone so beautiful ever before in his life.

“Wow,” Bucky sighed out as his face split in two with a wide smile. You winked at him from the mirror with your own smile that matched his and the man giggled in response. He started walking towards you and you turned around to hold your hands out to stop Bucky from getting too close to you.

His smile dropped and shifted into confusion and concern as soon as your hands met his chest, and he looked like a bit of a sad puppy.

“James Barnes, you know I love you,” you started, swiping a rogue hair that flopped over his forehead back into place, “But if you ruin the makeup that I had to wait four hours to get done, I will not stop Nat when she attempts to murder you.”

Your large, tough, beefy boyfriend pouted, his bottom lip puckering out and you felt your resolve start to slip. “You mean I’m supposed to look at the most gorgeous woman in the universe and I’m not allowed to touch her? This is unfair.”

Shaking your head with an uncontainable smile, your hand moved to cup his face and he leaned into your palm, soaking in as much contact with you as he was allowed.

“Most gorgeous woman in the universe, you say?”

He grinned, grabbing your wrist and shifting his face to kiss your palm. “I’m gonna tip the photographers and beg them to take extra photos of you for me to have. Seriously Oak, you look amazing.”

Your smile grew. “Thanks Bucky.” You moved to adjust the tie that matched the color of your dress, then smoothed your hands over the jacket of his dark gray suit. “You look pretty lovely yourself.”

He whined in protest as your hands rested on his chest. “Are you rubbing in the fact that I can’t touch you but you can grope me as much as you please? This is torture Oak. Can’t I just have one kiss?” he begged, raising both hands in the air, your sandwich in one of them. “I promise I’ll keep my hands to myself.”

You cocked your head to side side, feigning contemplation and Bucky whined again. Gosh, he was so dramatic. You loved it.

Finally, you nodded. “One kiss. Then you have to wait until after pictures, okay?”

He beamed, his boyish grin melting your heart into a puddle. He kept his hands in the air as he slowly moved forward until his mouth gently pressed against yours.

It wasn’t nearly enough for what the two of you wanted, but it spoke of a promise to be made up for later.

Besides, every kiss from Bucky was perfect.

You lightly pushed on his chest and he pulled back with a low groan. “What time are pictures going to be over?”

You smiled. “‘Bout 4:30 or so.”

Bucky pulled out his phone and set a timer, holding it up for you to see with a serious expression on his face.

“As soon as this goes off, you’re mine. Got it?” His voice had turned low, commanding, hungry.

You blinked a few times, unable to speak. Finally, once your brain was able to function again, you nodded.

Bucky smiled, then handed you your sandwich and you beamed.

“Have I mentioned that I love you?”

He pretended to contemplate that question. “A few times. But I promise I’ll never get tired of hearing it from those pretty lips.”

Your smile widened. “Well, I love you.”

“I’d love you too if you let me kiss you senseless right now-”

“Aaaand the moments gone,” you laughed, giving his chest a gentle shove and he chuckled. “We should get back anyway.”

He nodded, taking a few steps back toward the door. “I’ll see you at the altar. Hopefully we didn’t cause any bad luck since I saw you before the ceremony.”

You shook your head, eyes narrowing. “Buck, that’s just with the bride and groom. It’s not our wedding day.”

His brows furrowed and he held on to the door frame as he paused. “It’s not? We should probably do that sometime.”

You crossed your arm in front of you, trying to keep your face serious even though the corner of your mouth kept quirking up. “Pretty sure we need to get engaged first, baby,”

Bucky’s eyebrows shot up, feigning a look of contemplation. “Now that’s an idea…”

With one last smile and a wink, he was headed down the hallway, leaving you to shake your head and giggle as butterflies invaded your stomach.

The last year had been far from easy, and you were pretty sure you had never worked harder in your life.

But it had also been the best year ever.

Wilson’s opened back up at the beginning of the year after the fire. They were able to use the money from Brock’s settlement to fix the sign so that it no longer read as “Wilsn’s,” and they got to redo some of the upholstery in the seats.

