#like imagine bucky singing and learning guitar

[amarriageoftrueminds]

I often think about Bucky using ballet as part of his recovery process / art therapy but this week I have specifically been thinking about Bucky and music.

Bucky recovering his voice through singing, and especially through playing musical instruments (for days when his voice won't come), because it would also be a great way for him to get used to seeing his prosthetic as creative and beautiful rather than destructive

#bucky and music #bucky barnes #ficbunny #stuckbunny #question is... if bucky could play any musical instruments before serum and if so which ones? #and does serum mean he's even better at playing it now?? 🤔 #idk sth about bucky being in an amateur band and that's part of his therapy #like imagine bucky singing and learning guitar #also I feel like hawkguy is one of nature's natural drummers so them being disabled-band-bros #bucky and dance #bucky and song #amateur sexyrockband frontman veteran bucky is the vibe #yet each man queues the thing he loves #bucky recovering

[feelmyskinonyourskin]

Not a thot but a question, do you have any headcanons for Frank/Matt/Bucky?

Ohhh yeah I have a few. Thanks for your patience, I wanted to respond to this when I could sit and think and type everything out on my computer, not on my phone. Normal HCs at the top, spicy stuff below the cut.

Matt

Okay so I had this friend in highschool who was beyond disgusted by peanut butter, no allergy just totally hated the stuff. Like wouldn't kiss his girlfriend if she'd eaten it recently. I feel like Matt has an extreme food ick like this. Def not peanut butter but something like olive oil maybe? With his sensitive senses he gags when he even gets a whiff of whatever it is.

Speaking of peanut butter, I think it's a food staple of Matt's. The man can't take care of himself, so cooking full meals is just not a thing for him. So 2AM, back from patrol and he needs something to eat. Matt just eats PB straight out of the jar with a spoon like I did for meals in college.

Frank

Loves karaoke. Well, used to when he lived a more normal life. I don't think he sings amazingly well, but he doesn't care. He plays guitar obviously and Col. Shoonover mentioned his impressions skills, so that all concludes me to the fact the Frank likes to sing. He sings to himself/along with the radio when he's driving by himself between jobs. A lot of John Denver and Elton John.

For a holiday/birthday/anniversary gift one year he absolutely recorded Maria a CD of him playing and singing a few of her favorite songs. He'd probably do the same for you too if you were dating.

Bucky

Has a bit of a video game addiction. He was so fascinated by Stark tech at the fair, that I imagine he loves learning about everything that has come along since, but really got hooked on video games. I'm thinking your standard XBOX, Nintendo or Playstation games like the MLB/Baseball game and the Mario collection. Not big on first person shooter games like Call of Duty cause he's lived it obviously. But he can literally spend hours playing like FIFA or something. Absolutely gets on live to play with Sam, AJ, and Cass all the time.

Spicy Thots under the cut, 18+ please, I tried to keep it gender neutral in terms of x reader

Matt

Is really touchy during sex and also not during sex. Since the visual stimulation of sex obviously isn't there for him, he makes up for it by always having to be pressed against you fully or by having hands roaming and groping everywhere.

But also not during sex he's always grounding himself to you by being pressed as close to you as possible. Only time he isn't is when he's in a Matty Mood™ and feels like he doesn't deserve you or you deserve better or whatever Catholic guilt BS he tells himself. He gets over it eventually.

I feel like he likes really intimate sex but also is really playful during it as well. We saw a glimpse of this in She Hulk but I also think his just generally flirty demeanor hints at this. I'm talking like does things to make you giggle in the middle of sex.

Man also has a bit of a breeding kink. He's absolutely not ready to be a parent because his life is in shambles and as much as he loved his dad, he did not have good parental examples in his life, but regardless of his partner's gender or bodily anatomy, he likes the idea of filling you up, knocking you up and having that claim on you. I'm again blaming the Catholicism somehow.

Frank

The eye contact during sex!!!! Dude lost his whole family so anything good in his life he is afraid is going to slip away so he treasures it and takes it all in. We saw this during S2 with Beth but yeah, big guy just loves to watch every facial expression you make during sex.

He's also just really tender in bed. He's not big on kink stuff but will try it if you want but just wants to feel really connected during sex. He's mostly serious in bed but in a really beautiful and intimate way.

Mostly groans and grunts but loves to thrown in a "c'mon baby girl/boy" and begs for "just one more for me"

Bucky

I wrote a whole spiel about my Bucky bedroom hcs, but here's some more.

Of the three, I feel like Bucky is most playful and open to new things in bed. I don't think any of them are open to a full on Daddy kink, dom-sub kind of play but Bucky is the most likely to lean into elements and try things. After his time being under someone else's control I think he likes to feel a little in control, especially of his own body and sex life. But again, not fully into that type of dynamic. Like he might like to boss you around a little or call you dirty names in bed. Afterall, 1940s Bucky was a total flirt and very smooth with the ladies, so it stands to reason in bed he'd still bring some of that out.

#bucky barnes #matt murdock #frank castle #sebastian stan #charlie cox #jon bernthal #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #matt murdock x reader #frank castle x reader #the punisher #daredevil #winter soldier #mcu #mcu headcanons #headcanons #nmcu

[fandomtrashfox]

Musical headcanons (Marvel)

Unrelated, but: Do you think Jonathan Crane plays the fiddle? I can see him being able to, though that might just be my music-centric brain talking.

But, to the marvel headcanons!:

-I headcanon Loki can play the harp and the violin. I didn't really see anyone saying harp that much either so I guess I’m just on my own here, but for some reason the harp just makes sense to me? Of course, he can play a few other instruments, like the guitar, but the harp and violin are his favorites and simultaneously the ones he can play the best. (We already know he can sing, so I don’t need to really mention that.)

-I, personally, can’t imagine Thor playing very many instruments, so I just leave it to: ‘He never learned how to play anything.’ But maybe he could be interested in learning after some time with the Avengers? idk

A headcanon that may surprise a few people: I don’t think Thor can play any instruments, but I do think Thor can sing. Basically what happened goes like this: Thor found out that Loki can sing, he liked the idea of it, so he also learned as well, effectively unintentionally turning that into a competition between them as well.

-Tony? I just imagine him being able to shred a guitar. Electric guitar or otherwise. And though we never see anything that implies this, I just can’t get the image of him having an entire guitar room out of my brain. (On the flip side he’s also pretty talented with the piano.)

As for singing, he can definitely.

-Steve and Bruce are on the same boat with Thor, not being able to play any instruments. However, Bucky and Steve can actually sing! I imagine Bucky can hit notes like the guy in this. The man has range. Steve learned how to sing from a few of those old war videos. Bucky actually learned on his own from sheer wanting to. Bruce meanwhile can’t sing. He sounds like a screeching cat when he tries. Hulk is no better, in fact, he somehow sounds worse.

Steve, I imagine, isn’t really the type to sing very often. Bucky even less so, it would take a lot to convince Bucky to sing at all in front of people. Though if you catch him in a good mood, you might just hear him singing to himself when he thinks he’s alone.

Bucky can also play the piano, but he rarely does so after becoming the winter soldier.

-Pietro? Yes, he can sing. He’s one of those people who has a natural talent for it even. Wanda can also sing. If I can get a bit sad here: I imagine these two used to sing lullabies to each other on rougher nights when the couldn’t sleep. Whether it was the anxiety or PTSD, giving them nightmares of the time they spent with the bomb, or what have you. The specific lullabies being ones their parents used to sing to them before they went to sleep as kids.

As for instruments? Wanda, for some reason, strikes me as the type who can play the flute? Pietro on the other hand can play the drums.

-Sam can sing. He can also play the guitar, he can even do both at the same time. He can also play the drums.

-Peter Parker is learning how to play the guitar. However, he’s also interested in learning the trombone. As for if he can sing or not? ...eh... He’s trying to get better, but, you have to start somewhere, right?

-Vision could sing if he tried, but he’s not the singing type. As for instruments? ...I mean, he’s a living AI with access to the internet, I’m pretty sure he can play just about anything on the first go.

-Natasha can sing. She can sing damn good too. She’s basically what’s called a triple threat. She can act, sing, and dance. As for instruments? She sadly never had the chance to learn any, so she doesn’t know how to play anything.

-Also, for some reason Odin gives me vibes that he knows how to play the lute and I don’t know why?

-Frigga knows how to play the harp and taught Loki how to play it, I take no criticism on this headcanon in particular.

-As much as I wish I could say that ‘Scott can sing with the best of them’, I genuinely don’t think so. He might be one of those people who thinks he can sing really good but sounds like nails on a chalk board. As for instruments? It’s about the same.

-Clint on the other hand??? I swear this man could’ve been a famous singer if he wasn’t a SHIELD agent first. This man could get into a sing-off with Loki and tie with him. Instruments? Piano and guitar, though he’s better with guitar than the piano.

#avengers #avengers headcanon #avengers headcanons #marvel headcanons #mcu headcanons #headcanon mcu #headcanons marvel #marvel headcanon #headcanon #music headcanons

[c0ffeebee]

...Diego Hargreeves for the character meme please!

alright let us talk about my son, that idiot boy of mine, my sun moon and all of my stars 💛 thanks for asking, @letsbakethatcake and the anon, is what i mean xD

OTP for them: kliego, this is the way

BROTP for them: now i'm thinking like DO | EVEN HAVE ONE?? because to me the only three relationships in his life in which he's shown to have any actual emotional investment are the relationships with mom, eudora and klaus, mom is... well mom, eudora is his ex and klaus is my romantic otp for him, but... i suppose both klaus and eudora are also my brotps for him if that makes sense? i mean eudora and him probably had romantic relationship at the time they were in the police academy together so 5-10 years ago and they still stayed in touch and their interactions mostly don't feel awkward so i imagine they were good friends both before and after they've tried to date and it didn't work, it's obvious she meant a lot to him but i don't believe they were seeing each other as potential romantic partners after that one failed attempt, so yeah, brotp it is, and since we all know romantic kliego has nothing to do with canon they are my brotp in the text of the show too

Other ships: the only thing i can think of is benkliego but even then we didn't see enough of diego and ben's interactions for me to fully commit to this concept because for now it's hard for me to see it as a relationship with a steady and even dynamics where no one feels left out or something, so benkliego as a possibility and nothing else because diego i think is one of the sooo few of my fave characters that i can't multiship for no apparent reason, i just believe he was in love with klaus for the most of his life and it doesn't mean he never loved anyone else or never tried to be happy with anyone else, he did and he was for some time (see, eudora), but klaus was and always will be kind of the person he can't un-love if i can say so, like someone he'll always choose over other people if klaus just gives him a chance to believe it's possible for things to work between them

What kind of fic I’d write about them: i'm probably gonna repeat myself here because i already answered about klaus and the thing is i only write shippy things so yeah... but of course him leaving the academy and taking klaus along with him would be something I would be interested in writing, oh and you know what? if we're talking about diego as a character i would like to write him as i see him, not the tough rough mask he wears but the soft caring person behind it, people tent to write him as this possessive aggressive macho man ready to hurt klaus and although i think everyone has a right to do whatever they want with the character i don't believe this is who diego is, i believe in diego who is soft and gentle with the people he loves, who doesn't wear any masks around his loved ones and etc, also this fandom doesn't have nearly enough bottom diego fics in it and we should all be ashamed of ourselves, look at that boy, look at him, he'd be delighted to be taken apart and letting go of all control, feeling vulnerable and seen and yet still loved and worshipped, give me all the bottom diego there is (a little note, i believe all the characters i love to be versatile because it's much more fun, and i don't have anything against the fics in which diego tops i'm just saying, you know, some variety won't hurt?)

A favorite canon moment: i can't choose god i love his so much?? every scene with grace or with klaus? "stop being so sexist"? the first moment we see him, when he's fighting the bad guys? maybe... ok i can't say it was totally my favorite but him turning grace off in the third episode? so much raw emotional vulnerability, i think it was the moment i really fell in love with the character

Color that reminds me of them: black and blue

Song that reminds me of them: bishops knife trick by fell out boy, begging for thread by banks, ambulance by my chemical romance, exit music by radiohead, like half of tua soundtrack and also a lot of "kliego" songs

A headcanon about them: diego is demisexual, he never had any real and committed romantic relationship with anyone except eudora, he tried both drinking and smoking and didn't really saw the appeal of it, he never tried any drugs tho, he still knows how to play that guitar he's got in his room, he built most of his tough exterior after leaving the academy not before, he legally changed his name from number two to diego as soon as he turned 18, he's bi (of fucking course), he likes to bottom, klaus was his first crush and first love and maybe first kiss ("for practice, right?"), grace sang him to sleep, he's not a bad cook cause he learned from mom, he treats most of his wounds himself and that's why some of his scars don't look as neat as the others, the "good" scars are the ones on which either the mom did the stitches or diego himself but only once he knew how to do it properly, the "bad" scars are the ones that were used for his practice, he doesn't like baths because he hates to be in a still water for long (training with dear old dad you know), someone please stop me, i think my answer is already far too long

A random AU I think up on the spot for them: has anyone ever talked about merman diego because of his abilities? because if not there you go, merman diego, he can even have octopus tentacles instead of a fish tale because he's the kraken after all, of course he's no little mermaid so that scenario would not work here, if he saved prince!klaus from drowning there would be no singing or "oh wow a human he's so pretty" more like "oh wow what a fucking idiot, are humans all so stupid?", i don't even think he would ask for legs so no fairytale, but we can always imagine our own plot for it

Anything else: i really want to believe those set photos where both him and klaus look like jesus and bucky barns at the same time were just like... you know... that they will look like that just for a small part of the season, but i think i've lost all hope, anyway i will love him even if he is jesus cosplayer now xD

#bee answers #diego hargreeves #letsbakethatcake #the umbrella academy

[pervyyzimniysoldat]

#ooc #tho bucky likes this song a lot too #you can just imagine him doing some some cleaning and loud singing in his kinda raspy voice #he sings goooooooood #thetruththatshouldbe #especially Cam can #because that's totally sth Bucky would do #Cam infected him with love for music so #he might beg u to learn the guitar riff Cam #he rly likes it bless him

[writingwithadinosaur]

“Thunderstruck” - Oneshot

“Thunderstruck” - Oneshot

My Masterlist - Here

My Tag List - Here

Tony Stark x Reader (Platonic)

Word Count: 1,419

Key: Y/N = Your Name, H/C = Your Hair Color, E/C = Your Eye Color

Warnings: Cursing, I think that’s all. Let me know if I missed anything!

