#or that it should've at least been posted on october 1st

[1000plants]

"Holidays" AU - New Years

Bucky Barnes x reader (GN)

Summary: An accidental series centered around the various holidays with my beloved Bucky Barnes  

Warnings- Alcohol/drinking/intoxication, swearing, Soft!Bucky (a warning bc oh god I love him he's a cutie patootie), my overuse of italics and commas. 

Word count- ~2k

Author's Note- This was supposed to be posted first thing New Years day -_- I had it scheduled for February 1st… im great with tech dont worry 

Masterlist

Read the rest of the series HERE

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You wouldn't say you thought about Christmas all the time. It was only that one kiss you thought about.

And how he asked to make things more official that same day. Having a boyfriend wasn't how you were planning on ending the year and starting the New Year. 

You had done the eating 12 grapes thing last year- a superstition Natasha convinced everyone to do. Surprisingly enough, it has worked out quite well for you. Though, all the luck seemed to be work related. From narrowly avoiding an emergency surgery for a bullet wound in January, to having an incredibly successful mission in October that led to the downfall of a stubborn HYDRA base.

Everything this year has gone… not terribly! Sure, looking back you had a few regrets. You should've  done this, or not done that, but you couldn't change it all now. You could only move forward.

Then, of course, November's party still brought up butterflies in your stomach every time you thought about it. And December was all but a dream. Honestly, you felt a bit silly with how just the memories of it all would turn your insides to mush.

How quickly those seemingly fairytale-esq moments made you go from stoic to a grinning mess. Even thinking about them now made your cheeks feel warm. You prided yourself on being more serious than Tony, taking your jobs responsibilities with pride and the no-nonsense attitude it required. Yet there you were, on the verge of kicking your feet and giggling because of the other RBF teammate.

And, with twenty minutes till midnight, January 2025 was expected to be just as dazzling as 2024 was.

Well, it would be… if your boyfriend was anywhere to be seen.

Tony's party was beyond insane. People wearing various sparkling outfits, rich jewel colors, and corny hats and glasses were all loudly dancing and partying in the massive hall the billionaire had rented out.

You weren't much better in the slightest, Achilles heel being free crappy paper hats and plastic glasses. The bright green 2025 glasses with the navy blue party hat was certainly a look. It felt better to blend in, a sense of comfort in doing something that would normally look silly, but everyone else was doing it and no one batted an eye.

Beer in hand, you weaved through the crowds. Bucky had disappeared off with Steve about forty-five minutes ago. Not that that was the problem, you had also slipped off to talk with a few friends. No, the problem was that he had yet to meet you back at the pillars by the entrance of the hall.

With a deep sigh and quick gulp of your beer, you park yourself just out of the way of the partygoers and by the aforementioned meeting spot. You surveyed the room as you leaned against the cold marble pillar. Arms crossed over your chest, swirling a half empty beer bottle in your right hand, your eyes bounced from body to body searching for one particular man.

=-=-=-=-=-=-

To: Bucky

You, 11:39 p.m. : by the pillar

You, 11:41 p.m. : need more alcohol, im no where near as drunk as everyone else

You, 11:42 : Bucky?

You, 11:46 : ? Wya?

          Messages Delivered

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Just under 15 minutes till the new year and you desperately wished your phone had any battery left.

You had spent your last precious few percentages on texting Bucky another WYA? And a followup: Bring a charger at least? Phones at like 2 percent. The last you had checked, your messages had been sent and successfully received, but not read. He was always terrible about checking his phone, according to everyone else, but he was always quick at answering you. If he didn't, he seemed to have an air tight explanation as to why. 

Quite literally something along the lines of “Saved an old lady from dying” or “Was actively stopping a robbery”. So, surely if he wasn't contacting you back with you nearly blowing up his phone, he was busy.

You felt a smidge of embarrassment when you thought about it longer. Was that the kind of partner you were becoming? You couldn't spend more than an hour away from him at a party? The last couple of weeks had been great, no red flags popping up between either of you. Also, you spent so much time together anyway! One stupid party wasn't important. 

