#also figured that i should change up evie's design for this au

[mentalmeles]

Back at it again with the Wittecouple WolfWalkers AU 🐺

Fun fact: The poses were taken from this early concept art for the film!

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[idk-my-aesthetic]

isle kingdom au

so i’ve had this idea for an AU for a little while, but i don’t wanna actually write anything for it until i’m done w/ my current descendants wips, but i also wanna talk about it lol so ig im making a post? please send me asks about it i wanna talk about it.... anyway

**tw for child abuse and semi-graphic descriptions of violence.

basically the premise of the au is that even though he tried to get it passed at first, ben never went through with pulling the vks off the isle. he kept meaning too, but it just kept being pushed to the back of his list of priorities bc he was so busy w/ being king and never happened 

so bc of this, the core 4 stayed on the isle and never got off it. if you’ve read the stuff in my keep them close series u probably have a better idea of my hc of the isle, but the basics of it are that 1) most of the parents are really bad and abusive + the conditions are disgusting 2) none of the kids are really evil and 3) the vks are all kinda frenimes/rivals and will work together to keep eachother alive even if they act like they hate eachother or will even hurt eachother

so, in the ‘canon’ timeline before going to auradon the core 4 are a gang and slowly gaining power. they’re already the top of the vk gangs and are like gaining on some of the adult ones.

bc they never go to auradon, they just kinda keep doing what they already are and gain more and more power. but, as they gain power their parents start becoming afraid of them and acting like more abusive in attempts to keep the core 4 under their control 

ok bare w/ me for this next bit bc it’s gonna sound real ooc for like a sec then make sense

so, as they’re gaining power and their parents are haveing more and more trouble controlling them their parents are becoming more and more violent.

im not sure on the order yet, but basically cruella, jafar, eq, and malifacent all do something like really really bad to their respective kid, so one of the other core 4 kills them bc like. yeah. 

i have some vauge ideas of what each of them could have done and i don’t really know if i want to say them or even use them tbh bc they’re like.... bad, like real bad. which they kinda have to be, you know? bc like.... none of the core 4 would turn to killing if they didn’t have a real good reason, and their parents continuing the abuse that they always have woulden’t be enough, so the parents would have to do something really really bad for one of the others to justify killing them 

its important to mention that none of them kill their own parent. it’s always one of the other 4, im not sure who kills who just yet, but none of them kill their own parent. They’re saved from their parents by each other and they never really have any confrontation with their parents (which will change l8r 👀👀, let me explain)

Even tho they didn’t kill their own parents, everyone kinda assumed they did in order to take their places/gain power. A handful of their friends know the real story, but it’s mostly kept under wraps and it’s like general “knowledge” that they killed their parents for power. They’re not really hiding it or anything, I mean they did still each kill one of the 4 most powerful villains so it’s not like anyone is gonna be less afraid if they knew the truth. ppl just make assumptions and never really question them and they just let ppl think what they do

So bc their parents are dead and they let everyone assume they killed their own parent they very easily climb up the ranks and end up in charge of the isle bc atp they’re seen as the most ruthless/evil/powerful

So now that they’re in charge of the isle they start like..... actually making it a livable place. Ofc at first they try to make a version of Carlos’s machine to break the barrier, but they can’t get it to work so he just modifys it to steal magic from the barrair for them to use. (Another idea stolen from my keep them close series but like I like the idea lol)

And when I say they make it a livable place I mean they start doing stuff like building water purifiers, making like safe houses, establishing some kind of working economy, taking control of the barge drop offs and how everything is distributed, fixing broken electricity, etc etc

A lot of what they do is based off of Carlos’s machines and designs, which like obvi other ppl are helping him gather materials and for and build, since he has power bc he’s like one of the ppl in charge. And he like teaches other ppl how to do what he does and fix anything that goes wrong

Evie kinda puts herself in charge of setting up like medical centers + homes for kids and stuff. Also some kinda way to grow food. B4 they’re in charge nothing can really grow but they use the magic they steal from the barrier to make stuff grow. And evie can use it to make like lots of healing items and such

Jay ends up mostly in charge of like collecting and distribution of their recourses. At first like the barge is kinda a hugeeee problem to deal with bc ppl are fighting over the like moldy food and destroyed clothes and stuff. But eventually they get it organized and have stuff sent to the respective place it should, like clothes and scrap fabric are sent to a place that repairs and sells them, parts and electronics are sent to Carlos or his helpers, etc

Other minor vks like Celia, dizzy, the sea three, Diego, etc are all in this two but this is already really long so just know they’re like helping and like pretty high ranking/highly regarded. Send me an ask with questions please

Mal is kinda regarded as the ultimate leader/queen of the isle ig even though the other 3 have basically the same amount of power. Mostly bc her job ends up being keeping the adults who dislike them inline and keeping their power as heads of the isle

Most ppl are just kinda chill w/ them being in charge, especially a lot of the ppl who were banished for minor crimes. A few of the adult villains try to fight them and end up dead lol, and anyone caught doing especially bad things, like r*pe, hurting someone they shouldn’t have, being a child abuser, etc will end up killed by mal or one of the others. They don’t kill u for like every crime obviously only the like inexcusable ones. Stuff like stealing or mental illness or w/e they basically just help you work through

They’re aren’t any like real laws ig but they deal with issues as they go and give harsh punishments if needed. It serves to keep themselves seen as strong/evil/powerful despite all the good they do and helps keep others too afraid to challenge them. Like frollo isn’t going to challenge them if Ursula tried the same thing and got killed. (The fact that she abused uma and her siblings obviously had nothing to do with that,,,,,,,,,,,)

So yeah! They basically turned the isle into a inhabitable place in the years that they spent as its leaders, and it functions as its own kinda kingdom despite its harsh and confusing laws/rules

But we ain’t done yet, lol

Basically everything I’ve just explained is.... mostly backstory? Kinda? It’s the type of thing where you slowly find out about all this stuff while they actual story goes on, but I figured it’d be less confusing to explain it first :3

So the Actual story starts a few years after when Ben originally was supposed to take the vks off the isle. He, all the other princess/princes he want to school with, the core 4, the sea 3, etc are all in their mid to early 20s.

Auradon has basically no clue what’s the deal w/ the isle. They’re only interaction w/ them is through the like goblins that bring over the trash barges, but those guys are chill and basically don’t tell the aks anything lol.

So Ben is ruling his kingdom, and the core 4 are ruling their own, both sides are doing pretty well and ignoring each other, but then! All of a sudden there’s these sudden deaths/fires/some kinda terrorist attack on the outskirts of the kingdom.

I haven’t thought through this part too much, but basically he knows that they’re is some kinda threat, but he doesn’t know excatly what it is. All he does know is that the villain that is attacking is demanding to speak to the children of malifecent, jafar, cruella devil, and the evil queen.