Not all of them though, Sarah wanted to keep some of the cracks to hold onto the history of the place.

The night the bar reopened felt like a big family reunion, and all of Plainberry’s regulars stopped by to express their excitement that the place was up and running once more.

They were especially excited to try the new specialty cocktail that you had been experimenting with the past few weeks.

Carol became quickly obsessed with the Blood Orange Gin Sour you made her, and insisted that you make that a permanent item on the menu.

They named it the Oak Special.

You were still working there part-time to help cover rent and school expenses. It took a few months of soul-searching and crying to Bucky on the couch about what you were going to do with the rest of your life because you still wanted to paint but you didn’t want to be an artist because it took the fun out of it all so what the hell were you supposed to-

“What about teaching?” he suggested one night, rubbing your back as you buried your face in your hands. You looked up at him once he brought up this new option and he continued, “You said that Carol and Wanda thought you were awesome with the kids at the Fall Festival, and I’ve seen you with AJ and Cass. They love you - not that it’s hard - but you also love them. Remember how excited AJ was when he got an art set for Christmas, and how much fun you had painting with him at their holiday party? You love kids, Oak, and they love you.”

Tears welled in your eyes as you leaned forward, grabbing Bucky’s face with both hands and kissing him deeply.

“Have I mentioned that I love you?” you asked when you pulled away and he smiled.

“I think once or twice, but a few more times couldn’t hurt.”

Now, you were taking classes at a local community-college to become an art teacher. There were many stressful days and you sometimes went home wondering if you were making a huge mistake, but in those moments you would call Wanda and she would talk you off the ledge, offering her sound advice and telling you how amazing you would be in this role, and you would feel better.

Cuddles from Bucky usually worked, too, but you knew you needed as much support as possible to get through it all.

Both you and your mom moved out of the house in January. Mom, Steve, and Nat drove down together in Mom’s car while you and Bucky hitched up a U-Haul to his truck.

The drive was a mish-mash of terrible singing and reminiscing about all the shit you used to get into.

“Remember that one time we hid in Steve’s closet for thirty minutes waiting for him to get home and we made him scream at the top of his lungs?” you asked, wiping tears from your eyes from laughing so hard.

Bucky was driving, one hand on the wheel and the other on your thigh, laughing just as hard. He shook his head with a smile. “That was the best. And now I can tell you that I lied about the time he was coming home because I wanted to be locked in there longer.”

You gaped at him. “What?”

He nodded. “That was one of my favorite memories. Us having to be huddled so close together in the dark, my hands resting on your shoulder, you breathing on my chest. I almost died right then and there.”

It had always been a different memory for you. You remembered feeling self-conscious of the proximity, your body being so large and taking up so much space that Bucky was forced to touch you.

Once again, so many years later, those memories were being rewritten. All of those moments you spent thinking that a guy like Bucky could never want you the way you wanted him; now you were learning that you couldn’t have been more wrong.

His heart had been yours for as long as yours had been his.

As soon as your mom was officially moved in – and after many, many tears were shed by everyone – the four of you crammed yourselves in Bucky’s truck and drove back up north to move you into your new apartment.

It was a tiny two-bedroom just a few blocks from the bar. The water pressure in the shower was trash and sometimes if you had the toaster on in the kitchen and the tv on in the living room at the same time the power would go out.

But it was your own place, your own home, and it was perfect.

The first time you hosted Sunday dinner, you nearly wept at the sight of your favorite people (minus Mom, who still FaceTimed you as you all ate) sitting at the table you had purchased and built from IKEA.

Bucky had offered to help assemble it, but one glare of determination from you had him backing away, hands in the air.

You didn’t turn away his help when you bought a couch and needed to carry it up the three floors to your place. Once it was set in the living room, the two of you collapsed on it, your head resting on his shoulder as you both gasped for air.

“Have….I mentioned…that my sweaty ass loves you?”