Summary: You were recently taken in by the Avengers thanks to your ability to control electricity. But you weren’t able to spark friendly conversations with many people right off the bat.

Author’s Note: This was a random idea I had when I was out of town a few weeks ago, and I’m just now getting around to writing it! It was originally inspired by “Sweet Child of Mine” and then “Thunderstruck” came on when I was writing and it made me happy. Hope you enjoy it! <3

As always, huge shoutout to @witchymarvelspacecase for making my crazy ramblings more comprehensible and being a real person with me. <3 

If you would like to be tagged in any of my future pieces, check out my tag list above and let me know! And as always, feedback is greatly appreciated!

<3

- DreaSaurusREX

A block-wide blackout in the middle of autumn. You at the center of it

You were finally making progress You were brilliant, eased through school. You had plans for more doctorates and making advancements in technology or science or something. And you were on your way. You were currently working on an idea that, if it worked, could replace the need for multiple vaccines, and condense them all one simple, yearly vaccine.

But one small detail overlooked, and your lab partner being the clumsiest person to ever exist had ended with you being exposed to the chemical compound that you were testing.

Thankfully, there was an emergency disinfection chamber nearby that you were able to get to.

“Let just call it a night. We’ll start over tomorrow.”

“I really am sorry, (Y/N).”

“I know. Just… Come back tomorrow, prepared for a long day of focus, alright?”

She just nodded as you grabbed your bag and walked out of the lab, soaking wet, into the rain. You knew you should have brought a change of clothes like you usually did. But you were running late and ignored your routine. At this point, you just wanted to get home.

You were only a few streets away from your place. You vividly remember passing Mr. Polwiski’s Deli, then darkness.

The next thing you knew, you were on a stretcher in the back of an ambulance, pain scorching through your entire body. You could faintly hear the paramedic asking you if you knew what happened, or who you were, but you were too busy trying to focus your semi-blurry vision on your body. Your clothes were burned and torn in various places, you saw burn marks through the holes in your clothes, and you felt like you had been stung by a million bees.

Your already labored breathing became panicked when the gravity of the situation hit you, causing your brain to go into a frenzy. The internal pain kept growing, a strangled scream burst from your strained lungs.

“Ma’am! I need you to breathe! I know it's difficult, but you need to try to calm down!” The young paramedic tried to help, but it just made you more unsettled. It felt like fire was coursing through your muscles, unintentionally tensing them up. Your sobbing turned into screaming as blue sparks flew out of your hands, bouncing off the surfaces of various pieces of medical equipment, but avoiding the medical personnel on board.

The next thing you new, you felt the prick of a needle and the sweet embrace of sleep.

After that, your life was forever changed. The chemical compound that you were working on had absorbed through your skin and mutated your cells. It enhanced your body’s natural healing process by 65% as well as “blessed” you with the ability to manufacture and control electric currents. This quickly got the attention of a certain group of super people, and now you were attempting to not only adjust to your new living situation at the Avengers compound, but also your new life as a walking storm.

Being the new kid on the block was never easy. Now take that and add in Captain America, Iron Man, and all of the other Avengers, and you got a whole new kind of “not easy.” You couldn’t find it in yourself to talk to most of them. While they had shown you nothing but kindness and acceptance, you were still nervous about everything. The only one that had been able to get through to you was Bucky. He knew what it was like to be in your position, so he was the first one to really approach you as you were moving in.

The two of you would frequently be sitting together in your room, doing your own work, working on focus and control, or just watching movies. Bucky would sometimes make you move to other rooms so you got more acquainted with the facility and being around the others.

Today was one of those days.

You were working out an idea that you had stuck in your brain while Bucky was watching a movie that you had recommended him. He was just about to get to a good part of the movie when you heard the audio cut off.

“C’mon, (Y/N/N).”

“Where are we going?”

“I need food and you need a change of scenery.”

You learned that arguing with Bucky was useless. He would just throw you over his shoulder and make you move. So you just grabbed your stuff and followed him out of the room. You ended up in the kitchen, sitting at the table while Bucky fixed you both some lunch. He had just sat down to eat, when his phone went off.

“Ugh. Steve needs me to help him with a gameplan. I’ll catch you later, okay?”

“Alright. I think I’m gonna stay here. I have my stuff set up already.”

“Sounds good. You better actually eat.”

“I will. Go find your boyfriend.” You teased. Bucky threw you a look over his shoulder before disappearing.

You quickly realized how quiet it was since everyone was busy doing their work, or on a mission. Reaching for your phone, you hit the music app, and selected the playlist of songs that had been stuck in your head recently.

The sound of the guitar quickly took your mind off of everything expect the project you had been working on: a set of wrist braces that would help control the electrical impulses that your “gift” sent through your body. You had a decent handle on it, but these would act as a security blanket.

You got back to sketching out the details, and brainstorming what materials you could use. “Sweet Child of Mine” helping you ease your mind.

“Oh, oh, oh

Sweet child o' mine

Oh, oh, oh, oh

Sweet love of mine

She's got eyes of the bluest skies

As if they thought of rain

I hate to look into those eyes

And see an ounce of pain

Her hair reminds me of a warm safe place

Where as a child I'd hide

And pray for the thunder

And the rain

To quietly pass me by”

Two things slipped your notice during the verse of the song: You had quietly started to sing along, and Tony had walked in to get his umpteenth cup of coffee. The only reason you realized he was there at all was when he interrupted your train of thought, causing your pencil to scrape across the bottom of your workbook.

“How do you even know that song?” It took a second for you to respond, you weren’t really ready for interaction with anyone else tonight.

“Um… I grew up on this type of music. My sister was into it and forced me to listen.”

“Your sister sounds like someone I could get along with very--”

“She’s dead.”

“Oh… I’m sorry. I didn’t--”

“It’s fine.” You swallowed the lump in your throat and tried to refocus on your schematics. You heard Tony walk towards the table and lean over your shoulder. He picked up one of the various sheets of paper you had spread out.

“What’s this all about?” He seemed genuinely curious, which shocked you.

“Well… It’s an idea I had this morning. Thanks to me being a glorified lightning rod, I was trying to think of a way to protect myself, and others, from any outbursts.”

Tony scanned over the different styles and asked you to explain each one, wanting to hear your reasoning for keeping one element or changing something. You were nervous at first, but when he sat down next to you, and showed how invested he was in your thought process, you found it easier talking to him. After you explained the blueprint you were currently working on, Tony went silent, which made you uneasy.

“So.. Uh… Wha-what do you think, Mr.Stark?”

“First off, it’s Tony.” He flipped through the various papers until he found the one he was looking for. “Second, I think if you combine these two, you got a chance.”

“I’m- I don’t understand?”

“Keep drawing out ideas. I’m sure that brain of yours will come up with a few ways.” He patted your back before grabbing his coffee, leaving you feeling a bit overwhelmed. Before he could get far, Tony popped his head back in the kitchen.

“Come to the lab tomorrow at some point. Let’s see if we can get that doodle to dance.”

Tags - @melconnor2007 @ashenfallsof @geeksareunique @all-by-myself98 @goodnightwife @witchymarvelspacecase @theeactress @sebby-staan @feelmyroarrrr @tomorraw @marvelous-imagining @white-chocolate-mocha-fan @badassbaker @httpmcrvel @reading-in-moonlight @to-the-road 

#tony stark x reader #tony x reader #father!tony stark x reader #dad!tony stark x reader #avengers fic #avengers fandom #avengers fanfiction #avengers imagine #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfictions #oneshot #imagine #imagines

[bikerfaggot]

Bruce wiped a bead of sweat from his brow. Even though the set hadn’t yet started, the room was humid and smelled of cigarette smoke. He hated it. Open amphitheater concerts were what he vastly preferred, but those were hard to come by, especially at this time of year. His November layers lay backstage in a heap, piled on top of his car keys and Steve’s phone.

“Hello, everyone,” their band’s lead singer, who went by the stage name Valkyrie, greeted. Bruce drew himself out of his thoughts, giving the crowd a toothy grin. “We’re Punch Nazis! and we hope you enjoy our show.” She gave a whoop and produced a flask from her belt, waving at Bruce to count off.

He did, his sticks hitting the snare hard for the opening beat. Everything else went quiet in his mind as they played for the fifteen minute set, almost making him forget that this was their audition for battle of the bands. He refused to acknowledge, and by extent, get anxious over—that though, because he didn’t want to be the reason they didn’t make it. Sam and Steve strummed like this was life or death, so Bruce did the same, giving his performance an energy that he was unable to describe. He twirled his sticks between beats, double kicked the bass, and just generally turned things up a notch. Finally, it was over, and he was dripping in sweat, his arms and the backs of his shoulders burning.

Steve leaned in close to his mic and thanked the audience, before encouraging them all to “go out and punch a Nazi tonight.” Bruce smiled and stood, tucking his sticks into the back pocket of his jeans. The band exited the stage together and was greeted by Bucky, Sam’s boyfriend and the band’s occasional second bass. When he felt like it. He clapped Steve on the shoulder, excitement rolling off of him in waves.

“Guys, guys,” he said, waving at Brunnhilde to keep her from continuing backstage. “I think that that was the best I’ve seen you play.” His smile was huge, and Sam had to squeeze his hand just to get him to stop bouncing on his toes so violently. “I’m serious, the judge out there looked blown away!”

Bruce’s eyes widened. “You saw her?”

“Yeah, of course I did!”

He blinked in faux surprise. “Oh, I thought you just stood back here and ogled Sam when you weren’t on stage.” Bucky turned red and pointed a finger menacingly at Bruce’s chest, though he was barely containing a laugh.

“I’ll kill you, Banner. Don’t think I won’t.” Bruce had to bite his tongue to keep from snorting, and the two of them stared at each other in tense silence for a few seconds.

Bucky was alright, Steve had dragged him to one of the first practices and everyone hit it off really well with him (especially Sam). Bruce couldn’t shake the feeling that he knew him from somewhere, though. Maybe he looked like his mom’s brother or something. He hadn’t seen his uncle in years, so maybe that was it. Looks aside, the dude was chill. He could play bass better than just about anyone Bruce had ever met and his stone cold, yet somehow still friendly, demeanor fit in well with the group’s dynamic.

Bruce was the first to break, just as Sam started to hide his laughter from behind Bucky. Soon enough, the band was in happy shambles, the stress from their audition melting away in the hugs and shoves being exchanged. The next audition started, and Punch Nazis! moved farther backstage, where the sound from the set became warped and muted. Bruce liked the way it sounded back there, but it turned out Brunnhilde wanted to check out the competition, so they headed to the house, working their way through the thick crowd.

The band that was auditioning was fronted by a kid in a bright red hoodie who couldn’t have been more than seventeen. They were good, though, and Bruce shifted around on his feet with anxiety as he thought about their chances of beating the other seven bands who would be allowed in. If their band even made it through auditions.

He worried all through the next three auditions, his stomach twisting into knots and his head pounding. Steve gave him a knowing pat on the shoulder and leaned in close, the shitty stadium-style seat creaking loudly as he moved. “Bruce,” he whispered, eyes locked onto the stage, “we’ll make it in. Don’t worry.” Bruce gave a weak smile and nodded as his teeth started to grind together. Better to not get even more anxious, he reasoned silently. He let a shiver rack his body, even though he was still sweating from the heat and humidity in the venue. Sometimes the vibration helped to calm him down. This time the effect was mediocre, but he accepted it and focused his attention on the next band, which was coming on stage just at that moment.

The band was composed of four people with long hair, though only two of them appeared to present as women. Bruce’s anxiety faded into the background as his interest was piqued. The lead singer, a tall, dark skinned man with long dreadlocks, looked into the audience with knowing eyes, his gaze steady even through the glaring stage lights. Bruce got uneasy looking at him, like the man knew every single one of his secrets, so he looked at a different member. She was seated at the drums, her dark hair pulled in a half-up, half-down ponytail. Bruce smiled, though he knew she couldn’t see him, and watched her technique for a few seconds before his eyes slid to the next member. Her hair was inky black and came about to her shoulders, and her acid green bass was covered with the decal of a snake. Her lips were curved in a mischievous smile, again making Bruce feel uneasy.

He blinked.

He had no idea why he all of a sudden was so interested in one of the rival bands.

And then the guitarist started a solo, and Bruce’s attention was drawn in again. He hadn’t even heard the set starting, even when he was watching them all sing or play their instruments, until this. It wasn’t anything too fancy, no, but the solo finally broke through Bruce’s cloudy mind—and ears—to draw him back into reality. The guitar player, with his long blond hair, played like a god through the rest of the set, and Bruce knew, deep in his soul, that he would have to speak with these band members at some point during the competition, even though he was sure that they could grind his average playing ass under their heels.

As soon as they left the stage, Bruce became restless again. He motioned to Steve that he had to go somewhere, and darted backstage before the band could leave. He didn’t know what he was going to say when he got to them, but his heart started to beat faster and faster as he passed crew members taking their instruments off stage.