He basically rounds up the heroes of those respective stories bc they’re all being threatened in some way or another. The mystery villain continues to do more damage and seems basically impossible to beat, and has given them a time limit b4 they’ll go and start destroying more

They discuss their options and decide their best plan is to go to the isle and convince them core 4 to help, bringing along the heroes and some of the main aks w/ them

Obviously it doesn’t go well bc they show up and mal basically has them arrested lmao

Again I have more in-depth ideas for this part but this post is already wayyyy to long so I’m trying to hurry and finish up

The talk, vks meet their respective heroes, everything is from ak/hero POV so as they explore the isle and talk to the core 4 and other vks they slowly find out about all ^^^ that stuff up there

The core 4 are eventually agree, and they go to face the villains only to find out its their parents who have been resurrected!!!! Fuck!!!!

Idk how or why just yet lmao but I will soon

Parents are obvi pissed, core 4 face their own parents and finally get like some kinda closer or smthn idk I feel like y’all get the gist

in the end auradon agknolages the isle as its own kingdom and the core 4 as its leaders and open trade/remove the barrier so the isle can continue to grow bc it’s been struggling due to lack of recourses

And that’s like the basic outline of my au! I wanna write it eventually but tbh I’m expecting eventually to be like 3 years from now bc of how much other stuff I have so for rn I’m just gonna blog about it. Obviously there’s a lot of other stuff/plots/emotional arcs etc I didn’t talk about bc like This Post Is So Long I’m So Sorry, So please please please send me asks/questions/comments/even your own ideas!!! Please. Everything about this will be tagged with “isle kingdom au” :3

[fantroll-purgatory]

@47098

FIRST: Alternia or Beforus or some type of AU?

Alternia!

Name (preferably include how you came up with it and why):Talpie Mammor Talpie, taken from the scientific name for a mole. Mammor, an altered version of the god of greed.

Maybe substitute Mamuna for Mammor? I know that’s kind of a nitpick, but Mamuna is a regularly accepted alternate spelling of Mammon when she’s presented as a demonness. (It’s also the name of a Slavic demonness of maliciousness and gluttony but we don’t really have to acknowledge that).

Talpie Mamuna...

Age: 6.9 sweeps

Weapon: Unsure!

Flashbang. She wants to be the center of attention but doesn’t like hurting people. Boom.

Inventory: ADVENTURE STYLE. When she picks things up, they get locked in chests. To open them again, she has to find a key hidden somewhere. She likes to keep things fresh.

I like that haha. Do the keys just get randomly scattered within the environment she’s in? Is there a certain radius? Things to think about.

Blood color: Cobalt.

Trolltag: vivaciousMoneygrubber [VM]

I do like this already. I might also recommend illustriousMoneygrubber[IM], just because of her goal to make a name for herself. Because she’s so charismatic, i think Moneygrubber definitely comes off quirky and proud despite typically being an insult.

Quirk:  OBVIOUSL¥ ONL¥ THE B€$T AND MO$T AMAZING QUIRK €V€R.

(replaces Es with euro signs, Ss with dollar signs, and Ys with the sign for yen. also talks in capitals, because she likes to be heard.)

Fitting!

Special Abilities (if any): None!

Since she’s a cobalt, she DOES get the benefit of psychic resistance!

Lusus: A blind mole with Big Hands. Like Drilbur.

Oh that is so cute I love that. I definitely don’t disagree. If I Had an alternate recommendation for consideration, may I suggest a badgermole?

I recommend this mostly because of the title recommendations I’m going to be making later- but we’ll get to that.

Personality:

The most confident person in the room, Talpie is always a standout when compared to anyone she is close to. She LOVES standing out, hence her always choosing to look different. She never lets things lie, instead dragging things out until she decides that it’s over. She is ultimately insecure about her body and certain parts of her personality- IE: the loneliness and fear for personal relationships, as well as her poor eyesight due to her tenfold vision- but loves every other part of herself. She wants to project herself for the world, take it by storm, make a name for herself, yet she fears rejection or failure because of her weaknesses.

Talpie is very charismatic, extremely happy to talk to anyone who wants to listen to her. She can ramble on for hours about nothing or give solid- if not blunt- advice about most anything. She might be a bit much for some people due to her extreme advice, either giving humble advice or passion filled declarations of emotion or intuition. Other times she will shoot down people’s ideas in a heartbeat and replace them with her own. Often she will think a plan is foolproof despite only taking minutes to think it up, but because of her extreme adaptability it somehow still works out (most of the time). Her recklessness does often get people hurt, though, and while she may not show it she does always feel sorry when she hurts people. She is a compassionate person on the inside, a cold-blooded worker on the outside. Notice that that said WORKER, because no matter how much she wants to act like a cold-blooded, badass killer, she can’t hurt someone for the life of her.

She is incredibly caring. When someone is hurt, she will complain about their weakness yet carry them to safety. When someone is heartbroken, she will tell them they should have expected it yet offer them a shoulder to cry on. When someone is depressed she will be blunt and forceful, but speak in a way that will only cheer them up. She can’t handle not being the center of attention, but she will focus her own attentions to whoever she feels needs it. If she thinks you don’t actually need help, she won’t bother with you unless she decides there isn’t anything better to do. If someone gets hurt while she is about to achieve something and they won’t live if she keeps going, she will choose the life of the person ahead of her goal. She will blow it off, absolutely, and call them a fucking stupid idiot, and she WILL regret it, but she knows that she’s weak in that regard. (or, she calls herself weak for it)

She is goal driven. She knows this. She knows that she would always end up choosing her goals over the people she cares about, aside from a few special circumstances. She wants to make a name for herself, craves the validation that comes from overcoming adversity and proving everything wrong yet she fears the loneliness that has come from that endeavor so far. She fears that she will be lonely her entire life, so she tries to keep herself at a distance. She doesn’t think she can be successful and have meaningful relationships.

Her tenfold vision is the reason why she isolates herself, as well.

I love her personality and the amount of thought you’ve put into! Characters with conflicting goals and natures can be very fascinating to play with. I’m going to go through real quick and just kind of note (mostly for myself) themes I see in her personality.

High energy, impulsive/reckless, caring, adventurous, afraid of isolation and loneliness, prioritizes her aims over other people (except in life or death situations), considers herself weak for making concessions out of concern for other people, overconfident and self-conscious at once.

Interests:

MONEY

action movies (she likes to watch action movies with female protagonists b/c she is a big lesbian)

HEROINES IN… NICE CLOTHES (spandex)

GETTING SHIT DONE

WHOOPING ASS

TABLETOP ROLEPLAY (alone, she doesnt have any irl friends only online ones) saying dumb things and instantly regretting it SIMPLICITY

“Saying dumb things and instantly regretting it” really made me laugh hbhg. I feel it, Talpie. Also tabletop roleplay alone... interesting. Does she act out the scenes herself? Like some kind of... pacifist flarp? Maybe she could like writing stories too, uses the tabletop roleplaying to write down these Adventures.

