#now the aftermath will ring with songs you’ve sung

[ifwebefriends]

Me when I think of another situation with my blorbos that pairs really well with a Crane Wives song:

[lizarddealer]

On todays segment of “Griddlehark is so The Crane Wives coded and I need to convince everyone of it”:

Little Soldiers

My reasoning?

“We didn’t give up / we wouldn’t dare surrender / it was an honest loss / now the aftermath will ring with songs you’ve sung / all of our words sent home in boxes / I fought with tooth and nail before the flag had flown / but you were already gone / I’ll swear that I loved you”

Thank you for coming to my Ted talk

[inkystaar]

mafia :looksatyou:

hi merc we are going to pretend like this ask isn’t months old, okay?

me losing my mind under the cut

(ft. multiple crane wives songs)

little soldiers by tcw….. mafia…….. specifically braid duo….. but also angel duo…..

the “i swear that you loved me” is angel duo..

“we didn’t give up, we wouldn’t dare surrender, it was an honest loss!” is braid duo to me. like. ough. they’ve been through so much but they’re still going (as far as i know LOL)

i’ve also thought about little soldiers as gem and bowie which is just. ouughhh. “i swear that i loved you” <- that one scene on the rooftop where gem finds out bowie started the loops….. “beneath the table you would offer up my bones” is gem telling people about it, and “all the dogs would lick your fingers” is people then going after m!bowie… “now the aftermath will ring with songs you’ve sung, all our words sent home in boxes” THE AFTERMATH. OF GEM. TELLING ICARUS ABOUT WHAT BOWIE TOLD IT. OURHEHDHSHHDHSJSJSJDJDJ. THE AFTERMATH WILL RING WITH SONGS YOUVE SUNG…..

SPEAKING OF M!BOWIE AND M!GEM…. canary in a coal mine is THEM. “am i the only thing that keeps you safe when the light is gone?” <- them. somehow. i know it’s them. i just KSJJDJDND i can’t figure it out COMPLETELY. hhhhhhhhhh

“but i still hold out hope that maybe someday ill be worth more than all the silence left in my way” <- m!gem. no i will not be taking questions. goodbye.

also!! metaphor is so m!merc and m!bowie to me. i love m!merc and m!bowie so much they should be allowed to blow shit up. specifically m!merc should be given explosives.

okay no one is going to understand this because i never shared what i wrote for m!bowie’s ending (i will…. at some point maybe……) but sleeping giants is m!bowie and xer relationship to the loops…..

the personification of the nature is just. it’s the timeloop to me. it’s the loops. that dimension, every part of it, so so so fucking alive….. “the trees are crowing hungry, hungry harmonies” RAHHHG

“my pulse is clear, rushing in my ears, i hear something calling me” 🫵 m!bowie’s ending btw. btw. if you care. also. the pulse thing relates even though m!bowie doesn’t have a pulse!!!! right as their… not really?? dying??? but i guess they’re dying. they’re being reborn into like. a different life. and that’s the one time during the loops that they actually have a pulse, hence the “my pulse is clear”

hollow moon by tcw is unexplainable but for sure a mafia song….

the glacier house is revengers to me?? “i saw your eyes so sweet go cold” is such a m!iced lyric to me? “bundle up darling, you’re on your own now” is literally that one time iced told jordan they were using her. or something. (i forgot exactly what happened. (i read that rp very late at night))

“you sought to hold yourself in, wait out the weather” <- also m!iced. to me. what the fuck is their problem /pos

[miralines]

Kat's Mechs Fic (General Mechs Edition)

For my ouatis fic specifically, see this post.