Bucky snorted. “My sweaty ass loves your sweaty ass, too.”

When summer came, and you had finally gotten the hang of balancing school and work and living on your own – and the school year was over – you finally got to meet Becca.

Bucky tried to calm you down as you paced along his kitchen, telling you that she was going to love you.

Still, you were nervous. She was his family, someone who meant the world to him. What would happen if she didn’t like his girlfriend?

What if, as soon as you saw her, you would only see Mr. Barnes?

Bucky had wiped the tears from your cheek when you eventually admitted that fear to him, shame overwhelming you.

“I felt the same way, if I’m being honest,” he admitted. “I didn’t think I’d be able to ever look at her. But she’s not my dad. She’s Becca, and she’s awesome.”

She was awesome. As soon as she got out of her car and hugged Bucky with the biggest smile on her face, the love for her brother radiating off of her, you knew that you loved her.

And as soon as she pulled away from him to look eyes on you, then ran over to give you a tight embrace, you knew that she was your family, too.

“I can’t believe I’m finally meeting the infamous Oak,” she said, grinning from ear to ear.

You let out a surprised laugh. “Wait, you knew about me?”

Becca scoffed. “My brother never shuts up about you. He would always bring up stories of you growing up together, and I used to get jealous thinking that he already had a sister and didn’t need me. Eventually, I noticed how sad and broody he got when he talked about you, and forced him to spill his guts about how he was madly in love with the girl next door and fucked it all up because of daddy dearest.” Apparently Becca had the same relationship with their dad as Bucky did. “And then when you moved back he would call me basically every night telling me how amazing you were and I would tell him to buck up and tell you how he felt instead of being a whiny baby-”

“Okayyyyy,” a very red-faced Bucky moved behind the two of you to usher you into the house. “Why don’t we go inside and talk about literally anything else.”

Becca turned to you and winked, and you spent the rest of the day smiling like an idiot.

That was also the first time Becca met Steve and Nat, who immediately fell in love with her once they realized she liked to affectionately bust Bucky’s balls as much as the rest of you.

So now, whenever she was in the area, she had a permanent invitation to Sunday dinner.

She also had an invitation to their wedding, and as you waited to walk down the aisle, you scanned the rows of guests sitting in the outdoor venue until you found her, waving ecstatically as she did the same.

“Pst,” your head whipped around to the source of the sound, until you found your brother hiding behind one of the walls of the giant mansion.

Your brows furrowed in confusion, mouthing Are you okay? His response was to frantically wave for you to go over to him.

Seeing that he was the groom and technically this was also his day, you complied.

“What are you doing?” you whispered as soon as you got to him. “The ceremony is going to start in like, five minutes!”

“I know,” he peered around the building to the crowd of attendees. “I just…how do I look?”

You laughed, shaking your head and giving him a once over. “You look great, bro.”

He nodded, running his fingers over his tie. “Thanks. Nat looks so damn beautiful. I don’t want her standing next to some schmuck.”

You cocked your head to the side in fake contemplation. “Well, she did agree to marry a schmuck.” Steve rolled his eyes and gave your shoulder a gentle shove and you laughed again. “So, how you feeling?”

Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he gave you the brightest smile you had ever seen from your brother. “Like I get to marry my favorite person.”

Tears sprang to your eyes and you beamed, moving forward to wrap your arms around him.

He chuckled, returning the hug.

“I’m so happy for you, Stevie,” you whispered, voice breaking as you said his name.

“Wouldn’t have been able to get here if it weren’t for you and Ma.”

You pulled away, dabbing a tear from the corner of your eye. “You better shut your mouth with this sentimental shit before you ruin my makeup and your soon-to-be wife kills me.”

“Just wait till you see me on your wedding day. I’m gonna be a fucking wreck.”

You grinned. “As long as you can still see while getting me down the aisle, you can cry as much as you want.”

His eyes widened, suddenly filled with tears as if he were surprised by the notion of having that honor. Before he could let emotions flood out of him, he cleared his throat, clenched his jaw, and nodded. “You got it, sis.”