Since she likes the idea of Making A Name For Herself she could maybe also be interested in military, even if just a little bit? It seems like on Alternia the best way to Get Known is to be an actor or to be Really Powerful And Influential and since most people end up growing up into the military... it’s an unfortunately efficient way to receive validation and commendation.

Title: SYLPH OF TIME

Now... I think time player probably does fit her at least adjacently, but I think in this case it might be playing too much into what she Wants To Be and isn’t providing her with enough of a challenge. I know not all titles have to Aim For Change, but she seems like the kind of character with a rocky starts who needs something to either break her down or force her to Develop.

so I’m going to shift this to... Rogue of Blood, I think.

A passive role like Rogue would be very hard for her to play, because it is something lowkey, something that is focused heavily on sharing- something she doesn’t seem very keen on. Learning not to allocate things properly would be a struggle for her.

Blood is the aspect of the bound. The tied. I think giving her a role that forces her to be more grounded and to find more bonds might be a good idea.

The Rogue of Blood passively moves around ties, moves around the relationships and responsibilities and chains that form between people. With this ability she’d be able to passively lead a group. It makes sense for someone so goal oriented and trying to shunt her into a leadership position instead of letting her do her own thing might create some interesting dynamics.

This is also why I suggested the badgermoles earlier- they’re the original earthbenders in the ATLA universe and the inverse of Breath is Blood, of air is earth. It’s something that might force her to be more down to earth.

Her inverse would be Knight of Breath, which would explain her starting out inundated with all this adventurous energy. Her intense separatism is something she uses entirely, recklessly, and hasn’t yet learned to harness. Once she does, though, she’d be able to exploit freedom and movement, shifting around obligations to leave Openness and Opportunity in its wake. Fun stuff.

Land: CASTLES and CREVICES

Love that name. I might also recommend Castles and Cells just to make some jokes about shackles wrt her aspect.

Dream Planet:Prospit

I think I Do agree with this assignment. I was a little on the fence because of her doubts, but the fact that she lives more in the moment and makes some impulsive decisions and seems to focus a lot more externally than internally sold me on it.

So with all that figured out, I can finally assign her a sign.

Scorcer, the sign of the Champion.

Now on to the redesign!:

Horns: I kept them the same! I like that they kind of look like the claws of a mole, so I thought they fit her theme 

Hair: I fixed up her bangs a little to put it more in front of the horns, just to kind of push the horns back and make things look better layered. I also wanted to adjust the bangs to be based off of Evie from The Mummy! For the back of her hair I changed it to a braid as a reference to Lara Croft. 

Face: I got rid of the artifacting around her eyes to make things look crisper and cleaner. I also made her mouth a bit thicker just so it would stand out more on her face. 

Cape: I changed the color to match her blood. I thought the saturation would help it pop more and would bring in a more cohesive design. I also made the strings pop more. And I adjusted the back of the cape to be more rounded. I thought it made it look more like it was laying on the ground and gave it more visible weight. 

Shorts: I brought in a different bright saturated blue in the same family as her blood color to give it a new range of values. It helps her pop a lot, again. And I gave her some gold snaps! Very passive reference to her greed theme. 

Shoes: I liked her little leggings, so I kept them that color but gave them a more distinctive outline. I also changed her shoes. I used some of Jake’s shoes as a base, but added a steel toe and made them bright red. 

Thank you for sharing another lovely troll!

-CD

[medeapearl]

The Devil in my soul

Welcome and have a nice read. Levy McGarden & Gajeel Redfox in a crime/mafia/gangsta AU. Rated M.

The phone rang endlessly without giving him peace after entering the apartment. When he finally reached out for it, he saw with amazement Levy’s number on the display. Quickly he ran his thumb through the icon and put the phone to his ear, with one hand trying to strip his jacket.

“Gajeel?”, he heard her wheezing, labored breathing.

“Yeah”, he said.

He heard her still trying to align her breath, somewhere in the distance ambulance sirens wailed and the quiet hum of cars merged with the sound of her footsteps. When she finally calmed down enough to speak freely, he heard a lighter click and he imagined her holding a cigarette in her mouth and inhaling quietly smoke.

“I need your help”, she said finally with a quiet voice, but he knew that something happened. Something that he didn’t really like. “How soon can you come at Inferno?”

“About ten minutes”, he said quietly, though his brain was already on emergency mode and analyzing every possible option, and hands back began to pull his jacket back.

“I’m in the alley behind the bar”, she said and hung up.

When he got to the place full of the worst feelings and with a weapon in his hands, he saw her sitting on a pile of cardboard boxes and a gun pointing at the entrance of the alley. Under her legs lay a whole heap of cigarette butts, she probably smoked one cigarette after another. When she nodded at him and lowered her gun, treading the last cigarette with her heel, she headed toward the garbage cans at the end of the street. Her step seemed sure, her face didn’t show any emotion, but in her eyes, he saw something that caused a shiver down his spine.

At the end of the alley were overflowing garbage cans, bags, boxes, bottles, and syringes littering the damp asphalt. Levy stopped and finally looked him in the face. He stood patiently beside her and eventually spotted by one of the containers a pair of legs. The pant legs were wet, and when he came closer, he noticed a threadbare tuxedo and a white shirt all red with blood. He recognized with horror the strange face with green hair, mustache and monocle now broken already. In the stomach, something gripped him tightly as he looked at the big colorless eyes, empty and glassy like a doll. Too many times had he seen dead bodies to mistake the sight of something else. He reached into the white shirt and quickly examined the wound - one stab with a knife through the heart.

“What happened here?”, he finally asked, still not looking at a woman unwittingly improving the tie and tuxedo flaps on the corpse of his former colleague.

With the corner of his eyes, he saw as Levy transgresseth in one foot. After a moment, she finally he spoke.

“I was at the bar to meet … someone”, she said after a pause. “None of your business who”, she added quickly, seeing that Gajeel has already started to open his mouth. “One of the waitresses handed me a card from my office-boy that he was waiting for me here in the alley.

“Did you expect him?”

“Yes”, she replied without hesitation. “Otherwise I wouldn’t come, or at least I would have called him.

Gajeel finally forced himself to get up and look at the little woman. Appearances can deceptive, right? Looking at Levy everyone expected a smiling and friendly girl who everyone will help and which can’t be liked with those big brown eyes and a beautiful smile. That too was most of the time. But there were moments when his skin crawled at the sight of her crooked smile and a strange glint in her eyes. It was the fulfillment of dreams and nightmares at the same time. He was impressed by her intelligence and organizations when planning their work as she managed the entire company. Bribes, protection of warehouses, half the legitimate interests of bets and car racing, order parts, finance, patents, designs, construction of new cars and ordinary job from day to day, and she’s was doing it all virtually alone, with minimal help from Laxus and Lucy, and that was only the top of the mountain. Where did she all learn it Gajeel didn’t know but was glad that he works with, not against her.

The stranger seemed the whole situation in which they find themselves because for nothing the world couldn’t he imagine that the calculating and calm Levy McGarden could kill with cold blood one of Jose killers.

