best friends (bucky barnes x reader)

𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝟭

I have everything. I was rich, famous, had friends, my family is super kind to me, and I was a single pringle. Yes, being single worked extra well with ballet, especially when I am a principle dancer.

I remind this to myself every single day before the early-ish hours of work, hoping that it would help lift me up in my pirouettes. This time, I said it and it was followed by an amazing call that I was chosen to audition for La Bayadère, my sister's favorite ballet. "Great," I thought to myself, "Now I just have to nail this audition, get Nikiya or Gamzatti, and end up wowing the crowd." I got ready for the audition, picked up my practice tutu, and left my apartment in New York.

"How did he do this?" I muttered, trying to figure out how my brother called the taxis. Finally, I got it. Swinging my arms around, I got a taxi. "Well that certainly is never seen in New York," the taxi cab driver said. He had dark aviatior glasses on and grey slicked back hair with a huge smile on his face. "Where do you want to go?" "New York City Ballet, please," I said trying to be urgent but polite. "Ah, a ballerina! What are you rehearsing for today?" "I'm actually not rehearsing. I'm going to be auditioning!" I said, noticing the taxi was on the move.

time skippp

"Well have fun!" the driver cried, as I got out of the car, not before paying him of course. "Hey, y/n!" my best friend, Natalia Alianovna, shouted, "We have almost thirty minutes until audition warm-ups! And we also have 4 hours of auditions!" "Yeah!" I yelled back, "We also have Pas class at 2 after lunch and stretch block!"

We went inside and took out your brand new pointe shoes. We went back outside and started banging them on the walls. "Hey, Gnat?" I said, thinking that the sound was out of the shoes. "Yeah?" Natalia answered back. "Do you think we should go break them in now?" I asked, pointing to the shoes. "I mean, I guess. It is 8:15 now." "Ok. 15 minutes to break them in. I've gone faster."

I broke the shoes and went to the audition warm-ups in Studio 3, the biggest space. "Alright, ladies and gentlemen!" my favorite choreographer, Ms. Terri, shouted, "Today when you got your calls at home, we told you that you were going to be auditioning for La Bayadère! Well, here you are. So perform for us, wow us, and get a great role!" I looked over at Gnat, who was across  the room, and gave her a thumbs-up, then she returned it. Pliés, tondues, dégagés, rond de jambes, développés, and grand battements (baht-ma), I knew them all. Finally, after stretching in my splits and practicing some pirouettes, I heard a choreographer say "Practice tutus, ladies!" and I walked out of the room to get mine. 

It was finally 9:00 am and time for the actual audition although the warm-ups had been part of it; some people had gotten cut and wouldn't be able to audition for the show. Natalia and I weren't cut from it as we were two of the best ballerinas in NYC Ballet. I went back inside with everyone else following. The choreographers were sitting front and center in the room, ready to teach a variation. 

First up, Kingdom of the Shades soloists. They taught the variation and my group was the first to go. I stood in the corner with the rest of them ready to start. "Music, please!" I heard and I stood in fifth position. Développé, plié, prep for turn, turn and roll down to fifth. Again. Again. Again. Now jump to the side, chassé, jump to the other side, sus-sous and passé while turning and have high willowy port de bras. Run to the side and turn around fiercly in the corner with your arms and hands in a high V. Then run downstage en pointe and curtsy. That was only part of the solo of course, and if I got it, they would have months to teach the whole thing.

My group and I went off to the side and I waited there to watch and congratulate Natalia when she finished. As I watched her, every time she did a leap or a turn she would look at me. Like she was worried about something. She hid it from Ms. Terri though, and we both think that Ms. Terri sees everything. One time, I was outside practicing the Nutcracker before auditions and she was out there. She saw me, and then did not go away, but came and helped me with my turns! I was actually so surprised. But that's not the point. (ha get it? pointe?)

So when Natalia finished, I said "Are you ok?" "Yeah," she said breathlessly, "I just thought I saw something." Her blue eyes searched mine for answers and I exclaimed "Well, I wasn't going to be kidnapped or something! Because I think I would have noticed by now!" "Yeah. I was just worried. Probably nothing."

We left the studio to make more room for the other dancers who were coming out of the variation, and waited to be called back in. Natalia took out my bag of trail mix and started sorting all of the chocolate out of it. Once she had finished, she ate it. "Hey! Gnaaaaat.. I was gonna eat the chocolate! You were going to have the nuts and berriesssss," I whined. "You snooze, you lose," she simply said.

yo. i hope you guys liked this chapter so far! i've never written a story before but i love to read them! schedule for this book will be however i feel like bc sometimes i'll be like i dont ever want to be on an electronics ever again and then other times i have the most motivation ever. soo yeah ig. thanks for reading this! - cutie

edit: y'all i wrote this over a year ago 💀 ive changed so much and also the new ballet im doing is swan lake so its somewhat different than bayadere. i dont update that much bc i have so much dang homework and also im not quite motivated at the moment 👍