Series: Stories Grim as Pistol Lead (mostly)

A series of standalones all taking place in the same timeline. Mostly unrelated to, but compliant with, each other.

oh, peacemaker, draw your gun now: Nastya reflects on mercy and her evolving relationship with it. Character study/angst, T, 5.3k words.

a tale he told: Jonny has always loved stories. Character study, M, 1.2k words.

a nice night out: Marius and Ashes go for a nice night out, and Ashes wins a bet. Fluff/crack, T, 473 words.

wires through my veins and my tendons: The Briar Rose reminds Aurora of her past. Character study, M, 1.6k words.

tremble for yourself (you know that you have seen this all before): Jonny discovers Dr. Carmilla has made another mechanism. Angst, M, 5.6k words.

a new texas ghost story: One of the stories people tell about Jonny after he leaves New Texas. T, 684 words, 1/1 chapters. Written for Mechtober 2023.

now the aftermath will ring with songs you’ve sung: Dr. Carmilla is gone. Here’s how all the mechs (and her) respond. T, 3.8k words, 2/2 chapters. Written for Mechtober 2023.

as metal pierces flesh: Aurora finds out why she was kidnapped by Cyberia. Angst, T, 724 words, 1/1 chapters. Written for Mechtober 2023.

Mechtober 2023 (not otherwise categorized):

my feet knew the path (I never gave a single thought to where is might lead): how my mechsona met Dr. Carmilla. G, 1.6k words, 1/1 chapters.

we didn’t start the fire: Ivy mourns a damaged manuscript. Ashes tries to help. T, 842 words, 1/1 chapters.

katabasis: a second-person view of what it’s like to be in the Acheron. M, 1.3k words, 1/1 chapters.

Uncategorized:

dnd mechs what crimes will they commit: Jonny tries to wrangle the crew into playing dnd. It doesn’t go well. Fluff/crack, T, 517 words.

this song reminded me of you: a series of oneshots based on my mechs but not playlist. Angst/character study, M, 5.2k words, 8/14 chapters.

[marcyharm]

Back with your new ask game to make your life suffer <333

Rosepearl (if ya have it), Rupphire (ditto), and uhhhh Sasharcy (is that the name???? bestie help)

OK THIS MIGHT GET LONG

-

Pearlrose/Rosepearl:

1) Feb 14 - Cavetown

Just tryin' to buy more time When as she'd go she'd say With one regretful smile "Happy Valentine's Day" I just stand and stare Feel my body fallin' away

Kinda a weird one but this one really gives me the vibes of Pearl during the fake shattering scene in A Single Pale Rose! If you listen through the whole song and imagine that scene playing along with it, it fits really well in a strange way! I wrote up a super detailed lyric-by-lyric "script" thing with this once jfghsjdfh. More generally, it can also be seen as Pearl missing Rose after she gets with Greg.

2) Love - Daughter

But I still wonder Why You left with her And left me behind

This song is literally just "It's Over Isn't It" not even gonna lie. The whole thing has exactly the same plot/vibe/topic. There's not a lot to say on this one.

3) Little Soldiers - The Crane Wives

I swear that you loved me I swear, I swear We didn't give up, we wouldn't dare surrender It was an honest loss Now the aftermath will ring with songs you've sung

Some Gem War Pearlrose! The vibes of this really fit them ghjsdhgjds I can't really explain in more depth than that.

-

Rupphire:

i don't actually have a playlist for them but there are definitely some songs that i associate with them!

1) January Wedding - The Avett Brothers

I hope that I don't sound to insane when I say There is darkness all around us I don't feel weak but I do need sometimes for her to protect me And reconnect me to the beauty that I'm missin' And in January we're gettin' married

Rupphire wedding bay bee!! I mean just look at those lyrics– Reunited in one verse! I love this song so much and look at how well it fits them!

2) Things That Make It Warm - Cavetown

My feathers seem to have taken the brunt of the storm They are feeling pretty worn We finally found shelter tucked away inside a wall Though for now it's pretty small

hhhh not sure about this one but it's fluffy and cute and isn't that enough for it to be them? Basically Ruby and Sapphire finding a life on Earth and later Amethyst and Steven coming into picture :]

-

Sasharcy:

ngl out of my amphibia playlists my playlist for them is my shortest but this ship has taken over my life so here we go.