“When I got here, he was lying on the ground with a knife in his chest”, she added and pulled out a dagger from her jacket pocket, engraved on the handle with the letters FC and surrounding with flames. “There was nothing I could do. He was dead.”

“It belongs to the Raven Tail”, said Gajeel taking from her the weapon and turning it in his hands. “To Flare Corona.”

Levy looked at him with understanding and nodded her head slightly. After a moment, she pulled a phone from her pocket dialed a number and pressed the speaker icon on.

“Yes?”, said a woman’s voice.

“Gajeel confirmed it was Flare”, said Levy quickly, and he noticed that the tone of her voice changed a little bit.

“That’s good”, said the woman on the other side of the line. “Fernandes found her. We’ll be in fifteen minutes.”

“OK”, Levy said with a hint of satisfaction and hung up.

When she looked at Gajeel, she noticed that he was staring at her with murder in his eyes. He towered over her with his stature and really didn’t facilitate this moment to strengthening ties, but she knew she had to explain to him the situation. Of all the people in the company, which more or less she thought as a family, he alone seemed different. He was not the type of integration, preferring to work alone and as Laxus satisfied with minimal contact with the outside world. But when she knew Laxus almost inside-out and knew also how to deal with him, so that their company would work, with Gajeel was it different. They were united by something else, something she has not been able to figure out quite yet.

“Ivan wants to bring on us Jose”, said Gajeel finally, raking a hand through his black hair and giving Levy the dagger back.

“Not necessarily”, she replied, turning around from the corps and headed toward the entrance of the alley. Gajeel with a sigh followed her. “It seems to me that Ivan doesn’t know about it.”

Again, she pulled out her cigarettes and lit one quickly. When she sat down on one of the boxes at the entrance to the alley, and a beacon allowed to see little more than just shadows, he noticed that the sleeves and the front of her leather jacket ware covered in blood. Her hands trembled slightly when driving the cigarette to her lips, and her glances were beginning to bother him more and more. Gajeel crouched in front of her and grabbed her free hand directing all the attention on him. He said nothing. After a while, Levy finally sighed with resignation, drew the smoke last time and threw the butt in front of him on the pavement.

“She killed him in front of me”, she finally said, looking him in the eye. “When I got there I saw only Sol. Staggering to all sides, and when behind him appeared a shadow, it was too late.” Now, she was talking in one exhalation, getting faster, as if to get rid of the words. “She stabbed him in the heart and pushed my way. I haven’t seen her face”, she added quickly. “When she ran away, I caught a glimpse of her red hair, and when I examined a dagger, I guessed it my be that bitch.”  

“Gajeel was silently squeezing her hand tightly, trying to digest the information. Flare asked a lot of trouble to kill Sola. A witness in the form of Levy spoiled all her plan if she was going to bring on them Phantom Lord. So it wasn’t about a gang war, but about something else. But, what? Levy suspected that Ivan didn’t know anything about Sol’s murder, Flare, therefore, was acting on her own, trying to attack Levy through Jose, whom she probably had already said that behind The Inferno lies the dead body of his killer.

So Jose will be here soon.

That thought almost knocked him off his feet.

“Jose will come here”, he said to Levy, staring at her with wide eyes.

“Yes.”

Her calm voice nudged something inside him. A moment ago she was a bundle of nerves on the verge of panic. Now she regained her usual passive calmness, her face again become slowly a calm mask, her eyes two panes of glass. “I see that fills you with this amazing equanimity”, he finally said with a hint of sarcasm.

“I’ve got you”, she said and then grinned at him. “What could possibly happen to me?”

Her gaze fixed on his red eyes told more than a thousand words, and again a shiver ran down his spine at the thought of what he just saw in her eyes. Levy was not someone who easily trusted people, he also. Life taught him that people lied, cheated and betrayed. Involvement in anything other than work seemed to be a suicide attempt especially in the world in which they lived. Therefore he understood the importance of her unspoken words and was glad that she, from all the people he knew, trusted him with her life.

“So what’s the plan?”, he finally asked, letting go of her hand and standing up.

She looked at him with a slight smile and also stood improving her jacket and holster on her thigh.

“I do the talking and you’re watching my back”, she said at last. “What should I know about Jose?”

Gajeel looked at her in surprise. He knew that tone of voice. Levy talked this way with customers - short, concise and to the point. Whatever worried her now, she pushed it into the background, focusing on a close encounter with Jose.

“Don’t believe in any of his promises. Jose has a way with words and you may easily succumb to its charm. He will use any weakness to hurt you. Don’t let him take the better of you.” Levy nodded her head at these words and pushed her storm of blue hair out of sight turning back to him. “Why didn’t you call Laxus or Lily?”, he asked.

She looked over her shoulder and again gave him a wide smile.

“Laxus wouldn’t stop bitching about the whole situation, and I didn’t want to disappoint Lily. He would look at me reproachfully, that I ended in this shitshow”, she said. “And I knew that only you would accept it all with composure and help me, without unnecessary chatter and remorse.”

[throwmyheartawayagain]

A Rose Among the Stars

This is part of my entry for @sunmoonandbucky‘s 5K Constellations Writing Challenge. My prompt was Theater AU, so I decided they were going to put on the stage version of The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry because it really is my absolute favorite book. The second part will be up probably tomorrow. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to post the completed piece on the due date.

A Rose Among the Stars

Characters: Bucky Barnes, Evie (OFC), Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, Peter Parker, Natasha Romanoff, Thor Odinson, Clint Barton, Wanda Maximoff, Maria Hill, Pepper Potts, Vision, Nick Fury

Pairing: Bucky/Evie

Warnings: Language

Word Count: 6,300

Act One

“Alright, alright, everyone settle down,” Nick Fury said with a booming voice to get the attention of everyone in the auditorium. “For the 2020 spring production, we are going to be doing a stage version of The Little Prince. For those of you that are not familiar with the book, make yourself familiar.”

“Are there going to be auditions or are you and the director just going to assign parts? Cause the last time you assigned parts, the play sucked and I had a shit role.”

Nick rolled his eyes. “Stark, I can assure you that there will be auditions, however, you just sealed the part you’ll be playing.”

Smiles and quiet giggles were heard as Tony huffed loudly and fell back into his seat.

“For this production, there will be eleven speaking roles and we will also need two people; one for costumes and make-up, and one for props and set design,” Pepper took over talking. “As usual, Fury will be overseeing everything as the theater manager, and unless anyone else wants to direct the production, I will be taking that role.”

A few people sitting in the auditorium seats were quietly talking it over if there should be a different director. After a few minutes when no one spoke up, Pepper finished speaking, “If there isn’t anyone else that would like to take on directing for this, we will get started on handing out the scripts and production notes I’ve collected from other theaters that put this on.”

The rest of the afternoon was spent going over the roles for the play. When it came time to finish up for the day, Nick and Pepper stepped back on stage to address everyone.