That was when you noticed the music change and you turned your head back to see the groomsmen lining up, heads darting around looking for their leader. You looked back at your brother and squeezed his shoulder. “That’s your cue, bud, and my cue to find your bride.”

With one last embrace, Steve straightened his tie, lifted his chin, and walked with unyielding confidence toward the aisle.

You found Nat with her bridal party – her younger sister Yelena and work bestie Clint – waiting around the corner where they were hidden from guests.

To anyone else, Nat looked like the calm, stoic, drop-dead gorgeous bride that had everything under control. But you could see in her eyes that she was a mess of excitement, nervously playing with the bouquet of roses in her hands.

“You okay, babe? No offense, but you kind of look like you’re going to throw up.” you asked as you approached.

She choked out a small laugh. “I’m okay. Just kind of wishing I told Steve I wanted to elope. Not a huge fan of being the center of attention.”

You rested a hand on the lace covering her shoulder. “Do you want me to have them wait a few minutes before we get started?”

She shook her head. “No. I know as soon as I see him I’ll be fine. He’s good at keeping me grounded like that.” A fond smile crept up her lips at the thought.

“Well, I’ll be right here if you need me. Steve will be watching your front, but I’ve got your back, always.”

She rested a hand on yours and gave it a gentle squeeze, nodding in appreciation.

Another music shift cued the bridal party to line up. First was Clint, the Yelena. You were on deck to be next, then Nat would walk down by herself.

But before you could take a step, you felt a hand grab your and you turned around to find a wide-eyed Nat.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” you asked, panicked. You had never seen the redhead so unhinged before.

She took a deep breath. “Nothing, I’m just…I know you have my back, but will you also be by my side for this?”

You smiled, grabbing her hand and squeezing it. “Anything for you, sis.”

Nat exhaled a huge sigh of relief, and you turned your head to the wedding coordinator to tell her to switch to the bride’s entry music.

There was a chance that you were going to lose your hand by the time you made it to the end of the aisle due to the impressive strength Nat was using to crush it with her own.

But it was like she said, as soon as she locked eyes with Steve, her whole demeanor shifted, and her grip loosened as a smile brighter than the sun formed on her face.

Steve, however, burst into tears at the sight of her, even though they had just seen each other.

Bucky placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and handed him a tissue, all while keeping his eyes on you with an expression you had never seen on his face.

It was so intense, so consuming, so filled with adoration that you almost looked away, but you were unable to stop staring at the beautiful man you got to call yours.

The rest of the ceremony was an emotional tear fest, and at one point even Nat had to turn around and ask you for a tissue. You and Bucky stole glances at each other every five seconds, and as his best friend blubbered through his vows, you saw a few tears stream down his own face.

Your mom sat on Steve’s side, a smile plastered on her face as she watched her son marry the love of his life.

On either side of her were two chairs with two of your paintings resting on them.

One of your dad.

And one of Winnie.

Before you knew it, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers were walking down the aisle hand in hand, and Bucky had his elbow extended for you to wrap your arm around so he could escort you down behind them.

“T-minus thirty minutes until I get to ruin the makeup.”

Warmth pooled in your stomach but you still managed to glare at him. “Okay, let’s not ruin the makeup. I still want to look good for the rest of the night.”

“As if you could look anything but amazing, Oak.”

Bucky stayed true to his word and tipped the photographer to get some extra shots of you once all of the official wedding photos were taken, and when they showed you the shot of you and him mid-laugh as he stood behind you with his arms wrapped around your middle, you were happy to admit that you were grateful for his insistence.

Then, a sound came from Bucky’s phone, and when he showed you the screen to show the timer going off, you simply shrugged before he crashed his lips to yours, swallowing the squeal you let out in excitement.

The photographers managed to get a shot of that as well.

A year from now, that photo would be mounted in the living room of yours and Bucky’s home, along with a similar photo of Bucky in a blue suit that matched his eyes and you in a white dress, both placed on either side of the painting that hung over the fireplace.