1) Smoke Signals - Cavetown

You can come home to me When you're ready I left the gate unlocked for you 'Til then I'm sendin' out Smoke signals Hopin' I'll see yours too

Basically Sasha and Marcy's shared regret over their respective mistakes. Sort of a Marcy POV song, feeling like she almost doesn't deserve for Sasha to rescue her but at the same time saying that she'd like it if she did.

2) Good For You - Dear Evan Hansen

Got a taste of a life so perfect So you did what you had to do Good for you Good for you

Alternatively, Sasha still being angry at Marcy for getting them stuck in Amphibia and singing to her about it, but slowly realizing her own mistakes.

3) Beside You - Marianas Trench

And if your heart wears thin I will hold you up And I will hide you When it gets too much I'll be right beside you Nobody will break you

I think of this one as being about Sasha having rescued Marcy and is now comforting her– they're both dealing with their trauma together. Protective Sasha supremacy. She will not let anyone hurt her gf.

[stars-in-my-damn-eyes]

Anyways i think my taste in witcher fic is very cool and awesome so have a rec list (ft. a LOT of witcher!jaskier because i have a disease called good taste)

If you have read these fics before (which is likely) please take this as strong encouragement to read them again

all the world i've seen before me passing by by @brothebro - witcher!Jaskier; Jaskier is a witcher of the School of the Bear, wearing a glamour for canonverse which he removes after the mountain. Featuring gratuitous witcher man dumbassery, Ciri being the best, and going into lots of Original Storyline content and i absolutely love it

my fairy king by @brothebro - fae!Jaskier; it's so wonderfully done, featuring some beautiful soft moments as well as some of the funniest fucking lines i have ever read, 10/10 amazing content

Also @brothebro has some amazing assorted witcher!Jaskier fics that are to die for

i have often dreamed of a far off place and its companion piece name one hero who was happy (of the i am made of memories series) by @jaskicr - witcher!jaskier; jaskier was a witcher, who ended up a normal human person via magic and after he dies, he returns to his witcher self - it's so wonderfully, painfully good, the writing style, story, pacing, and characterisation are all god-tier. The companion piece is Geralt POV and it's heart-wrenching, im absolutely in love with it

a smile made for war by @jaskicr - mage!jaskier; an absolutely amazing fic but i do need to say cw: stregobor for this one, as it contains him. Hands down the best mage!jaskier fic ever, i make the rules. I am in awe of this amazing, resplendent masterpiece

Actually just read any fic ever written by @jaskicr who is. the ultimate senpai and the most amazing writer ever

raised by wolves and voices by @bygodstillam - witcher!jaskier; holyshit this fic????? Is so good?????? It has baby witcher jaskier at kaer morhen?????? What else do you want????? This is just. Prime excellent witcher boys content and i love it to bits

rosemaries, daisies, and violets by @bygodstillam - major character death; READ THIS. You will cry and you will love it and you will forever be haunted by an unfortunate association that renders you incapable of not being sad whenever you think of rosemary henceforth.

by god still am by @bygodstillam - witcher!jaskier; jaskier is cursed, and geralt's been keeping his secret for years. This is amazing and wonderful and brilliant and i wholeheartedly love it.

the nightingale prince by @bamf-jaskier - witcher!jaskier; julian is the only survivor of the fall of kaer seren - and goddamn is this fic amazing. Excellent renfri content (with renfri/dierdre!!! Excellent dierdre content!!!!!!), this fic is just all-round amazing, cw stregobor as a big antagonist, the point is that THIS IS AN AMAZING FIC and you should read it

ask me tomorrow by @theaceace - major character death; jaskier lives backwards through time and. It's amazing and wonderful and beautifully written and will tear your heart out and loving stomp on it therefore i wholeheartedly recommend it

the aftermath will ring with songs you've sung by @theaceace - outsider pov, warlord au; I CANNOT PROPERLY GUSH ABOUT THIS WITHOUT SPOILING IT BUT THE GIST OF IT IS. nilfgaard. prisoners are taken. there is a lute. Besnik is having A Time