“For those of you that wish to have a speaking part, please prepare a three minute monologue from the perspective of the character you wish to do in the play,” Pepper informed the group.

Nick spoke next. “You will have a week to write and memorize it so you are able to perform your monologue next Saturday.”

“What about those of us that don’t want a speaking role?” Evie asked.

“Please see me before you leave today, Evie,” Pepper smiled as she addressed the other woman directly. Turning her attention back to the group, Pepper bid everyone a good afternoon and waited for Evie.

After Evie said bye to everyone that was leaving, she made her way over to Pepper. “So, what can I do for this play, Pepper?”

“You know, Evie, one of these plays I’m going to get you into a speaking role,” Pepper brightly smiled. “It won’t have to be a big role, just something small.”

Evie sighed, “I can’t do that.”

“Some day, I know you’ll be able to do it,” Pepper replied as she gently placed her hand on Evie’s shoulder to give it a small squeeze. “For this play, it will be your choice. You can do either costumes and make-up or prop and set design.”

“Costumes and make-up, please.”

Pepper typed a note into her phone before nodding at Evie’s selection. “Sounds good. I need to get going, so I’ll see you in two weeks since you don’t need to be here next Saturday.”

Evie made her way out to her car and was surprised to see Bucky waiting for her. “Hey, Bucky,” she smiled when she reached her car. “Did you want a ride home?”

He shook his head. “Just wanted to ask you something.”

Evie was curious, what would someone like Bucky, who she had a crush on since the first play they worked on together years ago, want to ask her? Shy, tubby, boring Evie.

She looked at him, still unsure of what he wanted, even if he said he just had a question. “What did you want to ask?”

“Right,” he said as he looked down at his shuffling feet. Finally peeking up between his long bangs, his steely blue eyes shyly looked her in the face. “Were you going to try for a speaking part this time?”

“I, umm,” she paused. Evie couldn’t stop her brain from running away with why Bucky was acting so shy around her. She knew she wasn’t anything special, nothing like Wanda, Natasha, or Maria. They were all so outgoing, brave and beautiful compared to her. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Oh.” He looked down again.

“Bucky?” she called quietly. “Is something wrong?”

Suddenly it was like a switch that went off and he was back to his usual self. “No, nothing is wrong. I was just wondering if you were going to try for a speaking part since this is your favorite book.”

Evie shook her head at the change in Bucky’s demeanor and to indicate she still wasn’t going to try out. “No, no one wants someone like me in a speaking role. I’ll see you in two weeks.”

Without waiting for Bucky’s response, Evie got in her car and went home.

Two weeks had finally passed and Evie was excited to get to the theater early. The cast was going to be announced and she could start taking measurements to go over costume ideas she sketched with Pepper. As soon as she got to the theater and walked in, her mood soured. Evie had stumbled upon a conversation that a couple of people were having.

“Come on, Nat, could you even imagine that happening?”

“What’s wrong with that?” Natasha asked.

“This is Evie we’re talking about! She’s not worth it,” Bucky scoffed.

“Bucky?” Evie whispered to herself. Did he really just say that about her? She was so focused on her thoughts that she didn’t hear Natasha’s comment.

“What other option is there? We have to do something.”

“You’ve never seen the way she gets when she has to do that. It’s not worth it and I’m not having any part in this.” Bucky sighed. “Nat, just forget the entire thing.”

Not wanting to hear anymore, Evie turned to leave. She knew Bucky could never like her the way she liked him, but she didn’t understand his apparent disdain towards her. She wanted to get out of there as soon as she could and on her way out the door, she ran into Pepper.

“Evie! Just the person I was looking for. Walk with me and tell me about the costumes you’ve decided on,” Pepper smiled.

“I, uhh, I’m sorry Pepper,” Evie began. “I was actually on my way back home. I’m not feeling too well this morning.”

“Rough night last night?” Pepper teased.

“No, nothing like that.” Evie shook her head and pulled her sketchbook out of her messenger bag. “Here, this is what I’ve come up with so far and the best part is that I will be able to use costumes that have already been made and will need to alter them just a little.”

Pepper looked through the sketchbook as she thought about what Evie said. “Are you sure you don’t want to make new costumes? Our budget for this has been increased by a generous anonymous donation. Seems like you’re not the only one that loves that book.”

“Aren’t there repairs and renovations that the theater needs more than new costumes?”

“It was donated specifically for costumes. Make of that what you will.” Pepper looked Evie over, trying to figure out what was wrong with her before asking, “Is there any way you can stick it out today to at least get measurements before heading home?”

Evie nodded.

"Good, here is the cast list for you.” Pepper handed Evie a copy of the cast list before walking to the stage to address the group sitting in the audience seats.. Looking it over, she was surprised to see that Bucky got the role of the Tippler. Now she really wanted to go home. There was no way she could face him after that conversation she heard.

Evie knew what was coming next. Pepper was going to call her to the stage to go over what needed to be done for costumes. Evie hated this part. Absolutely detested it and caused her anxiety to shoot for the stars. Public speaking was her worst nightmare and it’s why she nearly failed speech classes in school, why she always stayed behind the scenes, and why she never tried out for a part in any of the plays she’s been part of. Her fear of public speaking was bad enough that she turned into a hyperventilating mess of panic, tears and near hysteria.

Peeking out from behind the stage curtain, Evie looked at everyone that was sitting out there. As her eyes swept the group, she noticed Bucky was looking at her and with a small “eep” she pulled back to hide behind the curtain even more. She had just managed to calm her raging nerves down when Pepper called her.

“I can do this. I can do this. I can do this,” she chanted softly to herself as she walked out. Evie felt everyone’s eyes on her, but there seemed to be one person’s eyes that were burning right through her.

Pepper continued talking once Evie stopped next to her. “Alright, now the moment you’ve been waiting for. Here is the cast list.” After a brief pause while Pepper brought up the cast list on her tablet, she continued, “The part of the Little Prince will be played by Peter. The Narrator, Sam. Wanda, you will be the Rose. Thor, you are the King. Tony, you have the role of the Conceited Man. Bucky, you are the Tippler. Clint, the Businessman. Maria, the Lamplighter. Vis, the Geographer. Steve, you are the Fox. And Natasha, you are the Snake.”

Evie looked over at Bruce, who was silently sitting next to Tony, with a questioning look. He just shook his head and looked down almost as if he knew what she was thinking. Natasha picked up on the small exchange and decided to ask about it.

“Pepper?” Nat tried to get the other woman’s attention. Pepper looked at Nat and waited for her to continue. “Who will be doing the set and prop work if Bucky isn’t?”

“That would be Bruce.” No other explanation was given and Pepper moved on. “Now that the cast has been announced, Evie will be taking measurements for costumes. While she is doing that, we are going to be doing a read through of the script. For those of you that are familiar with the book, you probably noticed the stage play version is different. No, we are not making any changes to the script to be like the book. Evie, you’re up.”