All of a sudden, he rammed into someone, and his heart stopped dead. It was the bassist, but she had put on a leather jacket since coming backstage. She sneered at him and he blurted a quick apology before stumbling over a compliment about her performance.

She narrowed her eyes. “What’s your name?”

“Bruce,” he responded quickly. She intimidated him, a lot. “Bruce Banner.” The woman nodded, a smile starting to return to her lips.

“I’m Loki,” she said, and Bruce waited for her to continue, but she didn’t. She just stood there, her eyebrow raised.

“Well, I came back to tell your band that-” He paused, his tongue suddenly frozen. The guitarist had appeared behind Loki, and his bright grin was enough to make Bruce want to pass out right then and there.

“‘That’?” Loki prompted, unaware of the man approaching.

“Oh, uh,” Bruce stammered, “you guys did great.”

She nodded again, practically oozing suspicion. “Thank you, Bryce.” He didn’t dare correct her. He nodded and gave a small smile, turning quickly to return to the audience. Bad idea, he told himself, as the guitarist asked Loki who he was. “He said his name was Bruce Banner,” he heard Loki say, and he felt a pang of confusion. Had she said the wrong name to intimidate him even further?

If so, it had worked.

After auditions, Punch Nazis! was apprehensive. Many bands that they had seen were fantastic, and the band’s insecurity in their sound kept them assuming the worst. The official webpage of the Battle of the Bands was supposed to update with the bands who had made it late the next day, so the members of Bruce’s band gathered in Bucky and Sam’s apartment to have a “depression party,” as Bucky called it.

Steve aggressively shoved his tortilla chip into the guacamole that Brunnhilde had brought as he watched the rest of the group refresh Bruce’s laptop over and over.

“Guys,” Bruce whispered half-heartedly, “you’re going to break her.” He closed his eyes and listened to the excruciating noise of the group slamming their fingers onto the touchpad.

Then, it stopped. He heard a gasp, then someone grabbed him, their fingers almost digging through his sweater.

“Bruce,” Sam said into his ear, “look!”

So he did. And it may have just changed his life.

The first round was held just a few days later, all eight bands crowded backstage of the same venue that they had auditioned in. Bruce was nominated by his friends to check which band they were competing against, but as he approached the paper with the listings on it, he saw Loki again, and froze in his step.

“Ah, hello, Bryce,” she said, walking closer. “It appears that you’ve made it in.”

Bruce nodded, his mouth suddenly dry. She was still trying to intimidate him? “And you as well, though I-” His mouth got even chalkier as the guitarist, yet again, started to walk up behind Loki. “-I knew you would. Your audition was fantastic,” he said quickly, having learned from last time. The guitarist made eye contact with him and appeared to start walking just a little bit faster, though Bruce may have been imagining it. He got there in no time, though, and that was a big problem. Bruce would have issues speaking in front of, or God forbid, to, this man.

“Bruce was your name, wasn’t it?” The guitarist asked, holding out a hand. Bruce snapped back to the moment, reaching briskly to accept the handshake.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s Bruce.” He saw Loki roll her eyes with a flourish of the hand, and Thor’s eyes flicked to her for just a moment before he let go of Bruce’s hand.

“Excuse my sister, she can be quite dramatic, both in the realm of ‘melo’ and ‘over.’” That earned a quiet laugh from Bruce, who suddenly felt the room around them quiet.

Just like a rom-com, Bruce, he thought, smiling up at the still-stranger.

“Oh!” Thor said after a beat. “How could I forget to tell you my name! I’m Thor Odinson, the guitarist in Battle Axes.”

“Bruce!” Steve called out as Bruce made his way back to the group. “Who are we versing?”

Bruce flopped into a worn leather chair and blinked at his band-mate. “What?” He asked.

Brunnhilde stood and pointed at him. “Oh my God, you didn’t even check, did you?”

“Check what?” Bruce murmured, a warmth curling through his chest.

“I’m going to go do it,” she responded, rolling her eyes and marching off quickly.

She returned just under a minute later, her boots resounding dully on the concrete floor. “Guys,” she said, breathless, “we’re on in five.”

Despite almost being late for the very first round of the competition, things were going well. Bruce had a mild splinter from his first set of sticks cracking, but he had pulled another pair out without missing a beat. Literally. After the set, the band met backstage; apparently, a certain other fairly aggressively named band was just finishing their backstage meeting. Thor gave Bruce a thumbs up as Battle Axes took the stage for their performance.

Bruce turned and watched him make sure his guitar was connected to the amp, but his vision was soon blocked by a very angry, alcoholic college dropout. “You could’ve lost this for us, Bruce.” He looked up at her and apologized sincerely, but his eyes wandered back down to the stage, where a man with long, golden hair played guitar like a god. “Oh dear Jesus, Bruce! Was it him?” Brunnhilde seemed angry again, and Bruce realized it was probably because of all of the staring.

“Yeah,” he admitted meekly. “It was. Sorry.”

She sighed and started to walk away, gently knocking her hand on the back of his head. “You can’t date him until we wipe the floor with their band. You got it?”

Bruce got it.

Bruce wiped his brow and set the drumsticks across the rim of his snare, picking up the decorational set and wedging them into the back pocket of his jeans. Final sets were over, and now it was time to be judged: Punch Nazis! vs Battle Axes. The two bands lined up next to each other, and Bruce watched as Brunnhilde smiled at Sif across the stage. Looked like she finally got over the “mortal enemies” thing. He took his chance to look over at Thor before things got bad for one of them, only to see Thor already looking at him. Thor raised his hand in a “call me?” gesture, almost making Bruce laugh out loud in front of the judges. However, he knew this was going to happen because of all of the times they had snuck into the green rooms to talk in a quiet place and sat on broken amps backstage to tell each other jokes. Calling each other post-competition was the crucial next step.

Bruce subtly asked Bucky to switch him places in the line-up, and Thor started making his way toward the center as well, until they were only a foot or so away from each other. Bruce pulled the drumsticks out and handed them over, watching the way Thor’s face scrunched up when he saw the ten digit number scrawled on both of them.

“So,” he said, leaning in so that Bruce could hear him, “I guess it is I who will be doing the calling.” Bruce laughed, motioning to the sticks.

“Sure hope you don’t break both of those, too,” he jabbed, earning a gasp.

“I thought you said you’d never talk about that again!” Thor accused, though there was no real bite. Bruce shrugged, his attention suddenly being snagged by a judge walking up to the microphone.

“Alright, everyone. It was very close between these two fantastic bands, but the winner of the New York City Annual Battle of the Bands is-”

Bruce didn’t hear the winner, as he was too busy telling Thor that the event desperately needed a shorter title.

#thorbruce #thruce #gammahammer #thunderscience #brucethor #thorbruce big bang #bruce banner #thor odinson #mine #writing #au #battle of the bands #battle of the bands au #steve rogers #bucky barnes #sam wilson #sambucky #brunnhilde #valkyrie #loki friggadottir #lady loki #lady sif #heimdall

[bbbarneswrites]

What if Bucky was a single dad?

Notes: Nearly 3k words of single daddy!Bucky and teacher!reader just because me and @pimpdaddysebastian​ love corny shit. Happy reading!

A few years in into being an official member of the Avengers, Bucky thinks he’s got everything figured out.

After the accords fiasco and his homecoming, Bucky seems to think that joining the Avengers is the only way he can redeem himself for the harm he’s caused with HYDRA and so he falls just right into the team with his skills, being assigned to special and specific missions by Steve and Natasha.

Since Romania, many things has changed for him – now he’s back in America with his best-friend by his side, a new arm that doesn’t feel like a dirty reminder of his past and a mind to call his own thanks to T’Challa and the wakandan doctors. He’s no longer considered a fugitive, he doesn’t have to worry about looking for his back anymore and he’s glad about having a proper roof upon his head for a change. 

Bucky thinks he’s got everything figured out until he’s assigned to a mission in Germany. 

The gruesome memories of his past hits him hard as he enters the shady lab, originally meant to experiment on humans and mutants but now looking recently abandoned at the word of the Avengers arrival. And even though the atmosphere is way too familiar for his own comfort, Bucky is set and focused to finish the mission. 

That is, until the hears the soft cries of a baby coming from one of the cells. 

He nearly doesn’t believe his eyes once he breaks the cell’s door and and sees the small body rolling around on the floor, protected with just a few pillows and a thin blanket. Bucky doesn’t waste any time on crouching down to cradle the baby in his arms and he can’t help but feel angry at the monsters who left the child behind without second thought. 

To say the team is surprised to see him stepping into the quinjet with the baby curled up against his chest is an understatement but nobody dares to say a thing, even after they land at the base and Bucky’s storming off to his room with Steve and Sam on his tail. 

Steve and Sam don’t even know what to say when Bucky states he’s keeping the baby no matter what, immediately turning down every other option they give. All that’s left for them to do is to help him settle for the night with Wanda’s help, feeding and bathing the baby as best as they can with no resources or skills at all. 

Bucky spends that night completely awake, eyes set on the small child sleeping soundly beside him on the bed. A brown haired baby girl that holds a pair of big hazel eyes that he names her after. 

The next day is just as eventful as the previous one as he goes out shopping for baby stuff with Steve and Sam.

It’s a sight to behold really, Captain America pushing a cart with a chirpy baby girl sitting inside while the Falcon and Winter Soldier fight over what to buy in the middle of a Buy Buy Baby store. 

The first week is confusing and difficult at times but Bucky doesn’t mind one bit as he starts to remember helpful bits and pieces of his childhood with baby Rebecca. By the second week, all Natasha can do is tease him about being a father, Wanda is surprised that he’s picked up the skills this fast and Steve and Sam are still clueless as ever, so much that Bucky actually starts to teach them how warm Hazel likes her milk, how to hold her during a feed or what they should use to give her a bath. 

With Helen’s help (even though dealing with babies is not even near her speciality), they find out she’s probably nearing her 6th month and Bucky straight up dives in websites and books to learn more about the said stage. 

Some of her actions start to make sense once he reads a book about baby development – she’s always grabbing at whatever she can reach as she’s growing fascinated with feeling different textures, her eyes are always in alert and she seems to notice every little detail on whatever it’s around her and every once in a while he catches her babbling to whoever is speaking at the moment. 

That means she’s fascinated in grabbing (more like pulling) his hair and feeling his beard, highly attentive to people (she likes to stare at Vision a lot) and very well-acquainted with FRIDAY (the A.I. seems to love her babbling just as much she loves its voice). 

Hazel completely warms up her way up into everyone’s hearts and soon there’s an actual fight over who’s going to be her godfather and godmother. 

Steve looks like he’s about to burst with joy when Bucky announces there’s no way her godfather could be anyone but him and Natasha...just threatens anyone who try to fight her for the godmother spot. 

The Avengers routine gets completely upside down with the baby girl’s arrival and after a while they all have an actual schedule as to when to prepare her meals and milk, to put her to take a nap, to take her for a bath and bed. Not to mention the base itself that is now littered with baby accessories and toys everywhere, all the possible dangerous places babyproofed or locked. 

Hazel starts crawling about her 10th month but when she actually starts walking nearing her 1st birthday, everyone goes in full panic resulting in a constant proud superheros watch over her every step. 

Her 1st birthday party is just a small gathering with the team but still memorable enough. 

The living room ends up completely taken by colorful balloons as they all wear rainbow colored party hats, with Hazel looking nothing but delighted during the whole ordeal. The party also ends up resulting on Hazel’s first meeting with the God of thunder (who actually wanted to take her to Asgard for a quick visit) and a series of photos (Bucky especially loves the one his baby girl is all dirtied up with cake) that turn into a cute scrapbook made by Wanda later. 

Ever since Bucky got the baby books months ago, he’s been actually conversing to Hazel as a way to encourage her speech. It isn’t unusual to find him randomly talking to her in every room of the base and everyone gets used to it at some point though there’s an occasional teasing jab here and there sometimes. 

Nobody thinks much of it until she’s a few weeks past her 1 year-old mark and she starts calling out Bub up and down everytime Bucky’s in the room. 

(After a week, everyone is fed up with Bucky and his constant smug smirk whenever Hazel calls for him).

If the place had gotten sweeter upon her arrival months ago, now that Hazel’s actively speaking and walking it’s decidedly even better. 

She picks up some russian terms of endearment Natasha’s teached and starts calling everyone that way (even FRIDAY), sings a few of the indie songs Wanda plays with her guitar (and dances to match it), learns to call all the team as auntie and uncle (though Vision doesn’t understand why) and runs everywhere around the base with her toys (so much they thought they’d lost her once). 

To Bucky, her arrival means more than he’d ever imagined. 

He gets to fall asleep everyday with his baby cuddling his side and wake up to her either taking up the whole space on the bed or palming his cheeks with her little hands as she kisses him good morning. He gets to hear her giggle and watch her dance and sing and run as the healthiest and happiest kid he’s seen. He gets to tell her stories about his childhood with Uncle Steve. He gets to see her face light up as she screams his name excitedly everytime he comes back from a mission. He gets to see her worried about his injuries and he gets to cheer her up when she’s sad. 

His little baby changes his life completely and though he’s never planned or even thought about having a child, he can’t think of any other different way to live his life from now on. Hazel completely owns his heart and he’d do anything for her. 

Watching her grow up is a painful but yet pleasing feeling and when she completes 4 years-old, she’s so smart and outgoing that Bucky decides to sign her up for school as much as it worries him. 

(Her first day goes as smoothly as it can and despite Bucky’s absolute denial, he nearly tears up when she runs up the school’s stairs without a single bit of hesitation). 

