1970s Race Car Driver!Bucky AU:
James Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes is an up and coming NASCAR driver who has just secured his place on the Stark & Gold racing team.
He becomes one of the biggest names in NASCAR and team owners Tony Stark and Michael Go...
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A/N: Here it is, the last official chapter, just a short epilogue to come. Thank you for reading and following Adeline and Bucky's journey. I don't know why I'm so nervous to post this but I really hope it's a satisfying end.
Please vote and comment your thoughts! It always means a lot but especially on this chapter.
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You looked inside my fantasies and made each one come true Something no one else, had ever found, a way to do I've kept the memories one by one, since you took me in I know I'll never love this way again I'll Never Love This Way Again - Dionne Warwick
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Gold-Barnes Family Ranch, Georgia February 23rd 1976
December rolls into January after a quiet Christmas at the ranch and a not-so-quiet New Year celebration in Malibu.
By the time February arrives, Adeline feels like she and Bucky have settled into married life like they've never known any different. The ranch house is slowly transforming into theirs with fresh paint and thrifted furniture. All the rugs from the wedding now occupy various rooms and the place has taken on a hybrid aesthetic of the beach house and Bucky's Brooklyn apartment. There's just one room left to fix up, but it needs a little more thought than a lick of leftover paint and a vintage rug.
It's on the back burner right now though, with Bucky back into race driver mode. He's spending long days out on the track trying to get his muscle memory back. Wanda is monitoring him more regularly, changing up his fitness routine and daily stretches as he progresses.
Adeline had almost forgotten what it's like to date a NASCAR driver after so long away from the routine of it all. And maybe she'd gotten too cosy in the idea of Bucky being around all the time that now she misses him even when he's ten minutes down the dirt path that leads to the ranch's track and garage.
With Sam and Nat in Georgia for a brief visit between races — the 1976 season well underway — Adeline's spent the morning catching up with her best friend whilst Bucky all but dragged Sam to the car.
He's been driving it a lot, keeping it in good shape with the little he knows of mechanics — tyre changes with the help of Scott and the odd look at the engine when it overheats. He called Adeline in for a second opinion on a rattling sound that started up a few days ago, hence the desperate need for Sam to take a look.
Adeline hovers in the doorway for a little while, watching the pair of them work before making her presence known.
"Hey, hot stuff. Have you decided what you want to do for your birthday?"
Bucky glances up from the hood of his car, where he's been tinkering whilst Sam is sprawled out underneath it on the creeper. The movement so sharp with surprise, he knocks the top of his head on the propped-up bonnet. Adeline whispers a soft sorry when Bucky rubs over his hair with a grimace and hops over Sam's legs to saunter over to her.