Evie knew what she had to say, but her hands were uncontrollably shaking and she could feel her legs turn weak. “Th-th-thank you, Pepper,” she managed to stutter out. “Since I have most of your measurements from past productions, this should go quickly. Umm, who wants to go first?”

Looking out into the faces of the cast again, she saw a look of disgust, then a smirk on Natasha’s face before she spoke up, “I’ll go first.”

Evie’s mind turned to television static. No matter what she did, Nat was never pleased or thankful of the work that Evie did on her costumes.

With a sad sigh, Evie met Natash at the bottom of the stage stairs that lead out to the audience seats. Pulling a tape measure from her pocket, she started taking the measurements she knew were needed for the snake costume.

"How come you didn't try out for a part?"

"I don't like being on the stage in front of people," Evie answered while writing down the last measurement on the page with the snake costume sketch. "That should do it. Thank you, Natasha."

"Huh. I would've thought that with The Little Prince being your favorite book, you would have gone for a part. Then again, not everyone is cut out for being on the stage," Nat said as she watched for a reaction from Evie. She quickly realized she wasn't going to get one, so she tried again. “What do you think about working with Bruce instead of Bucky this time?”

“I’m looking forward to it, Bruce is such a kind person.”

Natasha wasn’t sure if Evie knew that she was purposely trying to provoke her or if she was just that dense. With an arrogant huff, Nat walked back to her seat.

Evie knew exactly what Natasha was trying to do. She knew that Evie liked Bucky and at every opportunity Nat had, she teased Evie about it.

By the time the intermission came up in the script, Evie had gotten nearly all of the cast done with Peter, Sam, and Bucky being left. The first two since they had the most lines and she didn't want to interrupt the read through. Leaving Bucky last because his measurements would take a little longer since it was his first role in a production. 

After Peter and Sam were done, they went back to the group to finish the read through and Bucky made his way over to Evie. There was almost a shy smile gracing his lips as he greeted her. “So, how does this work?” Bucky asked.

“It’s pretty simple, you just stand here and I measure you,” Evie replied while getting the tape measure ready. “Please stand up as straight as you can.”

By the time she was ready to measure his waist, hips, inseam, and thighs, she was blushing so hard she resembled a tomato. They were the last things she needed measurements for and as soon as she was done, she was leaving. There was no way she’d be able to face him after having to stick her face so close to his groin and remembering that conversation she heard earlier certainly wasn’t making the task at hand any easier for her. 

In her haste to finish as quickly as she could, Evie’s hand innocently brushed against him and she didn’t even realize what she had done. Bucky on the other hand took a sharp breath in as he felt her hand. His eyes shot down to watch her, but he realized that would not help him concentrate on getting things under control. Seeing her reach around and between his legs to get the measurements were doing things to him. 

Evie looked down, trying to avoid his eyes as she stood up. “You’re all done. Thank you for being so patient, I appreciate it.”

“What happens next?” Bucky asked.

“I turn into a hermit after work each night for the next couple of weeks to get the costumes ready for first fittings, then I’ll bring them in and see what needs to be done as well as go over character makeup. Then a week or two later, I’ll bring them in for final fittings.”

“Are you going to be at rehearsals?”

Evie shook her head. “I’ll be at some, but not as many as I usually am. Pepper wants all new costumes because someone made a donation specifically for them for this play.”

Again, Evie was too stuck in her head dealing with her anxious nerves to notice the sadness that replaced Bucky’s calm facial expression. “Oh. Well, I guess I’ll see you the next time you’re here.”

“Yeah, I’ll see you around,” she replied as relief flooded her. She could finally leave.

After Evie got home, she drew a hot bath to loosen her muscles that tensed up because of the anxiety. While she was soaking in the hot water with lavender and vanilla scented bubbles, she was on her phone, debating if she should try a dating app. Figuring it was a good way to get over Bucky, Evie finally picked one and downloaded it. Username decided, profile completed with what she felt comfortable sharing, and a picture she thought she looked okay enough in to include. Setting her phone aside, she picked up the book she was reading and got lost in the world of the Blackwoods and the mystery that surrounds the family of two sisters, their uncle, and a money hungry cousin that comes to visit.

Evie didn’t realize how long she had been in the tub until her phone beeped with a notification. Setting the book aside, she picked up her phone again to see what caused the beep. “Wow, that was fast,” she said to herself as she opened the dating app.

Someone liked her profile and sent a message introducing himself. Hi, my name is Michael. Would you like to talk more?

Feeling like she had nothing to lose by talking to him, she responded. After a while, he asked for her phone number to text instead of message through the app and that made Evie a little nervous, but she still agreed to share her number. While waiting for him to text, she opened the drain in the tub so she could shower off and wash her hair. 

In the middle of washing her face, her phone beeped so she hurried to finish and get out to see what Michael said.

Hey, it’s Michael. Do you happen to have a selfie?

She responded that she had one somewhere, but was apprehensive about sharing and more photos of herself until they talked a little more. Evie was sure he’d stop talking to her after that, but he surprised her and said he didn’t mind waiting. 

For the rest of the evening, Evie and Michael chatted about anything and everything that crossed their minds, however she couldn’t shake the weird feeling she had in her gut. When she was ready to go to bed, she bid him good night and went to sleep.

Sunday rolled around and she didn’t get up until almost ten in the morning. It was her sleep in day, and she was glad for it. Grabbing her phone from the window sill, she saw a few texts from Michael and decided to look at those first. He wanted to know if he could call her. Evie responded back that she wasn’t one to really talk on the phone because her job required her to be on the phone all day. Being a switchboard operator for a hospital certainly had its ups and downs, and the main down was being stuck at her desk all day aside from scheduled breaks and lunch.

Michael seemed to be understanding of that and again said he didn’t mind waiting. They continued to text and Evie checked the other notifications she had on her phone. A couple of emails to her personal address, one to her work email that could wait until Monday when she was back in the office. Some notifications for the various games she played on her phone, and finally she saw one for Facebook so she opened the app to see what it was.

“Uugghhhh,” she groaned into her pillow. “Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. Nooo!”

Hitting ‘Decline’ on the call, she went back to the text conversation she was having with Michael.

E: I see you found me on Facebook, cause that’s not creepy at all

M: Sorry, you’re just really beautiful and I wanted see more pictures of you

E: Hardly, and flattery will get you nowhere with me

M: Noted can I call you?

Suddenly her phone was ringing before she could respond to his text and she was horrified to see that he was calling her, so she declined the call and got out of bed to get ready for the rest of her day.

Her phone rang again and she declined the call again.

E: Sorry I didn’t answer your calls. I don’t like talking on the phone unless I absolutely have to. My job ruined it for me.

M: Understandable I couldn’t get enough of your sexy voice got me hooked

E: What?! You only got my voicemail greeting and that is hardly sexy at all, lol

M: Haha I disagree

E: You know, you could at least leave a message when you call, lol

M: Lol I like teasing you

E: I see

M: Is it working?

E: No, not really. I don’t like being teased.