Now that she’s in school, there’s a new routine – Bucky wakes up a little earlier to get her ready, Steve or Sam prepare her lunch after their breakfast and they all drop her off in the building before their usual morning run. 

(Hazel only leaves after she says goodbye to everyone in the base with sleepy kisses and hugs so every now and then they get a little late). 

Just like Bucky wasn’t expecting Hazel to appear in his life, he isn’t expecting you. 

The first time he actually speaks to you isn’t on a good note. 

All that he knows is that you’re Hazel’s kindergarten teacher and all the interaction you both had had been just a wave or a smile here and there when he dropped her off. Until mother’s day comes along and obviously an issue is raised in that matter. 

You know that Hazel stands out in the class for being an Avenger’s daughter and when it’s time to make crafted artworks for mother’s day, you quickly encourage her to do one for her father just as much you encourage the other kids who are in a similar situation. 

But the little girl is just too curious for her own good and once she starts questioning why she has to make it for her father instead of a mother, you can only think of calling the said man to explain the whole ordeal. 

Bucky has been through hell and back during his life but once you explain what’s been happening, he can’t help but feel insecure. During all those years, he’s been doing his best to raise her but at that moment all the can think of is that his best isn’t enough for Hazel. That maybe she could’ve been better with an actual normal family, not a bunch of superpowered people that could die at any moment. 

He doesn’t know how but you seem to pick up on his sudden nervousness but hearing that he is doing a great job by raising a sweet, smart, polite little girl calms his heart to no end. 

Past the mother’s day incident (that Hazel overcame by doing crafted artworks for the whole team instead), the little girl seems to grow fond of you by each day. 

Bucky grows used to seeing her say goodbye to her teacher with a tight hug and a big kiss and listening her gush about all the things Ms. (L/N) does for her in class. Coming to think of it, that’s probably how the both of you end up getting closer to each other – due to Hazel’s innocent matchmaking. 

It starts off with conversations solely focused on Hazel but after a few weeks, you both notice that the chats start to escalate to more than just school subjects. 

He doesn’t know if it’s Hazel’s doing or not but Bucky notices that Steve and Sam are picking up on it too and so they start to constantly tease him for it. So much that now they insist on going to pick her up too just so they can watch his misery. 

(There’s this day where Steve and Sam randomly show up at the school in time to catch you and Bucky talking rather excitedly as Hazel cuddled up to your side. 

You swear that the sight of the two Avengers smiling smugly at you as they stood with their arms crossed will never get old). 

As father’s day comes along a few months later, Bucky gets a better surprise. 

During all these years, Hazel’s always called him Bucky like everyone else. She grew up used to that and he’s never thought of changing it. She’s always been his daughter for him but there was always this small bit of insecurity that held him back of seeing himself as a father, especially with his past. But then there’s day she comes home from school with a pretty colored father’s day card a handmade gift that she hands him after a hug and a kiss and his heart is completely melting. 

Bucky doesn’t think it can better until she just nonchalantly calls him daddy for the first time later in the same day.

He’s just getting the plates out for her lunch when she goes, daddy, can I have some juice? and his heart is beating so fast that he feels it might jump out of his chest. The best part of it is that Hazel seems to be unfazed to his sudden wide eyes, rather seeing the whole situation as natural. 

The second best part is seeing the team’s reaction when she suddenly screams daddy! as Bucky enters the tv room before the movie night. Bucky has to yet see the Earth’s mightiest heroes that surprised again. 

At her 5th birthday party, Bucky gathers enough courage to invite you even though he knows he most definitely would have given up if it wasn’t for Hazel’s insistence. 

He isn’t expecting you to stay once the party’s over, protesting that you want to help with the clean-up despite the late hour and the lame excuse that there isn’t much to actually help with. 

As much as he tries to not to, Bucky can’t help but see you in a different light after that night. It feels good to know that there’s a connection between you two that goes beyond Hazel. You’re suddenly not just her teacher anymore though it warms up his heart to see that you and his baby still have some sort of bond even outside the school’s confines. 

Any shade of doubt Bucky previously had is thrown away when you kiss him midway through the clean-up, your smiling lips against his as you joke that you most definitely shouldn’t be doing this. 

Your relationship progresses with baby steps as you’re both trying to not mess the whole situation. 

Hazel is technically still your student and neither of you want to mix things up too fast in fear for your job, Hazel’s wellbeing and your blossoming partnership. The dates are quiet and intimate at small restaurants or your place. The nights you spend together (while the team babysits Hazel) are a delight even though Bucky always has to leave in the middle of the night in order to get Hazel ready for school in the morning. The phone calls and texts always have that teasing sense attached showing how comfortable you both grew to be around each other. 

It comes to the point where you think that maybe this could be real for good. 

It’s a challenge to convince Hazel that she can’t talk about them to her classmates and that you’re still her teacher no matter what’s been happening. But the little girl is just so ecstatic with the news that she promises (with both pinky fingers) to keep the secret if that means Ms. (L/N) will be around all the time. 

Bucky’s life after Hazel’s arrival had been amazing and he didn’t think it could be better until he saw himself with his two girls. 

There’s no words to describe the hapiness Bucky feels when he receives cute selfies and texts from both of you as you’re babysitting Hazel for the weekend with the whole team on a mission. Or when he’s welcomed home in the sweetest way ever with kisses and hugs and joyful giggles. Or when he falls asleep right in the middle of you cuddling the hell out of him and wakes up in the morning to see you happily interacting during breakfast. 

His girls never fail to amaze and overwhelm him – with love and affection, the little but sweet actions (handmade gifts and letters and drawings that never get old), little quirks and the loving relationship that is build (so much that Hazel’s second mother’s day gift is given to you). 

What Bucky feels for the both of you is beyond him but once again he finds a new purpose when Hazel gets a baby sister a few years later. 

Brooklyn is born a few months after Hazel’s 7th birthday and despite her first jealous reaction, she’s just as excited as her parents to welcome (and actually name) her little sister. 

And it’s only then, with his now three girls, that Bucky thinks he can finally say he’s got everything figured out.

#bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #the winter soldier #the winter soldier x reader #bucky barnes fanfiction #the winter soldier fanfic #bucky x reader #bucky barnes imagine #the winter soldier imagine #marvel #marvel imagine #avengers #avengers imagine #single dad!bucky #au #headcanons #pimpdaddysebastian #hc posts

[leisurelypanda]

They had a week to spend together before school was due to start up. The day after Thor returned was spent much like the first, alternating between sex and sleep and the occasional break for other needs. When they weren’t having sex or sleeping, they talked. About random, nonsensical things like stars, celebrities, sea turtles, sports, and anything in between. Steve traced patterns onto Thor’s body as he listened to him reminisce about his summers playing rugby or soccer.

“Are you planning to tattoo my body, Steve?” Thor asked with a laugh. Steve chuckled. “Because if so, I’ve always wanted a dragon.”

“I could be tracing the dragon’s fire breath,” Steve mused. He could picture his boyfriend with a dragon tattoo. It could be pictured flying on his back with the tail coming up to curl around his bicep.

“Make it lightning,” Thor murmured. Steve looked up at him and grinned as he shook his head.

“Dragons don’t breathe lightning,” he said, laughing. “They breathe fire. Everyone knows that.”

“He’s special,” he said with a pout. “Stop bashing my dreams.”

Steve laughed and pressed a kiss to his pouty lips until Thor returned it. “Fine, I’ll make him with lightning,” he said. “Happy, you big baby?”

“Yes,” Thor with that big, dorky smile

“It would probably be easier to use your back with the dragon flying below and storm clouds on top,” Steve mused. “Or if he really needs to breathe lightning, it could be on one of your biceps and the head could go over your shoulder and breathe lightning across your chest.”

“Älskling, I was just joking,” Thor replied, an amused smile on his face. “But I like that idea. It sounds badass.”

Steve hummed and rested his head against Thor’s arm. His arm came to rest over his chest and started tracing circles on him. He suppressed a moan as Thor traced a finger around his nipple, close enough to be teasing. But they had just finished their latest round and Steve “the insatiable” was in the mood for a break.

“I’m thinking of getting a tattoo,” he said. Thor didn’t pause, but he hummed.

“What kind?” he asked.

“I was thinking of getting one of Michael,” he said.

“Who’s Michael?” Thor asked, a bit sharply. Steve chuckled. He’s jealous, he thought to himself. He laughed again. “What’s so funny?”

“Michael is an archangel,” Steve explained. “I remember that much from Sunday school. Anyway, he’s supposed to fight the devil or he may have kicked him out of heaven or something.”

“Sounds impressive,” Thor said, noncommittally. “Where would you put him?”

“On my rib cage,” he replied. “Over the… the scars there. He’d have a shield and sword and be holding down a snake.”

“Why a snake? Sorry to ask, but I do not know much about Christian stuff,” he said.

“It’s fine, I don’t know much more than you do. It’s supposed to represent the devil or something,” Steve said. Thor hummed.

“What about the other scars?” Thor asked.

“I haven’t decided yet,” Steve said. “But I want to do something to like, leave them in the past, or something.”

“I understand,” Thor said.

“You don’t mind?” Steve asked.

“Steve, it is your body,” Thor said, kissing him. “If it makes you feel good, I am happy. Besides, tattoos are sexy.”

Steve laughed and kissed him again. Thor grinned against his lips and rolled over on top of him. Steve sighed as he felt his lover start to harden against his thigh.

“Who’s insatiable now?” Steve asked. Thor silenced him by nipping at his ear.

“We can stop if you really want,” Thor whispered.

“Don’t you dare,” Steve replied. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

The first week of school came as all returns to school do. With rowdy kids and tired teachers alike wishing that the break had lasted longer than it did. If there was a sympathetic bone in any of the teachers who taught the Advanced Placement classes, they made no appearance. Even Ms. Foster gave a small mountain of lab reports after she was finished going over the syllabus for the rest of the year. Steve was starting to wonder if he was going to have to sell some of his soul to the devil in order to actually survive the school year.

By the end of the week, however, everyone had survived. No major catastrophes had occurred and outside of having plain old, regular anxiety, Steve was doing pretty well. He would take regular anxiety over the all-consuming terror that visited regularly any day. So that Friday, he and Thor decided to stay for the Gay-Straight Alliance meeting. It was a decently sized club. There was some show of Tony, the president (because of course he was) announcing the plans for the upcoming week, which apparently included karaoke night at a local teen bar. Steve wasn’t sure about it, especially when Thor announced that he wanted to go. He made a mental note to bring earplugs.

Aside from the itinerary, the meeting was mostly a time for just hanging out and catching up after the break. Tony ducked out as soon as his part was done to get to auditions for some Shakespearean play that Steve couldn’t remember the name of. Steve and Thor were hanging out by one of the lab tables when a new face appeared.

“Um, excuse me,” she said, she held out her hand timidly. “I am Wanda. Wanda Maximoff. I’m an… exchange student.”

Steve saw Thor’s eyes light up at her voice. He said something in German. Steve didn’t know anything about the language, but he could recognize the question when he heard it. Wanda’s eyes lit up and they launched into a conversation that Steve couldn’t follow if his life depended on it. He awkwardly sipped his punch, feeling a bit like a third wheel. But he figured Thor was trying to make her feel welcome. They had that bit about being from different countries in common, after all.

“This is Steve,” Thor said as he suddenly switched to English. “My boyfriend. He’s an artist.”

Steve blushed a little (a lot) at the pride in his voice. “It’s nice to meet you, Wanda,” he said. Her eyes widened even further as she regarded him.

“What do you do?” she asked. “I mostly play the guitar and violin, mainly, but I also am a photographer.”

“That’s quite a combination,” Steve said, chuckling. “I just sketch with colored pencils. Nothing fancy.”

“Älskling, you are too modest, as always,” Thor replied.

Steve blushed and moved to hide his face in his cup. Thor just laughed.

“So Wanda,” he asked. “Where are you from? Your English and German are very good.”

“Romania,” she said. “What about you?”

“Sweden,” Thor replied. “It is good to meet another European. Americans only speak English and it gets dull after a while.”

“Hey!” Steve protested. “I took 3 years of Spanish.”

Thor scoffed, giving him a sidelong look. “And how much of that do you remember?” he asked.

“Not a word,” he admitted.

“See? You can’t learn a language just in a classroom,” Thor replied. “The best way to learn a language is to use it in real life.”

“Do not worry Steve,” Wanda said with a glint of mirth in her eyes. “It’s not too late to learn.”

“I could teach you Swedish,” Thor said. Wanda made a face.

“Are you crazy?” she demanded. “Teach him German first, it’s more useful.”

She waved a boy over who looked to be the same age as her. He had warm brown eyes and he walked with a swagger in his step, cocky and self-assured. He had wavy blond hair that was dark at the roots as opposed to her straight brown. For some reason he reminded Steve of Bucky, just a little bit. He said something to her in a language he didn’t recognize, but he figured it was Romanian.

“This is my brother, Pietro,” she said. “Pietro this is Thor and his boyfriend, Steve.”

“Good to meet you,” Steve said, shaking his hand. “How are you finding New York?”

“It is incredible,” he replied with a smile. “You have everything here. In Romania, we lived in Bucharest and it is beautiful, but New York is incredible.”

Steve felt a small amount of pride that the city he called his home measured up to some old European cities. He always imagined that the architecture in old European cities must make New York look like a sprawling, if modern, mess. He imagined it was like walking into the past. His city was amazing and not everything was so modern, but it definitely seemed younger.

“I have always wanted to see Bucharest,” Thor replied with a smile. “I want to take a tour of Europe someday and see everything.”