demand an encore by @theaceace - witcher!jaskier; it's THE witcher!jaskier fic, Jaskier | Dandelion Has a Past and he is mayhaps one of the only ones not to know about it, it's an amazing fic

juniper berries by @wingedquill - witcher!jaskier; im in love with the ciri pov and the soft moment and the found family and the angst and aaaaaaaaaaaaa

strong people are harder to kill than weak people (and more useful in general) by @buffskierights - IT'S A BUFFSKIER FIC and it's amazing and you should read it RIGHT NOW, it's written brilliantly

the devil go with all by @buffskierights - deaged!jaskier; this fic is. Amazing. And it is completed!!! Every chapter i read i was like "wow. That's bloody amazing. There is no physical way in which this fic can get any better" AND THEN IT DID. EVERY TIME. my point is, you should read this fic. It's got deaged!jaskier and it explores his dynamic with the main cast beautifully - HEED THE TAGS, though, it references some less-than-pleasant things in jaskier's past

spring crocuses and scarlet gladiolus (actually the blossoms in their bouquet series as a whole) by @buffskierights - elf!jaskier - just. An amazing series. Elf!jaskier with a brilliant storyline, you should definitely read it, i would both kill and die for this fic

how many secrets can you keep? and the subsequent series by @kaermorons - witcher!jaskier; amazing storyline and worlbuilding and one of my all-time favourite fics, you should read it 3000 times like i did

•••

I left some fics off because this was getting long and i am very very sorry about this

Anyways read these fics and love them

[roughentumble]

What are your favorite geraskier fics? I got into a Ferris bueller fan fic rabbithole but it's unfortunately short, and need something else to read

oooo, ok. to be totally honest, i don't bookmark good fics as often as i should, so there are probably people with longer rec lists out there (i believe valdomarx here on tumblr posts some semi-frequently), but i'll give it my best shot.

you can also check my ao3 bookmarks(same username as here), i think most of them are public except the rly Spicy ones? so you'll be able to see everything witcher i've put a pin in.

(also these'll all be on ao3, as that's the site i use)

Dear by Potrix - im like, irrevocably head over heels for this one. i adore outsider POV, and it's so sweet, it just kills me. it's basically a bunch of different strangers bumping into geralt and jaskier, and their different take-aways of the relationship.

Make me Happy by multiplelizards - a frankenstein AU, really good and sweet, i periodically reread it just to cheer myself up

For The Asking by gremble - if you like the Accidental Warlord fic series, you're basically guaranteed to like this fic, which was inspired by awahp, but from geralt's perspective instead of jaskier's.

the aftermath will ring with songs you've sung by emamel - another fic you'll like if you like awahp. fun little fic, and i rather like the ending

Ivy on the Hill by chaya - first fic for the witcher i ever bookmarked. it's been long enough i don't recall the details(sorry, bad memory), but it's multi-chapter and sweet and deals with Interpersonal Drama, if that's your bag

so we can pretend, sweetly by theredtailedhawkwithjewelsforeyes - inhuman!jaskier discovering his less than human ancestry

If I Must Starve(Let it be in Your Arms) by igneum807 - jaskier platonically cuddling with touch-starved wolf school witchers

Roach by octinary - very sweet little fic about geralt's horse and the wild hunt(and now i'm thinking about it, the only rec here that isnt geraskier. sorry about me haha)

the fire & powder series by violaceum_vitellina_viridis - jaskier/witchers. idk how to summarize it. it leans into the "feral bard" trope, which im usually not SUPER into, but i recall this one being rather sweet(though fair warning, im not up to date on the recent stuff)

you're only brave in the moonlight (stay til sunrise) by summerfrost - modern AU, roommates to lovers. genuinely fantastic modern AU. i cant describe why i love it, beyond just-- i love it so much, very sweet, genuinely funny dialogue in places.