You grinned like an idiot as he pulled away, wiping lipstick from his mouth.

“Was it worth the wait, Buck?”

He chuckled, shaking his head, blue eyes boring into yours.

“Y/n, you are – and always will be – worth the wait.”

You cupped his cheek with your hand, thumb gently stroking his cheek.

“Have I mentioned that I love you?”

Bucky smiled, leaning forward to place a quick, gentle kiss on your lips.

“Yes, and it’s my favorite thing to hear in the whole damn world, so never stop telling me.”

“I love you, Bucky.”

His nose ran open and down the bridge of yours, eyes closing for a moment out of pure bliss.

And before his lips pressed against yours once more, he whispered,

“I love you too, Oak.”

NINE YEARS OLD (continued)

To say that things had not gone according to plan was putting it lightly.

And now, you were stuck at the top of Big Oaky, darkness hiding your path down.

“Y/n?”

The small, skinny form of Bucky Barnes called out to you from the bottom, his voice concerned and, well, confused.

Why would anyone expect you to be at the top of the giant oak tree so late at night? Who would be dumb enough to climb it for the first time by themselves and wait until it was impossible to get down?

“Hi B-Bucky,” you cried back.

“Are you okay? Should I get my mom?”

“No! I mean, I’m okay. Just don’t tell anyone I’m here.”

“How the heck did you get all the way up there?”

You groaned. “I climbed up here! Duh!”

Silence. “You climbed Big Oaky?” He sounded impressed.

“Y-yeah. I did a few hours ago, but then it got dark and I can’t get back down.” You bit back a sob as you admitted, “I’m scared.”

Bucky didn’t respond. Instead, you were met with the sounds of leaves rustling below. A few moments later, a dark figure stood a foot away from you.

“Holy crap,” he huffed out. “I can’t believe you made it all the way up there.”

You beamed through your tears. “Thanks, Bucky.”

Though you were no longer at the peak of the massive tree, you could still see through the top where millions of stars shone in the sky, and the bright moon smack dab in the middle. The two of you stared up at them for a few seconds.

“You know what this means, right?” Bucky asked in a whisper. You turned to look back at him, shaking your head and he continued. “You’re the Queen of Big Oaky. The first to climb to the top.”

You narrowed your eyes. “I thought you said you were the first to climb all the way up.”

He shrugged, and even in the darkness you caught the sheepish look on his face.

“I mean, I was close, but I think I still had a few feet to go. Just don’t tell anyone, okay? Especially Sam.”

You nodded, holding out your pinky finger. “I promise.”

He smiled, wrapping his pinky around yours.

“Alright, then. Let’s get down from here before Stevie kills me.”

A soft whimper escaped you. “I can’t, Bucky. I’m too scared to move.”

His hold on your pinky shifted until his hand was wrapped around yours. “Don’t worry, I got you Oak.”

Your fear left you for a split second and you found yourself giggling. “Oak?”

“Well,” he started as he stepped down to a lower branch, gently guiding you to where he previously stood, “I can’t call you Queen of Big Oaky all the time. That’s too many words. Not a great nickname.”

Before you knew it, the two of you were halfway down the tree. Bucky kept your hand in his almost the entire time, only pulling away if he needed a better hold on a branch to climb down. Once he was secure, he’d reach out and grab your hand immediately.

All fear had left you during your descent. Bucky’s focus and guidance kept you calm, made you feel safe.

And then, your feet met the ground.

You looked up at Bucky, his face now lit up by the lights outside your house, a big grin on his face. His hand was still holding yours.

“See? That wasn’t so bad.”

You jumped forward, wrapping your arms around him in a tight hug.

“Thanks, Bucky,” you mumbled.

He hugged you back, squeezing you tightly to him as his cheek rested against your forehead.

“Anytime, Oak. I’ll always keep you safe.”

The End.

End banner by the amazing @simmerandcry

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