“It is a beautiful city,” Wanda agreed. The three of them began talking and debating the various cities in continental Europe, where they most wanted to go. Steve interjected every now and then about where he would want to go if he had the chance, but aside from that he felt like there wasn’t much to say. He had been in one place all his life, aside from occasional trips to New Jersey or Philadelphia. He became uncomfortably aware of how well travelled this group was in comparison to him.

His awkwardness was interrupted by Ms. Foster making an announcement that the club meeting was over since the school was closing.

“Everyone, don’t forget that we have the charity karaoke night for the Trevor Project coming up next week,” she said. “We hope to see you all there. It’s gonna be a great night!”

“Steve, we have to go,” Thor said. “It’s going to be so much fun!”

Steve made a valiant effort to say no, but faced with such childlike enthusiasm made it difficult. Thor was actually excited to do this and it was hard to deny him. He would just have to take earplugs and hope that whatever Thor decided to sing, it wouldn’t be too loud. Or maybe he could get the bar to turn up the music to drown him out without everyone going deaf. Not likely, but possible.

“You and Pietro have to come as well,” Thor continued. “It will be a night to remember!”

“I would love to go,” Wanda replied smiling. “We have nothing planned that night.”

Thor turned to Steve with his eyes wide and brimming with excitement, making Steve smile in spite of himself. He couldn’t resist him when he looked like that, not when it was about rollercoasters or apparently karaoke.

“Yes, I’ll go,” he sighed. “But only cause you’re cute.”

Thor beamed and pressed a kiss to his temple. Steve grumbled something about him being a big baby as he hid his blushing face. He was looking forward to going out with him and the new kids from Romania. If only Bucky could see him now, making friend with international students and slowly but surely coming out of the shell he had been in for so many years. They got to the front of the school and he saw his mom and Mr. Baker chatting together as they waited to pick up their respective boys.

“You’re still coming over tomorrow, right?” Thor asked. “To study.”

“Yeah, you bet,” Steve said. Thor smiled and kissed him lightly.

“I hope your appointment with Dr. Erskine goes well,” Thor said as he headed towards his car. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Erskine was as warm and welcoming as always. Steve relayed how his holidays had gone, how he had coped with Thor leaving for Sweden for a while, how he felt about that. He talked about how he was making new friends and how different his life seemed so different now than it was last year.

“And how has your anxiety been since we last saw each other?” Dr. Erskine asked.

“I’ve been having a good time of it lately,” he said. “It’s there, but it seems more manageable now. I still have panic attacks, but they’re less frequent than before.”

Dr. Erskine smiled and nodded. “Well, in light of that, how would you feel about coming off the medication entirely?”

Steve paused. It was true, they had been gradually reducing his medication from when he first started the treatment for his disorder and he knew that getting off the meds entirely was always the goal, but he was still unsure about what that would mean for him now.

“I don’t know,” he answered. “I’ve been on meds in some form or fashion for so long that I’m not sure how to feel.”

“Your ability to function has improved greatly since we’ve been working together,” Dr. Erskine said. “I remember when you came in a couple months ago and you were convinced that you were not making any progress. But today you tell me that your life is much easier now than it was before.”

“But what if I’m not ready?” Steve asked.

“Nothing need be decided now,” his counselor said. “But it is something to discuss with your doctor. The decision is yours.”

He walked out of his session feeling more anxious than he had going in. That Dr. Erskine believed that he could do it was a small comfort, but he was still nervous about actually going off his meds. Who knew if it would last, if he would be able to function at all. Theoretically, he wanted to be able to function like a normal person. But at the same time, this had been part of his life for so long. Who would he be if it worked? Would it get worse and he’d have to go back on? Would he be fine? How long would it take to figure out what life was like for him? What if he started having more panic attacks? What if he wasn’t as in control as he thought he was? Whatever happened, his life was about to change. -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Unfortunately, Steve had little time to adjust to this news. Bucky was returning to Penn State today. This time, Thor came with him to the station to help him see Bucky off. Thor followed them into a fast food joint where they killed time until Bucky’s train was ready for boarding. Apparently it was tradition at this point for the two of them to hang out eating burgers until he left, so he joined in. They weren’t that bad considering the fact that it was a fast food place.

“Ugh, I don’t want to go back, Steve,” Bucky said, hanging his head. “Why did you let me go to Penn State anyway?”

“Football scholarship,” Steve replied. “Besides, you’re starting your kinesiology major this semester! Aren’t you excited?”

“Sure,” Bucky said hesitantly. “I don’t know, I guess I’m just worried I’m gonna suck.”

“That kind of attitude is gonna bite you in the ass someday,” Steve said.

Bucky grinned. “Someone should,” he replied. “It’s a nice ass.”

Steve snorted his drink and erupted into a horrible coughing fit. Thor couldn’t help but laugh at the top of his lungs as his boyfriend doubled over, trying to clean off his face and shirt from the soda. Bucky was laughing his head off, too. Steve glared at both of them.

“I hate you,” he declared. “Both of you. I’m not gonna miss you at all.”

“Oh come on, Stevie,” Bucky said. “You know you love me. And you’re never gonna stay mad at Thor.”

“Nope, we’re done,” Steve said adamantly. “I’m hooking up with Loki and Tony now.”

“Well, just as forewarning,” Bucky said. “You’re gonna in for some crazy stuff and it’s gonna last all night long.”

“I did not need to know that about them,” Thor groaned. “It’s bad enough that they’re all over each other in public, I do not need to know what they get up to in private.”

“Why?” Steve asked. Thor almost groaned. Bucky got a wicked gleam in his eye.

“Tell me, Stevie,” he said. “Do you know what a dom is?”

This time Thor snorted into his drink. Baldr must have not approved of his laughing at his lover’s expense or something. Or perhaps Loki’s namesake was messing with him. Or perhaps his brother set his namesake on him out of spite or just because he was bored.

“What’s a dom?” Steve asked, pointedly ignoring Thor’s plight. Dear gods, do not let Bucky tell my sweet, innocent boyfriend this, Thor prayed silently.

“Maybe Thor will tell you,” Bucky said with a wink. “If you ask nicely.”

Steve looked at him expectantly and gasped as Thor actually blushed about as red as Steve did at the drop of a hat. Both of them started laughing at them. A god was definitely out to get him today, but this was one subject that Thor was pretty sure Steve was not ready for. Best to let this be.

“I’ll tell you when you’re older,” he replied. Steve rolled his eyes while Bucky snickered and Thor thanked the gods that neither of them pressed the issue.

The rest of the their brief time together was spent rehashing old stories from before Thor knew Steve. He gained a newfound respect for his little lover after hearing about some of the shenanigans he and Bucky got up to over the years. Most of it was normal teenager stuff like sneaking into an R rated movie or something. But then there was the story about how Bucky had dared Steve to graffiti the back of a restaurant in Brooklyn.

“We almost got arrested, Buck,” Steve said, flushed with a smile on his face. “That was a terrible idea.”

“Dude, it was worth it to see you draw a giant dick on that wall,” Bucky cried. The corners of Thor’s mouth crept up in a smile at the thought.

“You little hellion,” he said, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Tell me this place is still around, I want to see it.”

“Really?” Steve asked.

“It got scrubbed clean,” Bucky said, fishing his phone out of his pockets. “But I have a picture.”

Sure enough, there was a picture of a big, blue penis on the side of a building and another picture of Steve putting it there. Thor laughed at it for longer than was strictly necessary, but the thought of his tight-laced boyfriend tagging buildings was just too much.

“Just think of what your dad would say if he only knew,” Steve said with a grin. “His opinion of me would drop through the floor.”

“I think it’s a bit late for that,” Thor said with a twinge of regret. His father’s irrational opposition to his relationship with Steve was still a bit of a sore spot.

Shortly after this story they made their way to the terminal where Bucky would leave to get on his train. Thor could tell that Steve was saddened by it. He squeezed his hand comfortingly. When they arrived, Steve practically tackled his friend in a hug, much in the same way that he had when Thor returned from Sweden a couple weeks ago. He felt a faint bit of jealousy as he watched Bucky’s arms wrap around his lover. He suppressed it immediately. Steve was allowed to have close friends. The gods knew that he had few enough of them without Thor getting territorial whenever he wanted to show some kind of affection with them.

“I’ll miss you,” he heard his lover say. Bucky closed his eyes and hugged him a little tighter. Curious, Thor thought to himself.

“Yeah, I’ll miss you too, you punk,” Bucky replied. “I’ll text you when I get back.”

“You’d better, you jerk.”

Bucky walked off with his bags and waved one last time before disappearing through the terminal. Steve stood there, laced his fingers together with Thor’s and squeezed. Thor returned the gesture, trying his best to comfort his lover.

“It’s silly, isn’t it?” Steve said. “I keep thinking it’ll be easier next time, watching him leave. And I have more friends now and everything and it’s still hard to see him leave.”

“He is your best friend,” Thor replied softly. “It is not silly in the slightest. I miss my friends every time I leave Sweden.”

“I’ve never asked about your friends in Sweden,” Steve said.

“We are all part of a little pagan community there,” Thor explained. “You would like them. You are as brave and fierce as any of them.”

Steve was silent for a moment. Thor couldn’t tell what was going through his mind, whether he was sad or afraid or just thinking. He refrained from asking. Then, Steve started walking in the direction of the subway silently.

“Thank you for coming,” he said as they waited for the train. Thor squeezed his hand again and smiled down at him.

“Anytime,” he replied. “I just wish I had more time to get to know him.”

“Why’s that?” Steve asked, genuinely curious.

“He is your best friend,” Thor said. “And he seems a good man. I like him.”

“You played football together,” Steve pointed out.

“But we never really hung out outside of that,” Thor countered. “I do not know much about him beyond his athletic ability.”

Steve was silent for a moment. “Bucky’s coming back for spring break in March,” he said. “Maybe we can all hang out sometime.”

Thor smiled down at him. “I would like that.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bucky turned around as he was leaving to steal one final glance at Steve. He was walking away, hand in hand with Thor, whom Bucky had once had a crush on in between dealing with his feelings for Steve. But since Thor never really responded to anything Bucky had done, he gave up eventually.

He tried not to feel bitter that they had ended up together as soon as he left. Sometimes it was easy, like when they were all laughing together or hanging out. Sometimes… not so much. Sometimes Bucky had to remind himself that he might have what he wanted if he had just had the nerve to say something.

But they were happy together. He couldn’t say something now. However much he might want to be with Steve, or Thor, Bucky cared more about their happiness. Bucky would just mope on the train ride back to Pennsylvania and try to get that out of his system by the time he met his friends at college. It always felt a little like running away or disappearing when he left Brooklyn for Penn State. It always came with a mix of sadness and relief. Bucky could forget his relationship troubles there, throw himself into football practice or schoolwork.

Who knows? he thought. Maybe Nat’s right. Maybe something might still come of it.

Bucky tried to hold onto that hope as he turned around and headed for the train. Nat was usually right about these things. Hell, that was how she and Clint got together and they were as good a couple as Steve and Thor. He got on the train, grabbed a seat, put his earphones in, and turned up some music. Bucky had a few hours to sulk before his stop. He intended to make use of it.

#thundershield #stevethor #thorsteve #steve rogers x thor #marvel #avengers #Ballad of the Thundering Heart #Thundering Heart #fanfic #my work

[blissfullylostinarabbithole]

Soldier’s Heart Pt. 4 (Final)

Pairing: Bucky x Reader

Word Count: 3.8k

Summary: Desperate for answers, Flower asks Wanda to help her recover her memories. Bucky’s torn between what he wants, and what’s best for her.

Warnings: A liiiitle angst, but I’m a weenie so it’s all good.

A/N: Again, Bold is in meant to be in Russian. That’s it for this one! Thank you for reading!

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There was a restlessness in Bucky that didn’t escape anyone’s notice. He spent long hours at the gym, took more missions than any of the others, and he began to encourage Y/N to do things on her own. At first she was perplexed, then hurt that he seemed to be pushing her away, but when he explained that they both needed to rediscover who they were, she reluctantly agreed.

As a result, the others started spending time with her, and teaching her about various things she missed out on. Tony, still convinced his theory was correct, took it upon himself to show her the turn rock music took in the 70s and 80s, Sam began to teach her to cook, and Clint started a little vegetable garden with her. Natasha had asked her, loud enough for Bucky to hear, if she wanted to learn to shoot. She politely declined, but not before Bucky stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

The twins spent the most time with her. Being closer to her age than the others, they felt a special connection with her. They spent most of their time watching movies and playing games, hoping to capture something they all felt they missed out on as children.

“What can your power do, exactly?” she asked Wanda one day. “Could you pull my memories free?”

“I don’t know,” Wanda replied apprehensively. “The only time I’ve done anything that serious is when I tried removing the trigger words from Bucky. I was only able to remove two.”

“Would you be willing to try?” she asked hopefully. “Maybe I only need a tug. One memory to open the floodgates…”

“If you really want me to.” Wanda didn’t like it, but she wouldn’t deny her friend if she had her heart set on it.

“Please.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“You should sleep,” he murmured.

“No.” She snuggled into him, pressing as much of her skin as she could to his. “I never get to keep you for long; I’m not wasting a moment with sleep. Especially if I don’t know when I’ll see you again.”

He brought her hand to his lips and placed kisses on her knuckles. “You know I want to stay, but I can’t risk being found with you.”

“I know. It doesn’t mean I don’t hate seeing you go.”

He pulled her on top of him, rubbing her back as she nuzzled into his neck. “One day, we’ll be able to leave; find somewhere quiet where they’d never find us. When the day comes they wouldn’t dare look for me, I’ll find you.”

“How can you be sure you’ll remember?” she voiced the thought that plagued her. “Every time I see you it takes you a while to recognize me.”