Why were you waiting for him, exactly? There were plenty of others you could celebrate the New Year with! And that's what you'd do. 

The one who caught your attention was Tony, he had a steady stream of people circling him the whole night. You noticed that as midnight neared, his bubble was dwindling. Still surrounded by people who were all engaged in 5 different conversations, you silently joined the group. 

It was always awkward to pretend to be involved. This whole thing wasn't new, and no one seemed to realize you hadn't been here all night, you had done this a few times too many. Someone made a comment that caused others to laugh, you let the vibes of everyone else pull you into the moment, and you laughed along. 

You finished your drink, letting your body sway to the thumping music as more people filtered in and out of Tony's inner circle. Tony wasn't shit-faced enough to be causing a scene, though you noticed Happy was lingering by just in case. There was also most definitely a failsafe with JARVIS as well… Tony's party last year made it clear he needed constant supervision when copious amounts of alcohol was available. 

“Hey!” Tony clasped your back firmly with a drunken grin. You grunted, startled and pulled from your haze, “Few more minutes! You ready?”

The smile on your face was initially a bit stained, but something about a giddy Stark made your smile soften a bit. You suck in a sigh and nod in response, “Of course!” You  loudly say over the noise.

“Are you ready?” You ask back, not sure if there was any way to prepare for the new year. Small talk, honestly. 

As Tony rambled about his prospective 2025 suit ideas, tech concepts, and expansion plans, you find yourself shifting your shoulder under his arm. The grip of his hand hadn't left your shoulder and he was swaying on his feet more than usual. You decided quickly that you’d rather find a way to slowly guide him somewhere safe rather than have to haul a half conscious dead weight man around.

“An’ theres the whole thing with the investors - not that I need them-” Tony babbles, eyes vaguely fixated on one of the large screens with the countdown playing on it.

You hum in agreement, wrapping an arm around his waist and the other clamped down on his wrist to guide him more easily through the crowd. You had remembered seeing a stone bench by the pillars earlier, it had people sitting on it, but surely they'd let Stark sit down for a bit.

People wordlessly parted as you brought Tony to the bench, everyone was too engulfed in their own conversations to spare you both a glance. It only took a moment to get the man to sit down, he seemed more than willing to rest a moment. Though, you knew once the main count down started he’d be up again. By then he would be Happy’s problem.

You leaned up once more against the pillar, arms crossed over your chest as you watched the large screens with everyone else. One of the screens was showing the Times square ball drop, and the two flanking it had timer countdowns that were pulsing to the beat of the music.

30! A handful of people started counting down.

You watched the timer flicker, something about New Years always made you a little anxious. It was mostly just the act of a bunch of people counting down, but also the prospect of new was a bit nerve wracking. New Year, New Me… right? 

Everything about this year would be new. A partner, you were more secure in yourself, your job was all you could’ve dreamed for, and there was just an air of certainty that had been following you recently.

Sure, you would've loved to have spent the last 15 minutes with Bucky and Sam instead of Tony and other random partiers… But you were going to enjoy the countdown anyway.

10!... 9!... 8!...

Your heart beat a little firmer in your chest, but you found yourself joining in the countdown. Your voice was lost in the sea of others, unsurprising since you were more whispering to yourself.

7!... 6!... 5!...

The room was dark save for the flashing screens and glowsticks. Someone in front of you dropped their hat on the ground, they didn't seem to care as they bounced on the balls of their feet to the timer.

4!... 3!... 2!...

People coupled up. Friends grabbed each other's hands, partners eeked closer to  their significant others, even Pepper had managed to find Tony and took up residence next to him on the bench. 

You noticed this all in an instant, watching from the corner of your vision. You had no time to dwell on slight disappointment, only the flashing numbers that made you squint your eyes.

1!... HAPPY NEW YEAR!

You cheered with everyone else, grinning and ducking your head slightly as some confetti dropped from the ceiling. White, gold, and silver paper fluttered down from the sky, cheering and whooping from those around you loud enough to make your ears ring.