Where There's a Witcher by ghostinthelibrary - another modern au, but in this one geralt is still a witcher. jaskier is an unemployed journalist and musician, who accidentally stumbles into danger in the form of a wyvern that geralt is actively hunting through city streets. i really loved this one, and it's also a series(tho heads up that im also not up to date on the recent entries to this series either)

most anything by kathkin, but im especially fond of New Monster Stories - another modern AU where geralt is still a witcher. you know that trope where People Dont See The Unusual, Because They Don't Want To See It? so like, a monster can walk right past them and it doesnt register in their brain? that's the rules this fic operates under, and it's glorious and funny and sweet and i adore it.

there's also, like, the fics ive written on ao3(again, same username as here). not to, you know, toot my own horn or anything, but! they exist, if you'd like to give em a look.

if you'd like smut fics i can also provide, just hmu. hope some of these r to yr taste 💕

[donniefinnerman]

divorce arc playlist but it’s just the crane wives

1. Never Love an Anchor

It's a secret I keep tucked inside my chest With this heart of mine that’s guilty not remorseful There is love that doesn't have a place to rest But it would have buried you if it’d settled on your shoulders

2. Allies or Enemies

What happens now? Do we have another go? Do we bow out and take our separate roads? I’ll admit I’ve had my doubts But I want to be let in not out

3. Little Soldiers

Now the aftermath will ring with songs you've sung All of our words sent home in boxes I fought with tooth and nail before the flag had flown But you were already gone I'll swear that I loved you I'll swear that I loved you

4. Easier

The only peace I have ever known Is the peace I made with you I won't move, but I can't stay here So what the hell am I supposed to do?

And if I were someone else And if I were someone else And if I were someone else, would this be easier?

[amusinguproar]

     COYOTE STORIES | THE CRANE WIVES      SENTENCE STARTERS | PART 2

006 -- ROCKSLIDE

“ i hear a rumblin’, honey. “

“ this wild weather’s got the mountain shakin’ weak. “

“ i know you long to plant your feet. “

“ we best get a move on, or the devil we will meet. “

“ i feel a quakin’, honey. “

“ rocks are a - tumblin’ while the people are asleep. “

“ i pray the day my soul to keep. “

“ drop dead sprint, my darlin’, now! “

“ don’t look back now, honey, just try to breathe. “

“ that monster’s comin’ and it don’t care for you or me. “

“ the angels we may someday see. “

007 -- METAPHOR

“ i’ve gotten good at leaning on metaphor. “

“ i’ve gotten good at living on someone else’s page. “

“ i’ve cut my teeth on secondhand sentiments. “

“ you can’t trust a single thing i say. “

“ i keep my closet free of skeletons ‘cause i’m much better at digging graves. “

“ i always dig up bones in your sympathy. “

“ i can’t trust a single thing you say. “

“ you won’t like the scars he put in me. “

“ i’ve gotten good at making up metaphors. “

“ i’ve gotten good at stretching the truth out of shape. “

“ all these words are sweet and meaningless. “

008 -- THE HAND THAT FEEDS

“ i’ve seen good men spoil. “

“ they work and sleep and work again. “

“ in their darkest nights, they howl. “

“ their cries are a warning. “

“ no man should stand to work all of his days and have nothing at the end of them. “

“ i’ve got no money but the change that jangles in my pockets. “

“ i am powerless to stop it. “

“ it keeps rambling on like a mad, wandering man. “

“ my dear papa gave me lessons in regret. “

“ the hand that feeds deserves to be bitten. “

“ he taught me how to break my chains. “

“ i may never be a rich man, but i can make sure i’m free. “

009 -- LITTLE SOLDIERS

“ it was a march we made towards ruin and despair. “

“ i swear that i loved you. “

“ ‘neath the table you would offer up my bones. “

“ i’d drag dirt through every room inside our home. “

“ you still held me at night. “

“ we didn’t give up ; we wouldn’t surrender. “

“ it was an honest loss. “

“ the aftermath will ring with songs you’ve sung. “

“ i fought with tooth and nail before the flag had flown. “

“ you were already gone. “

010 -- SLEEPING GIANTS

“ i feel the mountains shifting under me. “

“ i hear something calling me. “

“ the moon is humming lovely melodies. “

“ the trees are crowing hungry harmonies. “

011 -- OF EVERLONG

“ ‘twas there i wrote me a sad, sad song. “

“ if my lover will not hear it, take my voice and take my spirit. “

“ leave me wicked and dig my hole. “

“ only my lover, not i, can keep my soul. “

you can change pronouns and/or names as needed! <3

[volklana]