“But I do, don’t I?” He pulled away, lifting her chin so he could look into her eyes. “I promise, no matter how long it takes, I’ll remember, and I will come for you.”

They spent the night in each other’s arms, making every minute count. He would be gone before sunrise, leaving them both wondering in the back of their minds if this would be the last time they’d see each other.

Making her way back to the camp, she crossed paths with two men conversing in hushed voices in a language she didn’t understand. She smiled and nodded a greeting, which they returned.

“Is that the same girl from last time?” one asked as she passed.

The other watched as she walked away. “Yes, it is.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Bucky watched her from afar, being careful not to be seen. He missed her, and he knew she missed him, but the growing fear inside him kept him from getting too close.

“Hey,” Steve snapped him out of his thoughts, waving a thick folder in front of him. “These are all her files. I figured you’d want to look over them together before anyone else.”

“I,” he tried to speak, but the words got caught in his throat. “I can’t. I mean, I know I have to, to face whatever I’ve done to her, but I can’t.”

“Woah, hey,” he soothed at seeing the tears pool in his eyes. “You don’t know you’ve done anything. And if you had, I’m sure she’ll forgive you. She loves you more than anything.”

“Why?”

“Only she can answer that,” he smiled sympathetically.

“What if she can’t?” There was no hiding the panic he felt. “What if we find I did something awful to her, and she hates me?”

“Is that why you’ve been avoiding her?” Steve sighed when nodded. “Remind her who you are now. Stop hiding from her, and show her you adore her.”

“Steve?” Bucky called as he was walking away. “Could you look through it first? Let me know if I need to brace myself?”

Steve looked out the window toward the meadow, where Y/N and Wanda were talking. “Sure.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

She was sitting by the campfire, her companions already asleep, when her attention turned to some rustling in the distance. Thinking it was a deer, she ignored it, until it began to get closer. She picked up her friend’s guitar, ready to make noise and scare the animal away, and froze at the sight before her. The soldier, her soldier, stepped onto the clearing, shirt covered in blood.

She dropped the guitar and approached, slowing down when she saw him almost take a step back. He looked like he was trying to place her, knowing he knew her from somewhere.

“Are you alright, Soldier?” she asked, confirming their acquaintance.

“I heard you singing. You sound familiar.” His eyes scanned her face, still unsure. “Who are you?”

She looked away, hiding the sting in her heart. “I suppose I can’t blame you for forgetting. It has been a while.” She sighed and put on her best fake smile. “I’m Flower; we’ve met before. Are you hurt?”

He shook his head. “It’s not mine.” She sucked in a breath and took a step back. “Please don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you.”

“Whose is it?” her voice trembled. “Why is it all over you?”

He stayed silent for a moment, fighting some internal battle she couldn’t imagine. “I have to go.”

The look on his face was similar to those of the soldiers who’ve returned from the war, and she realized maybe the blood wasn’t there because he wanted it. “Wait,” she pleaded, relief washing over her when he stopped. “Let me help you clean up; at least give you some clean clothes.”

After considering for a moment, he gave her a sharp nod, and she pull a few garments out of some bags in a vehicle parked nearby. She approached slowly, items in hand, waiting for him to relax.

“Thank you.” His voice was low, seemingly still unsure about the girl.

“Come on,” she smiled, reaching out and gently taking his hand. “There’s a lake over here you can clean up in.”

He allowed himself to be led away, and began undressing. While nudity didn’t faze her, she couldn’t help but let her eyes wander, and began to feel the beginnings of arousal. She gave him some oil and dried flowers to help with the blood smell, and debated whether or not she should try to join him.

Watching him rub away the blood, she couldn’t resist and stripped. The sound of sloshing pulled his attention and he stilled, eyes glued to her approaching figure.

“Need some help?” she purred, rubbing a bit of oil into some flowers.

He swallowed hard and nodded, relaxing again as she massaged the mixture onto his back, and dropped to his knees as she worked her way to his scalp.

He hummed at the pleasant sensation. “What is it?”

“Lavender and peppermint oil. Do you like it?”

“It’s nice. Can I do you after?” he asked shyly, hoping he hadn’t crossed a line.

“Yeah,” she grinned. “That’d be nice.”

They took their time scrubbing each other clean, neither wanting the moment to end. Once it was done, the Soldier locked eyes with her and leaned in, brushing his lips over hers.

“You shouldn’t be here with me,” he breathed, sending shivers down her body.

“I'm not a little girl. I can decide for myself what I want, and I want this.” Her hands traveled up his chest, linking her arms around his neck and pulling her body flush with his.

“It’s dangerous,” he warned one final time, wrapping his arms around her.

“I know.” She closed the distance and connected her lips to his.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Bucky just about had enough of everyone trying to tell him what to do. He’d known Y/N longer than any of them, yet they kept insisting he didn’t know what was best for her. This time, it was Natasha who came at him with her file, telling him to pull his head out of his ass and quit making Y/N miserable. Bucky wanted nothing more than to wrap her in his arms and never let her go, but it wouldn’t be good for her. Why couldn’t they see it?

“We’re not the same people we were when we fell in love,” he tried for a more reasonable approach. “What if whatever we had doesn’t hold up?”

Natasha thumbed the dossier. “I’ve been looking through this. It says you refused to harm her. No matter how many times they wiped you, you never forgot her. Not completely. They found her to be a distraction, and ordered you to kill her, but you never so much as left a bruise on her. Whatever you had, it was strong enough to overcome everything they did. That means something,” she stressed.

Bucky looked relieved for a second, but it was short lived. Relief was replaced with horror when he was hit with realization. “Was it because of me? Did they take her because I loved her? Because they could use her to control me?”

Natasha regarded him silently for a moment, following his gaze to the window as he watched her outside with Wanda. “Would you blame her? For being used to make you a more efficient killer?”

“Of course not!” he was beyond offended at the insinuation.

“Then don’t you dare blame yourself for what they did to her. I can already see it: you’d let it eat away at you, and in the end you will end up hurting her. Don’t go down that road, Barnes. People like us rarely get a shot at happiness. Yours is right outside. Don’t throw it away, or I’ll kick your ass again.” she ended lightly.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Hello, Soldier,” she sighed, grinning widely at the man before her. He was even more handsome than she remembered.

He sized her up and knew almost instantly she wasn’t a threat. She was cradling a large bouquet of wildflowers to hand out. Removing a bright red-orange one from the bunch, she offered it to him. His eyes raked over her, recognizing the book peeking out of her pocket, and stopped at her innocent, eerily familiar eyes.

When he reached out to take the flower, the memory came flooding back. “You’re that flower girl…”

“Mmhm,” she smiled sweetly. “It’s been a while, huh? How are you?”

He looked even more confused by the question, and chose to ignore it in the end, taking in his surroundings instead. She noticed he didn’t look too pleased with the amount of people around, and offered to take him somewhere quiet.

She led him to brook, promptly perching herself on a rock and dipping her feet in. He approached slowly when she patted the spot beside her, removing his boots to follow her example.

They sat in silence, making the Soldier relax, even when she stole glances at him. She held his attention as well, looking as if he was trying to sort through his clouded mind trying to find all traces of her. He must have remembered something, because he went to his equipment bag and began to tear at a seam, inspecting a folded sheet he’d pulled out.

“Can I ask you something?” he asked suddenly.

“Sure.”

“This is you, isn’t it?” he handed her the paper, retaking the seat beside her.

She opened the missing person poster and gasped. “Where did you get this?”

“Back east, I think. Not sure when, though… or why I kept it.”

“Please, you can’t turn me in,” her words spilled in a panic.

“Ok.” He said it as if he hadn’t intended to, but he still looked guilty for scaring her into thinking it.

“What?” She searched his face for any trace of deceit. “Just like that?”

“Yeah.”

She smiled gratefully, and her uneasiness melted away. “May I?” she gestured to the flowers and eyeing his soft looking locks.

He nodded, smiling at her enthusiasm. She gave her fingers a quick run through it to release any tangles, making him shiver at the gentle contact. “Will you tell me why you don’t want to go home?”

She shrugged, securing the first flower. “There’s nothing for me to go back to.”

“No family?”

“My brothers left as soon as they could. Grandparents are gone, too.”

“And your mother and father?”

“My old man’s controlling, and my ma thinks marrying the richest cat who’ll have her is all a girl needs to be happy. My sister bought into it and let them chose a husband for her. Crazy, right?” She released a shaky breath. “Anyway, they were about to send me off to some school for wayward girls. Either way I wouldn’t be home. At least here, I’m free.”

“Free…” he repeated softly. “Sounds nice.”

“It is,” she paused, slightly worried by the longing in his eyes. “You know, you can always come with us. We never stay in one place too long; if being found is a concern…”

He took her hand, smiling at her kind offer. “Thank you, but I can’t.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

Bucky was in the conference room, barely choking back sobs in front of his teammates, the contents of her file spread out on the table. His worst fears were confirmed: it was his fault they’d taken her. He put her on Hydra’s radar. He ruined her life. They enhanced her for him. To survive cryo FOR HIM.

“I don’t know what to do,” he croaked.

“What do you mean?” Pietro asked.

“I can’t be with her,” he gripped the table tightly, trying to keep his composure. “How do I let her go? How do I tell her it’s my fault?”

“Woah woah,” Bruce took the seat beside him. “I know you haven’t talked to her, but nothing I’ve seen indicates she wants to be anywhere but by your side.”

“She misses you, Bucky,” Wanda offered. “So much.”

“I can’t,” he whimpered. “I don’t deserve her.”

“Why don’t you let her decide?” Pietro

“Aren’t you listening?! They took her because I made her mine!” He broke down, shouts reducing to soft cries. “Because I chose her.”

“Is that what you think?”

Everyone spun toward the door where Y/N now stood, eyes brimming with tears.

“Flower, please…” Bucky sobbed.

“No! Why do you do this to yourself?” she demanded. “You didn’t do anything!”

“You’d have been safe if it weren’t for me.”

“Wanda, can you project my thoughts?”

“I can try,” she strode up beside her, her uneasiness forgotten in her friend’s time of need.

“Bucky, relax. Please, pay attention,” she urged.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

It’d been four months since she left everything behind. Four months of cramped car rides and performing on the streets to afford their next stop, but she didn’t regret it. After spending another night under the stars, she set out to find something pretty for the pages of her grandfather’s old book. Walking through the trees just beyond the road, she relished the feel of moss beneath her feet, and the way her soft, flowy clothes barely kissed her skin; a stark contrast to the horrible, itchy wool things her mother would parade her around in.

She found a clearing with flowers in full bloom and ran out, not seeing the man sat on a motor bike to her left.

“What are you doing?” he asked rather harshly, making her start.

“Oh! I’m sorry if I’ve disturbed you,” she said. “I only came to look for flowers.”

The man gave her a hard stare, and relaxed after a moment. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I won’t be long,” she assured. “I only need a few.” She caught herself staring into his eyes, and shyly broke contact. “Is that a Thunderbird?” she asked excitedly, approaching to get a closer look at the bike, and frowned slightly when she saw him stiffen. “My brother has one,” she offered as explanation.

“Are you out here alone?” He ignored her, wondering what a young girl was doing so far from the nearest town.

The question normally would have made her take a step back, but she found herself lost in his eyes again. “No.”

“You should pick your flowers and go then, before they come looking.”

It would be hours before any of the others woke, but she turned and began to walk around, looking for the perfect ones. Feeling eyes on her, she turned back to the stranger and found him watching her curiously. Her eye caught a small patch of a light, silvery blue, and she immediately began to pull a few. She opened her book, and placed one neatly inside before closing it and running toward the man on the bike.

“Look!” she held the others she picked out to him. “These match your eyes.”

His gaze trailed down to her hand, and the corners of his mouth quirked. “You picked these for me?”

“Yeah,” she looked at the ground bashfully. She caught a flash of something shiny under the sleeve of his jacket as he reached for them, but didn’t draw attention to it.

“Thank you,” he smiled, filling her stomach with a warm, fluttery feeling.

She returned to her task, wanting to find at least two more flowers for her book, and not wanting to leave the man. She found another she wanted to keep, and pressed it into the same page as the blue one.

“Little flower girl?” the man called. “What’s your name?”

Her new friends had encouraged her to drop her given name and pick one she felt suited her. She liked the idea, but had yet to find anything she liked. “I haven’t thought of one yet.”

He found her answer amusing, and chuckled. “What do I call you in the meantime, then?”

“Little flower girl’s not so bad.” She grinned widely, happy she’d made him laugh. “How about you?”

“They call me the Soldier…” The noise of an approaching engine down the road caught his attention. “I have to go. Nice meeting you.” He gave her a soft smile, starting the bike and speeding off, leaving her completely besotted.

It would be three years until something shiny caught her eye, and her heart swelled at seeing dreamy, silvery blue eyes just outside the tree line. “Soldier,” she gasped. Blind to the others around her, she let her feet carry her toward the man she’d been dreaming about every day since their first meeting, desperately hoping their paths crossed again.

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“What?” he whispered, no longer holding back his tears.

“Do you see?” She held his cheeks, making him look into her eyes. “I chose you. I made you mine. And you know what? I’d do it again.”

“Why?” He couldn’t make sense of it. “Everything they did to you…”

“You got us away, just like you promised.” She firmly pressed her lips to his, reaffirming Bruce’s earlier statement. “I still want this. I’ve always wanted it.”

He gaped at her, not believing his ears. She chose him. She still wanted him. “Are you sure?” he asked, giving her one last chance to back out. She responded by pulling him into another kiss.

Steve quietly ushered everyone out, giving them some privacy.

“I’m glad that’s over with,” Natasha sighed. “I was this close to kicking his ass.”