M: That’s how it starts

E: Right, teasing someone who doesn’t like it is how it starts? What if I were to call you, would you pick up or let it go to voicemail?

M: Pick up

E: I’ll be sure to not call then

Evie hoped he would get the hint after her last text. It didn’t work, he sent back a string of laughing emojis. Instead of responding to Michael, she went to each something since she slept through breakfast and it was nearing lunch time.

While waiting for her pasta to finish boiling on the stove, her phone started ringing. “Fucking hell,” she grumbled as she sent it straight to voicemail. Like before, there was no message left from Michael.

Her pasta was finally done, so she drained it and scooped some into a bowl and put butter on it. While the butter was melting all over her pasta, she put the rest in some small containers so she’d have lunch for a few days at work. Picking up her bowl and a fork, she went to her couch and sat down to continue watching the latest show she was binging on Netflix. A couple episodes deep into her binge, her phone beeped again and she looked to see a text from Michael.

M: How are you sexy?

E: A little annoyed that you keep calling after I told you I don’t like talking on the phone. Also a little grumpy too

M: Is your hair long?

E:Not as long as it used to be. What does that have to do with anything?

M: Nothing I guess just wondering.

Evie didn’t respond and went back to watching her show. Another couple of episodes later, Michael sent another text.

M: So you going to be free to talk on the phone later sexy

How did he not get the hint she wasn’t going to talk to him on the phone. Apparently declining his call every time and telling him it made her uncomfortable was not enough. Evie ignored him for the next two days and she had a lot of work to do on the costumes for the play

By the time Wednesday arrived, Evie was hopeful that Michael finally copped a clue and wouldn’t text or call her number anymore. Around nine that morning, Michael sent a text.

M: Hello how are you sexy

E: I’ve been better. Work is annoying right now.

M: We should meet up sometime

That was a big fat “no” in her book. Michael’s last text sent Evie into a near panic attack. “Why can’t I be normal?” she quietly asked herself while concentrating on getting her breathing back down.

“Normal’s overrated. I thought you knew that,” Anna, Evie’s coworker, said from next to her. “What’d Bucky do now?”

“Why do you always assume it’s Bucky’s fault? He has nothing to do with this, and I’m over him anyway.”

“Right, you’re over Bucky like I’m not obsessed with glitter,” Anna retorted.

“That’s a fucking lie and you know it.”

“So, what happened this time? Who do I have to beat up to protect my work wife?”

Evie told Anna the entire thing, starting with the conversation she heard Saturday morning. After she was done, Anna pulled out her phone and was scrolling through something. “Are my issues that petty and boring to you that your phone is more interesting?”

“Fuck no, I’m going to order you a taser off Amazon!”

“Anna, no! I’ll end up zapping myself. I don’t need a taser.”

“Come on Evie, what if this Michael guy shows up and tries to abduct you? You have to be ready and prepared,” Anna reasoned.

“He’s creepy, but I doubt he’d actually show up and try to abduct me or something. You’ve been watching too many crime shows.” Evie shook her head.

“Have you even looked up his record on the state’s circuit court access site?” Anna asked.

“No, I haven’t.”

“I’ll do it for you then, what’s his last name?” Anna sat down at her computer and pulled the website up.

“Umm, I don’t know?” Evie shrugged. “Look, you don’t need to do this. I’m going to send him one last text to ask that he not contact me anymore, then I’ll block his number from my phone.”

“If you say so, but I’m still looking up his record and getting you something to protect yourself with.”

“I don’t want a taser.”

“But this one is really cute! It looks like a tube of lipstick!”

“No! I don’t care what the hell it looks like, I’m not getting a goddamn taser!” Evie argued.

“What about pepper spray?”

“Fine.” Evie was done arguing over this. “And I’ll look him up myself.”

“Fine!” Anna laughed, she really had to have the last word.

With a roll of her eyes, Evie turned back to her computer and looked up Michael’s record. And boy was she glad she did, because there was a domestic abuse case under his name, along with a restraining order against him. She also noted his address and shivered when she realized he lived close to the community theater. “Fuck.”

“What’d you find out?” Anna asked.

“He’s got a domestic and restraining order against him. He also lives near the theater.”

“Aren’t you glad you looked it up now? Is there any way he could find your information on there?”

“I’ve still got a speeding ticket listed. That’s got my address and license plates,” Evie replied.

“A taser would really be better than pepper spray.”

“And then there will be a news story about an idiot woman who zapped herself instead of her assailant out there. I don’t think so, Anna. If I have to have something, pepper spray is it.” Evie took a deep breath. “But don’t be surprised if I manage to spray myself.”

Anna laughed. “I don’t think you’ll spray yourself. You’re more coordinated than you are giving yourself credit for.”

Evie finally decided what to say in her last text to Michael and she hoped he would leave her alone after she sent it.

E: I would rather not meet up with you, it’s not something I’m comfortable doing. Please stop texting me and calling my phone number. Thank you.

M: Ok sorry

“Well, that was easy. Maybe I was freaking out over nothing,” Evie commented when she got Michael’s response.

“I’m still getting you pepper spray.”

“Shut up, Anna.”

The rest of the week passed with no more texts or calls from Michael, and Evie was relieved. She also swore off any and all dating apps since her first interaction left such a bad impression on her. She figured she wouldn’t have any further distractions from getting the costumes done for the play. However, by the following Monday, there was a small canister of pepper spray sitting on her desk. 

As more time passed, Evie was nearly finished with the costumes and it was time to take them in for the first fitting. All eleven costumes were secured in garment bags and she lugged them out to her car.

After parking right by the stage doors, Evie sent Pepper a text letting her know that she needed the stage doors opened. Expecting to see Pepper opening the doors, she was surprised to see Bucky and Steve.

“Hi, Evie!” Steve smiled brightly. “Do you need any help bringing the costumes in?”

“Oh, yeah,” she responded. “Carrying them all at once was kinda heavy.”

“Just pass them to Buck and I and we’ll put them on the rack right away,” Steve said.

It didn’t take long at all for the costumes to make it to the rack and Steve took the rack over to the dressing area backstage while Bucky waited for Evie to park her car.

“I can’t wait to see the costumes,” Bucky said. “You always do such an amazing job with them.”

“Thank you,” Evie looked up at him, a light blush spreading over her nose and cheeks.

“Barnes!” Fury shouted down the short hallway. “You’re up!”

“I guess I’ll see you in a bit, then.” He was back to being shy around her.

“Okay.” Evie stood there a little dazed. Was she reading too much into the interaction again? Was he really being shy around her like that Saturday in the park lot all those weeks ago?

Shaking her head, Evie made her way down to the dressing area and began taking the costumes out of the garment bags. Since Tony had just finished his scene with Peter, he came strolling into the area for his first fitting. Soon after the rest of the cast had been through their fittings and the only two left were Natasha and Bucky.

“He’s only like that with you,” Nat said as Evie moved some pins around to pull the fabric tighter to Nat’s body, trying to seem like she was concentrating on getting the material just right.