If You Want Me

Bucky x Reader

Hello sweethearts I’m back with a little Bucky fic that I really hope you love as much as Ioved writing it. Please let me know what you thought, I cannot wait to hear from you little treasures x

Named and based on this song, in fact whenever Bucky talks about her song, this is the one. 

Summary: Bucky falls in love with a girl with a beautiful voice, but her heart has been broken one too many times and maybe, just maybe that will prevent her from ever giving him a chance to love her.

Warnings: None

Words: c. 2337

Tears dripped down your cheeks as you pulled your cardigan closer around your body.

The night air was cold and you watched your breath gather in the air, and you bit worriedly at your bottom lip.

You couldn’t even find the strength to walk any further and you fully believed if you fell here, right here in this gutter you would never get up again.

Here you were for the hundredth time, heartbroken and utterly alone.

When you’d come home from work he was simply gone, along with all his things and you couldn’t face the overwhelming emptiness that threatened to suffocate you, so you’d done what you always did. You ran. And ran. Untill you couldn’t run any further.

 The club was small and smokey as you climbed the small steps up to the microphone, and you smiled shyly at your colleague, who was doing a mighty job of announcing you.

You loved your job, by day it was a tiny coffee shop struggling against the coffee giants but with a devoted attraction of students, loners and dare you say it hipsters who refused to drink the corporate brands.

By night however, it turned into bustling literary groups, poetry recitals and on Thursdays, an open mic night, and that was how you’d found yourself with your little guitar standing in front of the faces you could call each by name, shivering as you took a breath and stepping closer to the microphone, your heart hammering steadily in your chest.

A steady collective silence fell around the room as you began to sing, strumming gently on your guitar, and eyes resolutely fastened shut.

You had written this song two days after you’d returned to your empty apartment, to find your sorry excuse of an ex curled up on the carpet outside your door with his things gathered in black sacks with that stupid pleading expression on his face, and you had wanted nothing more than to let him back in and bury your face in that sweet scent of his familiarity.

But how many times do you let the same person repeatedly hurt you in the name of love?

Turning on your heel you’d turned to walk away only for him to call after you that he loved you. You hoped with all your might that he would be gone when you returned.

He was.

 Tears glistened in your eyes as you slowly opened your eyes scanning the contorted faces staring back at you.

Everyone here had a similar story to you. There’s nothing quite like being alone to drive you into smokey clubs to find other like minded lonely people.

As your song began to fall away, you took to looking down again as the small smattering of applause began to ring out breaking the tranquillity that had settled around you.

 As the next act stepped up, you slipped your guitar back into its case, and snapped it gently shut.

Turning around you were met with two startlingly blue eyes surrounded by tears.

“Such sadness,” he said looking you over “I’ve never heard such sadness in a song.”

You smiled shyly “I was sad when I wrote it. I’m kinda always sad, that’s my thing.”

“Don’t do that. Don’t make a joke of it.”

“That’s also kinda my thing,” you replied with a small smile.

He remained emotionless, and you knew he was struggling to find something to say.

“I need to hear you again sometime,” he finally managed and your eyes widened.

“Need to?”

“Yes need to,” he replied honestly “I feel. It’s hard to describe but I feel, something when you sing and I don’t know what it is. Does that make sense?”

“Not an ounce,” you replied, “but I sing here every Thursday night, I might see you here next week?”

“You will,” he nodded almost a little too quickly “You will.”

“Y/n,” you added offering your hand for him to shake.

“James,” he replied shaking your hand ever so delicately “But friends call me Bucky.”