“Yeah, whatever,” Tony cut in. “Did you see what she showed him?” he asked Wanda.

“I did,” she nodded slowly. “but telling you would betray their trust.”

“Fair enough. But tell us, was I right? Was she a hippie?” He bit his lip in anticipation.

Wanda rolled her eyes. “Yes, you were right. About everything.”

“HA! Told you!” he clapped, and everyone else groaned and began to disperse. “I’m a genius! The flower child and her soldier. Wow.”

* * * * * * * * * * * * *

“Much better,” Pietro grinned down at her before extending a hand to help her up.

The others had convinced her to train, at least so she could defend herself should the need arise. She was easier to sway than Bucky was, but he relented when he remembered he couldn’t always be with her to protect her. Everyone took it upon themselves to help her, and today, it was Pietro’s turn.

“Miss Flower, Sergeant Barnes will be arriving shortly,” FRIDAY chimed.

She gasped and ran for the door. Pietro yelled that she hadn’t finished for the day before speeding past her, challenging her to a race. Of course he beat her, but her pout was quickly replaced with a smile as Bucky descended from the jet.

“Bucky!” she called, making a run for his waiting arms. He swept her up and kissed her as hungrily as he always had. “I missed you. Are you hurt?”

“No,” he grinned, giving her a small bouquet. “but I do have a surprise for you.” He set her down and gestured to Steve to give him something. He placed something in his palm, both laughing at her trying to get a better look. “I found this.”

She stared slack jawed at the book in his palm. “Is that my grandfather’s book?” She took it carefully, opening it to find pages and pages filled with perfectly pressed flowers. “I thought…”

“I know,” he soothed, pulling her close. “Come on, let’s go so you can patch me up.”

“You said you weren’t hurt!” she accused, searching his body for injuries.

“No,” he smirked. “but that doesn’t mean you can’t play nur- what the hell is this?” He lifted her arm, pointing out a scabbing cut. He immediately sent Pietro a death glare. “Did you do this to her?”

“Bucky,” she warned.

“I, uh, what? No, I… training is done for today!” he shouted, zipping away before Bucky could grab him.

“I’m gonna kill him,” he ground out.

“No you’re not. I’m fine, it was an accident,” she assured. “You know he didn’t mean to.”

Bucky took a deep breath, calming himself. Steve chuckled, giving him a gentle pat on the shoulder before leaving the hangar.

“I’m ok,” he breathed after a moment, giving her a serene smile. “Let’s go see if there are any blank pages left in that thing.”

He took her hand and led her out, making his way toward their room, ready to celebrate a successful mission the way they always had.

~ ~ TAG LISTS ~ ~

Permanent -  @melconnor2007 @ria132love @psychicwitchphilosopher @sireennotsiren  @silence–in–the–library @thefridgeismybestie @hymnofthevalkyrie @abbybills22 @mvasquez492 @ek823

Avengers - @majd943

Bucky - @cassandras-musings @bexboo616

Soldier’s Heart - @socialheartbreak

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky #Bucky Barnes #Avengers #marvel #reader #reader insert

[burrowcd-blog]

         META / LOSING MY RELIGION

losing my religion is a song that i listen to a lot when working on this au, and when developing the burrow family and the bonds between the three brothers. although the original intention of the song is not how i perceived it, the lyrics are open enough to apply to multiple kinds of relationships and dynamics.

( read: i'm an idiot and didn't look up the official meaning of the song before making it practically the theme song of the au. goddammit. )

the official meaning of this song is romantically-based. it's a song of unrequited love and devotion to someone who does not return those feelings. however, because the lyrics are not explicit about their romantic undertones, another interpretation can be made of them. the one that i find most striking is a platonic interpretation, of seeing someone once idolized slowly reveal to have demons that the narrator cannot help them with.

for much of bucky's childhood, he considers bonnie infallible, cool, and reliable. like any younger sibling does, he wants to be just like him when he grows up. he learns to play guitar like his brother does, he starts making a habit of trying to stay up all night to see him come back from work, and generally shows at every opportunity how he adores him to pieces. because bucky is so young being raised by only his older sibling  ( with help from his friends ),  he doesn't always catch on to the strain that their situation places on him.

as he gets older, the rose-tinted glasses start to crack. he starts to notice the bruises bonnie hides from him, the exhausted look in his eyes. bucky starts catching on that his work is not the paradise mikey's assures itself to be, or even a safe place. the rumours of mikey's being dangerous at night start to sound believable the more he looks at his brother, the night guard. and, as he realizes how long it's just been him and bonnie, bucky comes to understand that their circumstances are a kind of stress he can't even imagine.

at this point in time, bucky is fully aware what his brother is going through, but at the same time the past seems like it was better. "i thought that i heard you laughing / i thought that i heard you sing". of course, another part of his brain refutes: "that was just a dream" -- he only sees things that way because it was in the past, and things that are in the past naturally come across as better than they actually were. the more he looks into the mysteries of mikey's and the more he learns about his family's past, the worse things seem to be.

the song, in this interpretation, also applies to harry and bonnie. bonnie, similarly, used to idolize harry and listened to his every word when harry told him something. however, as bonnie grew up, he came to understand the demons harry had to battle and in the end, regrets that he couldn't understand and help him sooner before harry's mysterious disappearance and -- he presumes -- tragic death.

interpreting the song this way is a story of shattered dreams and helplessness. it's watching someone fall from grace while simultaneously realizing they were always teetering on the edge, if not already falling in the first place. the burrow family is one with terrible misfortune, but closely bonded despite this. if they weren't, bonnie might have died to the teeth of his animatronic predators long ago.

                    -- “NOW I’VE SAID / TOO MUCH.”

#ʷʰᵃᵗ'ˢ ᵘᶰᵈᵉʳᶰᵉᵃᵗʰ ᵗʰᵉ ˢᵉᵃᵐˢˑ / ABOUT. #ᶰᵒʷ ᶤ'ᵛᵉ ˢᵃᶤᵈ ᵗᵒᵒ ᵐᵘᶜʰˑ / BROTHERS. #ᵗʰᶤˢ ᶤˢ ᵒᵘʳ ˡᶤᶠᵉˑ / AU. #ˢᵗᵘᶜᵏ ᶤᶰ ᵗʰᵉ ˢᵃᵐᵉ ʳᵒᵘᵗᶤᶰᵉ ᵃᵍᵃᶤᶰˑ / QUEUE.

[misfit-among-the-angels]

Hmm, you want a distraction? Why don’t you answer all those questions from that send a number thing? :) You can imagine sitting in your icon’s lap while doing it so he can see all your answers.

This will distract me a bit, thank you!I will definitely imagine that because it’s soo damn cute!!

1. are you religious?I’d like to bemore religious, like doing some rituals n stuff, becauseyou know I’m an asatru pagan

2. what animal do you think you’re most like?Wolf, it’s my spirit animal

3. how do you take your coffee?With sugar

4. how old were you when you had your first kiss?12-13

5. museum date or aquarium date?Definitely museum

6. do you have any tattoos or piercings? do you want more?Sadly I don’t have any tattoos but I wanna, I’ve already planned like 3 or 4. But I do have some piercings, two in my right ear, one in my left ear, one in my left eyebrow and my newest adding is labret piercing. I also want helix and wrist piercings and maybe few more in my ears

7. favorite fruits?Banana, strawberry, melon, apple, grapes 

8. favorite vegetables?Potatoes, cauliflower, gralic, onion, cucumber, pumpkin

9. i’ll only date you if _____. (fill in the blank)you can accept all my personality sides, be as random and adventurous as I am and can kick my ass to the moon if needed lol

10. do you cry a lot?Nah, but when i cry, I cry really long

11. who are your closest friends?I have three closest friends, they do have tumblrs but they don’t use them anymore

12. have you ever been a part of a protest or a march?No, but I’d love to

13. do you play any video games?I used to, now I simple don’t have that much time

14. did you ever have an emo or scene phase?Nope, butI had Rammstein phase

15. what color is most of your wardrobe?Black and little bit of grey I think

16. what do you like to do for fun?Fangirl, go out with friends, read books or fanfics, write fanfics, watch films/tv series or wrestling, sleep, listen to music

17. what is your biggest fear?Fail at life, also spiders

18. name a subject you know a lot about.Films, music, Scandinavian mythology, history

19. favorite fictional characters?I have shitloads of them, I’ll definitely forget someone but that’s okay lol.Legolas, Aragorn, Frodo, Gandalf, Sherlock Holmes, John Mitchell (from BBC Being human), Iron man/Tony stark, Captain Jack Sparrow, Gollum, Daryl Dixon, Elrond, Faramir, Bellatrix Lestrange, Sauron, Toothless, Ragnar Lothbrok, Thorin Oakenshield, Kili, Fili, Smaug, Jaqen H'ghar, Daenerys Targaryen, Littlefinger, Arya Stark, Arwen, Galadriel, Tyrion Lannister, Jon Snow, Khal Drogo, Eddard Stark, Bard, Agent Smith, Thranduil, Lagertha, Walter White, Jesse Pinkman, Joe Macmillan, Bronn, Bucky Barnes.

20. do you read a lot? what are your favorite books?I used to read way more than I do now. Besides Tolkien books (I’m a huge Tolkien fan), I love S. King books (The tower series, It, The green mile, The Stand), Good omens by Terry Pratchett, American gods byNeil Gaiman, The gospel of Loki by JoanneHarris and many more

21. how would you describe your style?Metal, bit goth and my personal style, also ‘don’t have money to buy clothes I want’ style

22. did you have a favorite stuffed animal when you were little? do you still own it?I did. sadly no, I don’t have them anymore, I just I grew out of them

23. what’s something most people love that you hate?Mass cinema and Hollywood films, also taking selfies everywhere especially in most popular tourist places

24. do you think you’re a good singer?Oh no, I’m sooo bad at singing..

25. who do you live with?With my mom

26. favorite desserts?Anything with chocolate, also cheesecake

27. what is the best decision you’ve made in your life so far?It would be easier to say bad decisions because I make a lot of them lol.I guess my best decision was back in 2016when I decided to go to Berlin to see Avantasia for the first time and since then I’ve seen a lot of bands abroad

28. favorite makeup brands?Tbh don’t have any

29. favorite clothing stores/brands?Don’t have any

30. what was your first job?I still yet to have my first job tbh

31. do you take a lot of naps?If I slept poorly at night then yea

32. what is your favorite part about your body?My legs and my boobs

33. are you more dominant or more submissive?Submissive

34. are you more outgoing or more shy?Can be both but usually I’m more outgoing

35. how tall are you?1,72cm or maybe bit more, it’s been a while since I’ve checked my height

36. what is your body type?Little chubby I think

37. favorite flower?

Tulip

38. favorite planet?Saturn

39. what do you want to dress up as for halloween this year?I duuno,I don’t really dress up for Halloween

40. do you prefer to date people the same age as you, younger, or older?Either the same age as me or older

41. describe the person you’re in love with/have a crush on in great detail.I don’t have real life crush so far, only celeb ones.

42. who is your biggest inspiration?Music, especially concerts, nature, certain people

43. do you have any kinks?Oh boy I do ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

44. do you own any pets?Nope

45. which celebrity do people say you look the most like?I have no idea. Anyone wanna say? I’m really curious tbh

46. do you like sports?Little bit

47. have you ever seen a broadway musical?Nope, but I’d love to

48. what is your favorite kind of food?Spicy!!!!

49. would you rather be a fairy or a mermaid?Fairy

50. what is your instagram?One.mighty.madness

51. glossy lips or matte lips?Matte lips

52. do you like cherry, grape, blue raspberry, watermelon, or green apple jolly ranchers the best?I like first one more

53. what are your best personality traits?I learn quickly, I’m stubborn, I’m passionate, I always have lots of ideas, I talk a lot but I also can listen, I usually give good advices, I can stand up for myself and for my friends, I’m open minded.

54. what is your ethnicity?Lithuanian and little bit German

55. what different hair colors have you had?Milky brown, cherry red, reddish and my current is purple

56. favorite disney princess?Don’t really have any

57. favorite album of 2017?Edguy’s Monuments

58. have you ever had braces?Nope

59. favorite holiday?Summer and winter

60. post a selfie.Nah, I just don’t feel confident enough for it today

61. are you a good swimmer?Nah

62. do you wear jewelry?Yep

63. can you play any instruments?I can play with guitar a little bit, but like really little bit and that’s it

64. do you have any siblings?Yep, 7 years older sister

65. are your grandparents still alive? how old are they?From my mom’s side only my grandma is alive and she is 75. From my dad’s side only my grandpa is alive and he is 85 I think.

66. who knows the most about you?My best friend and @galactigoth

67. are you a more quiet person or do you talk a lot?I talk A LOT, I’m really talkative person

68. what advice would you give to your 13 year old self?Please don’t be naive, don’t try to be like othersand don’t listen to your fake friends, be really really strong, rely more on music and you will survive anything. You have no idea what great surprises you will have in your future, and remember, those assholes who are bullying you,they are not worth your tears and suicidal thoughts.

69. how many pillows do you sleep on?1

Thank you so much, this definitely distracted me

#anon #answered

[imaginetonyandbucky]

Helping Hands

Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three | Chapter Four | Chapter Five| Chapter Six | Chapter Seven | Chapter Eight | Chapter Nine | Chapter Ten | Chapter Eleven | Chapter Twelve | Chapter Thirteen | Chapter Fourteen | Chapter Fifteen | Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen: Hands in the Air

It was strange, Bucky thought, riding up the elevator, the things that a man could get used to. He was used to thinking certain ways, doing certain things. But it hadn’t taken him long to adjust, and now he hardly wondered at doing things like riding up sixty floors in a glass-backed elevator. (It was actually faster to ride up the central elevator that had a keyport and opened into Tony’s foyer, but Bucky liked the glass one, even though he had to climb the last flight of stairs and go in through the housekeeper’s entrance.) He was sleeping in when he wanted, and eating whatever he wanted, as much as he wanted. He was going to have to start using the building’s private gym pretty damn soon or he was going to get fat.