“Who?”

“Bucky, you can’t tell me you don’t notice it.”

“Honestly, Natasha, I really don’t.” Evie feigned. “I don’t notice a lot when I have stuff to get done here.”

“You’re a terrible liar. I can see how much you like him when you look at him, and you do notice how he gets quiet around you. It’s certainly not because he doesn’t like you.”

“I don’t know why you’re telling me this, I’m so far out of his orbit that I don’t even register as more than an acquaintance to him.” Evie took a step back to look the costume over one more time while Nat was wearing it. “Does the costume fit well? Not too tight or too loose in any areas? Can you move around well in it?”

Nat sighed, Evie was avoiding it. “Yeah, it fits fine. Can I take this off now? I don’t want to get stuck with a pin.”

Evie nodded and Nat walked behind the dressing screen that was set up for the fittings. Nat emerged a few minutes later and handed Evie the costume. “Thank you. I should have the alterations done by next Saturday so you can start wearing it for rehearsals if you want. Pepper mentioned she wants full dress rehearsals the week leading up to opening night.”

“Thanks, but I don’t think I’ll need the extra time.”

“You are literally slithering along the floor of the stage like a snake, are you sure?” Evie questioned. ��What if something happens with the costume? There won’t be a lot of time to fix it once dress rehearsals start.”

“Positive, and I don’t need someone like you worrying about it,” Nat snapped. “It will be fine.”

Evie stood there with wide eyes watching Nat walk away. All she could think about was what in the world had she ever done to upset Nat, and Evie again found herself wondering about the attitude she was given. Coming to the conclusion that she must just be that unpleasant to be around, Evie hurried and got Bucky’s Tippler costume ready for him to try on. 

Bucky entered the area with a large smile on his face. He took one look at Evie and the smile fell, quickly replaced with a deep set frown. She noticed the frown and she became more desperate to hurry the fitting up so she could get out of there.

“Here’s the costume, please change into it,” she instructed in a monotone voice before turning to her sketchbook to write down the notes from Nat’s fitting.

Knowing that Nat had her fitting right before him, he sent her a text asking what happened. Just as he was finishing with getting the costume on, Nat responded with three words. She likes you.

That was good news for him, but Bucky couldn’t understand why Evie was acting like she wanted nothing to do with him. Something else must have happened that Nat wasn’t telling him. Plastering a smile on his face, he walked out to stand in front of Evie and waited for her to start marking where things needed altering.

It didn’t take long for Evie to mark where the alterations needed to be done. There wasn’t much that needed altering in the first place. “You’re all done for now, Bucky. Just hang the costume on the hanger and I’ll get it in a little bit.”

“Is there anything wrong?” Bucky asked after he changed back into his clothes. “Did something happen?”

“No, I’m fine. Just want to get back home to get started on the alterations. Full dress rehearsal is in two weeks. I want to make sure I get it all done in time.”

“You know,” he began, “if there ever is something that’s bothering you, you know you can talk to me, right?”

“Thank you for the offer, Bucky, but I’m okay. Just anxious to get home.”

“Can I have your phone for a minute?” he requested.

“I’m sorry, what?” 

“You’re phone, you just have to open it to a new text,” he finished while holding his hand out, palm up for her to put her phone there.

She was wary, why did he want her phone? “Don’t you already have my number? I know Pepper handed out a sheet with everyone’s contact information on it.”

“Evie, that was years ago. I’ve had to change my number since then and I never got a new sheet from Pepper, so no, I don’t have your number anymore.”

Whether he was being truthful or not, she wasn’t going to hand over her phone. Because of Michael, Evie didn’t want to give her phone number to anyone. Besides, she really didn’t want to give him her number when he thought so lowly of her, that she wasn’t worth it. The words he spoke still stung. Tucking her phone into the side pocket of her leggings, she skirted around Bucky to get the costume he left behind the dressing screen.

“I’m sorry, Bucky, but I’m not one to give my phone number out to people who think I’m not worth it,” Evie said before leaving Bucky standing there completely dumbfounded. 

“What the fuck just happened?” he asked himself.

Sam walked into the area with Steve, “Hey, Bucky! We’re going out for a bite to eat, did you want to join us?”

When he didn’t answer, Sam asked again. “Bucky! Food, you in or not?”

“Not worth it? How the fuck does she think she’s not worth it?” Bucky ran out of the dressing area to find Evie. Steve and Sam followed.

The last place he looked for her was the parking lot. Bucky nearly bowled Peter over as he yanked the door open and ran out. Realizing it was Peter, Bucky asked if he had seen Evie.

“She just left, I helped take the costumes out to her car,” Peter replied.

“Damn it.” Bucky growled, then sighed. “Thanks Peter.”

If anyone was surprised at the situation, it was Steve. He knew that Bucky had feelings for Evie, and he was also under the impression that Bucky had talked to Evie about them. At least that’s what the plan had been that afternoon. Turning to Sam, Steve said, “I’ll catch up with you guys at the diner. I want to make sure that Bucky’s okay.”

Sam nodded, then turned his attention to Peter as he practically dragged the poor kid back into the building. “Hey, Petey! Let’s go get some food. The rest of the cast is going to that diner a couple of blocks over.”

“Buck?” Steve asked. “What happened?”

“I asked for her number and she said she doesn’t give her number to people who don’t think she’s worth it. What the fuck does that even mean?” Bucky looked at Steve with such a crestfallen and dejected look maring his features.

“She’s not worth what? Did you ever tell her she wasn’t worth anything?”

“Yes, Steve. Every time I see her, I make sure to tell her she’s not worth it,” Bucky deadpanned. “Why the hell would I do that?! I don’t think I’m worthy of her!”

“So you’ve told me. Many times, might I add.” Steve was silent while he tried to think of something that might have happened for Evie to think that. “Is it possible she overheard you saying something like that and took it out of context?”

“Maybe, but it’s still not something I’d throw around casually while talking about her.” Suddenly it dawned on him. “Fuck, I’m such an idiot!”

Steve waited for his best friend to explain. When Bucky didn’t continue, Steve prompted him. “Go on, feel free to tell me why you’re such an idiot.”

“A couple weeks ago, Nat caught me in the hall and was trying to figure out why Evie never tried out for roles in the plays. I told her it was something Evie wasn’t comfortable doing. Nat’s got it in her head that Evie has to have a speaking role, and I don’t know why. Why is that something that Nat even cares about?”

“So, how did Evie get that she wasn’t worthy from that?” Steve asked.

“Nat kept going on about a plan to get Evie into a speaking role, and you know how relentless Nat can get. I tried to talk her out of it, and told her that Evie wasn’t worth it, as in not worth the trouble Nat was going to to force Evie into a speaking role. She must have heard that part and of course, without hearing the rest of that conversation it would sound like I didn’t think she was worth it.”

“Well, you really messed it up this time, Jerk.”

“Sure did, Punk.”