You suddenly felt a hand grabbing your arm, cold metal gently gripping your bicep. It was in an instant you were turned around and lips slammed onto yours before you could register truly what was happening. You couldn't help but grin into the kiss when your brain finally caught up to who it was. Pressing your lips back against Bucky's before pulling away, you looked  at him with a quizzical expression.

“Where were you?” You ask with a confused smile, talking a little louder over the commotion of the room. Still, even with the noise, he had a way of drowning it all out for you. Like your brain just honed in on him at times, shutting out anything else.

“I wanted to find somewhere quieter to go,” Bucky explained quietly. He sucked in a small breath as his hand left your arm and instead lightly cupped your jaw. You noticed how, even in the shit lighting, his eyes caught each flicker of light from the room. With his dark blue eyes sparkling, they looked like the ocean at night. With the moon catching the edge of the waves.

And they sparkled just for you. It was something you knew somewhere in your core, he only looked at you like this. How you never noticed it before, you didn't know.

“Cant get quiet in a place like this,” You chuckle, stealing a glance at the party around you. It felt like you were in your own little world, like you were watching everyone else through a lens. When you looked back at Bucky, you realized his gaze hadn't left you for a moment.

“Yeah,” He chuckled, working his jaw slightly as he grinned, “Realized that a bit too late, I think.”

“Sam and Steve talked for a lot longer than I was expecting them to, I didn't mean to disappear for so long,” Bucky sheepishly explained, a hint of red appearing on his ears and cheeks.

Hm, he didn't have as rock solid of an excuse as he normally did, but you didn't particularly care at the moment. More than happy to have even just these few moments with him.

“Well,” You hummed, shrugging your shoulders slightly as your own hands found rest on his waist, “You’ve got all year to make it up to me…”

[prismadog]

Found Family AU: Childhood [Emptober 5th]

so...yeah...two days late now, sorry about that. I, once again, struggled to come up with an idea. some of these prompts would be better suited for artwork but if I tried that, well, then there'd never be any content - not for a lack of trying, just, I'm really slow when it comes to drawing [there is a Lizzie, Jimmy, and Joel wip that's been sitting open for at least three weeks now. and a Scott & Xornoth concept wip that's been sitting around for about a month, if not more.]

but hey, got one out finally. honestly, probably should've started these when I first found the prompt list last month, but I didn't even think I was going to do this until the night before October 1st.

I took a slightly different turn with the prompt - it's still "childhood" but...not. it's about Lord of Mars. It's a bit longer than planned, might not be a perfect childhood segment, but hey, I tried. I'm running on a few hours sleep, at least, so, yeah, hope you guys enjoy it anyway!

-

Childhood

Lord of Mars sits behind his gravestone, dark eyes on his pack - his family, his brothers and sisters, his Mother - that sit surrounding it, grieving his death. in the center, with Mother at her back, is his sister Shrub, planting one of her mushrooms in the dirt.

"we should all aspire to be like Mars," the little gnome says, her voice soft and strained. she sits back on her heels, resting against Mother's chest, and sniffles.

Mother nuzzles Shrub, wrapping a large paw around her smaller body and pulling her close. Shrub, in turn, latches onto the huge direwolf and buries her face in her fur. her body starts shaking.

his siblings stay for a moment longer, nuzzling each other in comfort, then return to their posts - just because one of their own has fallen, does not mean they can slack in their duties of protecting their territory, their forest, their home.

Mars watches his sister and Mother, looking back over his short life.

-

Mars, before he was known as such, was the runt of a litter of four - Venus, Gemini, and Cancer. they were bigger than him, stronger than him, more vocal than him. he couldn't keep up with them, but they didn't hold it against him - runts happen and in this pack, the runts are well-taken care of.