Which was why, when J had come by the penthouse that morning to drag a protesting Pietro out to the studio to re-record “Order and Chaos” because J hadn’t liked the way the guitar sounded, Bucky had impulsively decided to tag along. Steve was at the new school for orientation and wouldn’t be back until late afternoon, Tony was at the office, Wanda was… doing whatever it was Wanda did when she wasn’t with J or at college.

Bucky had never been in a recording studio before, although it had been a dream of his, once upon a time. Before money for college got so scarce that he’d decided to join the Army to cover tuition. Before he’d lost his arm and with it, his ability to play the guitar. Friends from high school, he and Jim and James (there was a reason Bucky had stuck around as a nickname; too many goddamn Jameses in his circle of high school friends) and Tim (whom they all called Dum Dum for reasons no one could really remember), they’d formed a garage band with dreams of becoming the next Nirvana. Like most kids, he thought, looking back on his younger self with a certain degree of exasperated fondness. It hadn’t happened, of course, and Bucky couldn’t even remember anymore why they’d gone their separate ways.

They had arrived at Cherry Hill around ten, and J had immediately gotten into it with the sound director -- a burly, short man named Logan who reeked of cigars and had excessively righteous sideburns -- about the backing chorus, and something about the session singer, Jean Grey. Watching them, Bucky was left with the impression of a whirlwind talking to a boulder. Bucky mostly stayed out of it, though he’d taken J’s guitar away from him when it looked like the young singer might be tempted to go after Logan and use it as a blunt instrument.

While everyone split to their corners to nurse their wounds -- Logan had stomped off and come back with coffee and doughnuts, claiming that J’s low blood sugar was the problem, a clever move for someone who called people ‘bub’ and acted like an angry weed whacker -- Bucky had found himself with a guitar in his lap for the first time in most of a decade. The silver Les Paul was a beautiful instrument.

He hadn’t played in so long all his callouses were gone. He’d gotten new ones, learning how to do a number of chores with his good right hand, and then again when the prosthetic came along, but neither set was going to keep him from bleeding out his fingertips if he practiced on a steel-string. He’d poked around in J’s stuff until he came up with a guitar pick. The new metal hand was so much faster and more responsive to his thoughts. The feedback from the fingers was so good he could feel the minute vibrations in the strings.

Without entirely deciding that he was going to do it, Bucky had found himself plucking out an old melody, a song he’d learned from a friend in Afghanistan. He had to go over it several times -- he’d never had sheet music for the piece, and it had been years since he played it, but as it was the song he’d used to sing Steve to sleep for years, he was pretty familiar with the melody.

The elevator opened, interrupting Bucky’s replay of the moment, and Bucky ran up the stairs at a quick jog, and used his key and thumbprint to open the door to Tony’s penthouse.

“Why do you always come in the back door?” Tony said as he came in. “You’re not one of the staff.”

Bucky shrugged, not thrown off by that at all, although he might have been, if Tony had said it earlier. “I like lookin’ out over the city,” Bucky said.

“In another life, you were a dictator with your own little nation?” Tony suggested.

“No, you’re mistaking your past life for mine,” Bucky said. He darted forward and kissed Tony’s cheek, feeling a little more daring than normal. They’d sort of had sex a few times, if Bucky could call a few quick hand-jobs and getting blown twice sex but Tony kept shying away from anything that Bucky considered a normal part of intimacy, the stuff that wasn’t sex but that happened in the spaces between a couple.

They were living together, dating, and yet… there was this distance. He couldn’t decide if Tony didn’t want to get closer, or if he didn’t have the slightest idea how. Or even, perhaps, that he didn’t know it was possible at all. Bucky had picked up a bit of that from his old man; Big Jim hadn’t been the sort to ask for things; when he wanted the potatoes at dinner, he’d just stared at them until Bucky’s ma had passed them over. The first time Bucky had tried that with Sarah, she’d laughed at him and moved the rolls further away. You want something, Jamie, you ask for it. You ain’t Big Jim and I ain’t your mama. With that in mind, Bucky opened his mouth to say something -- he wasn’t even sure what, yet, but Tony interrupted him.

“You seem in a good mood, today,” Tony said.

“Hung out with J and Pietro a bit,” Bucky said. “Wanted to see what trouble they were up to with the recording.”

“Yeah?” Tony said. He moved to the bar and Bucky couldn’t help but check the clock: a little after three.

He grimaced; Bucky had been watching Tony’s behavior slip, rolling backward like Sisyphus’s stone, a little bit at a time, but inevitable. He pushed it aside for later; it was too nice a day to get into it now. “Aside from nearly coming to blows with some little sound guy --”

“The Wolverine?” Tony asked, eyebrows going up. “Brave kid, if he’s yelling at Logan about making a record sound perfect. You do not fuck with perfection, and you do not tell Logan what to do.”

“Well, no one told J that. They seem to be working it out when I left, though.”

“If J gets a single note through and the record sells, I guarantee you that in five years, J will be producing and mixing, not singing,” Tony said, leaning back against the bar with his whiskey in one hand. “Logan’s a tyrant, but he recognizes talent.”

“That’s a bet I’ll put money on,” Bucky said. “I left because J was about ready to murder me for touching his baby. Doesn’t matter how talented he is, J’s not going to give up singing. Not for anything.”

“So, you were playing again,” Tony said, rubbing his hands together. “Any good? The arm’s working out for you? That’s great.” And Bucky watched with delight as Tony’s eyes lit up, the smile that came to his lips softening into something more natural, and he actually put his drink down to come closer and run a hand lightly up the cybernetic arm. He turned Bucky’s hand over, inspected the fingers. “You can play with your hand like this? I mean, it sounds okay? I’m not much of a musician, but I imagine --”

“There’s a rough edge to the notes,” Bucky admitted. “It’s got a kinda Steve Reynolds sound going on, not bad, though.” He pulled out his phone. “Pietro recorded some of it, if you want to listen.”

Bucky tried not to wince too badly when the music came up; he’d been running scales a bit, trying to get the feel for J’s baby when his fingers wandered into the opening notes and he’d gone ahead and played it. He was so out of practice, it started out really rough and not quite at the right tempo, but once he’d finished the opening and gotten to the lyrics, it started sounding like music.

The song had been a favorite of Steve’s when he was a baby.

The first few months after Steve was born, Sarah had sung to him every night. Bucky remembered lying on the sofa, turning the volume down on the television so he could hear her voice, and it soothed him as much as it comforted their son. Then Sarah had stopped singing. Bucky had thought she was just tired; her milk had dried up, and she was back at work again. So he’d done what he could, taken on what duties he’d been able to manage with one hand. Rocking Steve to sleep and singing, that was something he could do.

After the first verse, Steve himself came in through the door, Tony’s driver right behind him, and Steve stopped just inside, dropping his backpack and staring at Tony with Bucky’s phone as if shocked into stillness.

When missing her is all I do, the days all pass me by like these dreams of Mississippi and these ghosts who cannot lie. Oh, this ring rests on my finger like a veve on a wall and whispers gather 'round me, come to dance when darkness falls. Everything I see adds up to say the tale is tall, but back into her arms is really not that far to fall. There is moonlight on the river where I never thought I'd go. There's a dream of Mississippi that I never tell a soul.

“No, no, no,” Steve yelled, running at Tony suddenly and snatching the phone away from him. “That’s Mama’s song!”

“Steve!” Bucky said, shocked at Steve’s unexpected behavior. The music died as Steve managed to stab at something on the screen that stopped the video.

“That’s Mama’s song,” Steve insisted. “You’re not supposed to sing it for anyone else!”

“Stevie, no, honey,” Bucky squatted a bit, listening to his knees pop and thinking he was getting too damn old for this. “Music is for everyone .”

“But that’s her song, Daddy,” Steve said, tears starting, his lip quivering. “You sing it to me because she can’t, anymore.”

“Oh, baby,” Bucky said, and drew his son into his arms. “I sing it to remember her.”

For just a moment, Steve’s body stiffened and Bucky braced himself to deal with a Steven Grant Barnes temper tantrum; he didn’t have them often, but when he did, they were legendary, the sort of thing that made single women swear off child-bearing for the rest of their days, and made Bucky wonder if people could hear his kid all the way in Jersey.

Instead, Steve hitched in a breath, looked up at his father, “Do you still love her?”

“Of course, honey,” Bucky said around the ache in his chest. “I will always love your mama. Always.”

Steve sniffled, loud and wet, but he seemed convinced of Bucky’s sincerity. “Sorry I yelled at you,” he said.

“You’re forgiven,” Bucky said. “You should probably say sorry to Mr. Tony, too.”

Tony, who was trying to sidle out of the room unobtrusively, looked a little guilty. “No, it’s okay,” he said, holding up one hand. “Nothing to be sorry for.”

Bucky nudged his son. “What do you think would be a good way to make up for it, Stevie?”

Steve hitched in another breath, looked a hair’s breadth away from rebelling, then let all the air out of his chest with an exasperated wheeze. Bucky knew telepathy was a thing, because he could clearly hear his son thinking God, DAAAAAAAAAAAD. “We could watch it together?”

“That’s a very good idea, I think,” Bucky said. He picked his phone up off the floor and made a get over here and act like an adult glare in Tony’s direction.

Telepathy. It was a thing. Because Tony was clearly thinking I do what I want.

“Don’t make me call Darcy, Tony,” Bucky threatened.

“Unfair,” Tony said. “You are a dirty cheater.” But he huffed and came back into the living room.

“Yep.” And Bucky sat down on the sofa, and his two favorite boys curled up, one on either side, to watch the damn video.

Bucky opened the magazine that Darcy had thrust at him, looked at the close-up of his own face, biting his lip, an expression that made him look younger and more uncertain than he’d like, but also kinda like a young pop-star.

Hero in Paradise, The Story of “Bucky” Barnes

-- Christine Everhart

Anthony Edward Stark and James Buchanan “Bucky” Barnes‘ unique displays of affection make them seem like a perfect match. It would be hard to find two people from more different backgrounds, but reporter Christine Everhart got a good look at what goes on behind the scenes in Tony’s penthouse. In the wake of Barnes’s tabloid introduction to the glam world of Tony Stark’s playboy lifestyle, Barnes opened up to Profile, Weekly about his past in the military, current hardships, and plans for the future.

Barnes, 37, revealed that although his and Stark’s relationship started off with a casual date, he was pretty serious about seeing where they could go, despite their different interests and lifestyles. “Tony’s a great guy, you know,” Barnes said. “I wouldn’t call him down-to-earth, no, but he makes me laugh. I haven’t had a lot of that in my life, and I can’t tell you how much I missed it. Being happy. It’s pretty miraculous.” When asked if he thought Stark’s vast fortune was part of what was making him happy, Barnes was pretty adamant, “To be honest, the money thing… Well, it makes me  feel a little inadequate.” “I never quite feel good enough for him,” he shared, adding that he’s “real uncomfortable around rich and important people.”

Certainly, Barnes isn’t taking into account his heroic and distinguished military career. Although he never ranked higher than Sergeant, Barnes was responsible for saving the lives of half his unit, when they encountered heavy fire during the offensive at Baluchi, in July, 2006, the battle that cost the sergeant his left arm. Granted a replacement limb in Stark Industries’ early testing for their cybernetic prosthetics, Barnes found the quality of his life greatly increased. “Taking care of Steve -- my son -- was a lot easier once I had two arms again.” He laughed, those stormcloud-blue eyes of his bright. “To all the single parents out there, I salute you. And imagine, if you will, trying to change a diaper with one hand. Stevie was the youngest kid I knew who was toilet-trained, just to make my life a little less -- well, you know.” “I like how I am,” he said. “Some people give me some side-eye about the arm, but I love it.”

Despite losing his wife in 2010, Barnes says that he has hope for the future. “Sarah gave me the best gift she ever could. I have regrets, sure; everybody does, but Stevie makes everything worthwhile.”

Barnes’s young son seems well at home in Stark’s palatial penthouse; he came in about halfway through our interview. Barnes’s heroic actions and determination are echoed in Steve Barnes, who apparently got into a playground tussle when one child used a slur against one of Steve’s friends.

These days, Barnes is spending his time working with his niece and nephew, singer and guitarist for the up and coming new band, Vision.

Bucky eyed Darcy over the magazine at the last photo in the spread, one of the shirtless pictures he’d let Christine take. “This--”

“Is gorgeous,” Darcy interrupted. “Seriously, girls will swoon over it and Ty will have a lot more trouble making bad news stick to you. Everyone loves a broody hero.”

For just an instant, Tony looked up from his own copy of the magazine and met Bucky’s gaze, which did something interesting to Bucky’s stomach, but then Tony was looking down again.

Well, maybe some people do.

Notes:

(inspiration picture for the news article)

Dream of Mississippi, by SJ Tucker is actually one of my favorite songs. I find both the lyrics and the melody haunting, and thought it was an appropriate piece for Bucky to sing about his dead wife. You should really take the time to go listen to this talented lady; my particular favorite songs of hers are Dreams of Mississippi, Cheshire Kitten, Ravens in the Library, and Wild River Child. Also, Truth about Ninjas is hilarious. Go… go support indie musicians!

#winteriron #prompts #tony x bucky #tony stark #bucky barnes #tisfan #helping hands au