“Am I a friend?” you asked gently, and his eyes locked on yours, examining them for a long time.

“Yes,” he concluded, “I think you are a friend.”

Your heart hammered in your chest a little as you watched his retreating form, slightly puzzled by the interaction. Hopefully you hadn’t just landed yourself a stalker.

When the next Thursday rolled around you were almost terrified of the prospect of singing in front of James again, but you pushed it aside. Tonight you were singing two songs, the first was a sad rendition of Moon River and the second was your own that you had sung last week.

When Moon River ended, you scanned the audience until your eyes found his, he was tucked away at the back of the room, shining eyes locked on yours and looking like the loneliest guy on the planet, and you moved closer to the microphone in a husky whisper and said “this one is for James.”

When you stepped down from the stage and made your way towards your guitar case, you watched James making his way towards the same point and you couldn’t help but be intrigued by him.

“That was beautiful,” he told you with an honest smile and immediately seemed more at ease than he had been last week.

“I wanted to apologise if I came across as too much last week, you just honestly caught me off guard. I never knew music could sound like that. When I went home I was kicking myself because you must have thought I was the biggest wacko walking.”

You couldn’t help but laugh along with him too, before bending down to pluck an item from your guitar case, and handing it gently to him.

“I made you a copy of the song,” you told him rather embarrassedly “I can’t sing the same song next week or this lot will think I’ve only got the one song in my repertoire. I figured maybe you would like it because I don’t know if I’ll play it again.”

A small dusting of blush covered his face, and he clutched the memory stick dearly.

“I’ll cherish it.” He told you with a smile somewhere between a smile and a fond look.

 Bucky became a permanent fixture of your Thursday nights and you couldn’t help but look forward to your chats around your guitar case.

“Don’t you ever want to play?” you asked him as you walked the few steps towards the bar closest to your coffee shop as you had done for the past three Thursday nights.

“Absolutely not!” he laughed and you elbowed him.

“Why not?” you smiled, and he smirked back “because I’m awful doll.”

You warmed at the pet name and thanked him as he held the door open for you to slip into the bar.

“So what brings you out every Thursday if you’re not gonna sing?” you asked him nursing your drink, and he smiled shyly.

“Don’t laugh, but I was trying to broaden my musical horizons and a friend suggested I should go to an open mic night, see if I found something I liked.”

“And did you?” you asked looking at him under long lashes, and he smirked back at you.

“There was one thing, yes.”  

You smiled shyly and took a sip of your drink.

 He looked at you suddenly serious and you felt the smile drop from your face as he leaned in closer.

“Who is the song about?” he asked with such gentleness as you stared into his eyes, you could see it was a genuine question not intended to intrude, or hurt.

“It was about somebody I used to love,” you replied “somebody that didn’t love me back. Not really.”

You were swirling the ice around in your empty glass now and he seemed to move a little closer.

“He was a fool,” he sighed gently, reaching out to rub his thumb along your cheek.

“James,” you sighed and he paused his thumb on your bottom lip.

“It’s Bucky. Friends call me Bucky,” and then his thumb was replaced with his lips and you almost melted off the stool into his arms.

“This is me,” you announced awkwardly, stopping at the steps of your apartment.

And he smiled sadly.

“I should get in,” you rushed, fumbling for your keys in your purse.

“I’m sorry I kissed you y/n,” he said gently causing you to stop your fussing, and you turned to face him wide eyed.

“I couldn’t help myself, I’ve wanted to kiss you since the very first time I heard you sing, but you gave me absolutely no indication that you wanted to be kissed and I did it anyway. I’m sorry.”

“I did want to,” you said softy looking over his dejected face, “I really wanted to. But it’s the aftermath of the kiss that terrifies me.”

He looked puzzled so you stepped back down off the step and turned to face him.

“Now that you’ve kissed me once. I’ll want to do it again. And if we do it again I’m afraid I’ll become attached to you.”

“And that would be so bad?” he asked disheartened.

“Yes,” you replied sadly “yes it would.”