Mother babied him, always kept him close and nuzzled him and made sure he never strayed far from her side. she also kept a close eye on him when he played with his littermates - if things got a bit too rough, Mother would step in and pull him away. he never liked that but who was he to argue against Mother - she's the Guardian of the Forest.

he was barely over one moon old when Shrub came into their lives. there was a storm and Mother ran from the den, he didn't know why and neither did anyone else - not his littermates, not his older siblings - but his elder brothers and sisters didn't seem overly worried, they just silently kept watch for her return.

and return she did, not long later, with a new packmate in tow. the creature, later he found she was called a 'gnome', clung to Mother's side, cold and wet, making the same sounds that he and the other pups make when they're upset. Mother brought the creature into the den and settled around the little thing, comforting it when the others came close.

thunder clashed overhead and the creature startled, the crying worsening. it wasn't his first storm but he still pushed his way to the front, to Mother, where he snuggled into her side. his siblings, littermates and all, joined into a pile.

the pups lay practically on top of the creature, vying for attention from it and Mother. and the older dire wolves lay close, bodies touching in the form of comfort, of safety, of protection.

Shrub, as she later introduced herself, was one of them from the moment Mother brought her into the den.

he grew up at the gnome's side, playing with her and learning with her the ways of the pack - how to keep guard, how to fight, how to protect their home. she in turn gave them names - Mother was dubbed Lady Sun, the eldest was Lord of the Moon, his older sisters Aries and Taurus, his older brother Mercury, his littermates Venus and Gemini and Cancer, and he was named Mars.

nearing his fifth moon, another creature came to them, a spirit, this one reeking of darkness, a permanent sinister grin on its face. Mother's kind sweet nature became that of a warrior - she stood before the beast, growling low in her throat, her body ready to spring, her hackles raised. this was the first time he'd seen Mother in such a way.

the beast, the demon - the spirits of the forest whispered - stood silently, as though unafraid of the predator defending her pack. "S̵̙͕̀̃ḣ̖̻͛̓r̴̨̦͕̝ư̡͕̭̇b��̬͖́͢," it called in a voice that was the very essence of evil. ["Shrub"]

the gnome, his sister, who was hiding with his elder siblings, broke past the defense and towards the beast, shrieking in glee. Mother tried to stop her but she was too fast.

Shrub flung herself at the beast, latching onto it and making the kinds of noises the pups make when happy. Mother watched as the beast wrapped the girl up in its arms - she growled and their gnome looked back.

"it's okay, Lady Sun," Shrub said. she released the beast from her embrace but still kept one of her paws on it. "this is my dad! they're just here to say 'hi'," she said, to Mother, to the pack, "I promise they won't hurt any of you!"

true to her word, the beast, Shrub's sire Xornoth - she named him later - never brought harm to the pack. in the time it took Mars to grow into adulthood - 24 moons, 2 cycles - Xornoth never once raised a finger against anyone. not Shrub, not Mother, not his elder siblings, not the pups that followed after him.

the demon simply watched the pack from afar, finding only companionship with their gnome.

-

and now, another several moons since, at the end of one life and the beginning of the next, the demon still watches. Mars sees them behind Mother, on a hill near one of the guardian statues.

the demon looks back at him, crimson eyes seeing him the way Mother can, and bows their head - a show of grief, of sorrow, of honor, for the life lost. he bows his head in kind, then looks to Mother.

Mother turns her head in the demon's direction and nudges the gnome clinging to her. Shrub wipes her eyes and glances up at her father when they appear closer, only a few feet away from them all.

"Dad," is all she says before flinging herself into Xornoth's arms, her crying starting up again.

the demon holds her close. "M͉̅ͮ͒ͤā̤̓̍͘r̴̨̦͕̝s̠҉͍͊ͅ f̵͖̜̉ͅo̯̱̊͊͢ư̡͕̭̇ĝ̽̓̀͑ḣ̖̻͛̓t̲̂̓ͩ̑ w̦̺̐̐͟ẹ̿͋̒̕l̙͖̑̾ͣl̙͖̑̾ͣ," they say, their voice always dripping with malevolence, but the words are softer now, gentler. ["Mars fought well"]

Mars moves to stand with Mother, nuzzling her shoulder. he vows to continue protecting the pack in his new life as a spirit.

---