“Because I’m just another guy waiting to break your heart right?”

“That’s not what I mean Bucky,” except it was exactly what you meant.

“You won’t take a chance on me because you think I’m like all the other guys.”

“Well aren’t you?” you replied desperately.

He turned away from you for a moment, a look resembling a snarl crossing his face.

“I’m not y/n,” he answered calmly “I have feelings for you, but it’s clear that you don’t return them, and that’s alright. Honestly it’s alright. I shouldn’t have expected you to feel the same and I shouldn’t have kissed you. I’m sorry.”

Before you could even respond he was walking purposefully down the sidewalk and out of your eyeline before you could reply.

 “What’s that you’re listening to bud?” Steve asked climbing up onto the roof of his apartment to sit beside Bucky.

“It’s uh, it’s nothing really.”

“It’s nothing?” Steve pressed gently and Bucky nodded “Then why have you been listening to it on repeat for days now?”

Bucky took one look at Steve’s worried face and he was blurting out all his feelings for you before he could stop himself and everything that had happened since you’d last spoke.

“Wow,” Steve finished with a breath of disbelief, “And this is her song?”

Bucky nodded sadly.

“You want my two cents?” Steve asked and Bucky nodded.

“She was hurt badly by some other jerk, that’s what this song is about?” again Bucky nodded, and Steve turned to face him “Buck don’t you remember what that feels like? To survive something that almost killed you, to build yourself back up piece by piece and be terrified to have someone else come along and tear you back down again. Don’t you remember that?”

“Yes,” Bucky responded, lump forming in his throat.

“You just have to assure her that you’re not going to destroy her again.”

Why hadn’t Bucky known this, he would have gotten on his knees and promised you that if he had only known.

“Bucky it’s a Thursday night. It’s not too late, go get your girl!”

Bucky had been working on his speech the whole way over on his bike, what he was going to say, what he was going to prove to you.

But when he got there you were onstage singing, and something came over him that he couldn’t quite explain. He began to move towards the stage, he picked the microphone out of the announcer’s hand and began to move towards you.

As you began to sing your chorus “If you want me, satisfy me,” you were startled when a male voice began to harmonise with your own and Bucky stepped up to move beside you, never taking his eyes off you, and as your vocals fell away too overcome with shock to sing he kept the song going “If you want me, satisfy me.”

 Suddenly there was no music, only you and Bucky stood in front of each other chests rising and falling rapidly.

“Y/n,” he spoke into his microphone “if you let me in. If you let me try, I promise I’ll never let you down. Just give me a chance to show you that I’m not like the others. I don’t want to be like the others.”

You weren’t even aware of the numerous eyes on you from the crowd.

“I’m sorry Bucky,” you said softly and his face fell, crushed, he began to focus on the ground.

“I’m sorry that I was such an idiot. You’re not like the others. You’re not like anyone I’ve ever met.” Sliding your guitar off over your shoulder and placing it gently on the ground, you moved towards him and he looked at you with those glistening eyes, and you closed the distance between you and kissed him gently on the lips, feeling his arms wrap around you and pull you as close as possible to him.

The thundering applause that rang out was what pulled you to your senses, and you giggled, wriggling half way out of his embrace, to bury your face in the front of his shirt embarrassed.

 As he rode you home on his bike, you made sure not to make the same mistakes you’d made the last time he was here.

“Come on up,” you told him as he kissed you goodbye, and he smiled as he brushed his fingers over your hair.

“I better not,” he laughed and you couldn’t help but laugh at how much restrain it was taking for him to say no, as he sagged against your weight.

“But I will however, swing by and pick you up for breakfast in the morning, what do you say to that?”

You smiled and pecked his face “I’d like that very much Bucky.”

I’m afraid I can’t tag everyone because I’m away at the moment and I don’t have access to my tag list but I just had to get this up tonight, so please feel free to tag anyone you think would like to see it and I cannot believe how amazing it felt to actually post a fic again! As always I’m sending all my love your way and I’m hoping you’re living your best life.

Lana xx

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