All I Want Is Everything

Lucky Bucky

I dream in daytime and nighttime, I dream of love or romance.
It won't be nice if they catch me, but I can live with the chance.
Because I love you, because I want you.
I will win your love for me, yeah, I will win your love for me.

Chris Isaak, Don't Make Me Dream About You

"No."

"What?" Bucky asked, confused.

"N. O. No, Bucky Bear," his sister said briskly. "No, I am not going to help in whatever hairbrained scheme you have to make Steve and Ella reconcile or become conjoined or whatever you have in mind. Fact is, Steve has treated Ella like shit for pretty much as long as we've known them, and Steve has a lot of work to do on himself to get through that and become the twin that Ella deserves. He can do it or not as he pleases. And don't tell me that you'd appreciate somebody flailing around in our relationship if we messed it up," she said, her tone softening. "This is something that is between them, and you should respect that. I appreciate that you're trying to do something nice, though." Bucky grunted, disgruntled.

"What brought this on?" Bec's voice was bright and curious, the one Bucky disliked because he always ended up on the losing end.

"I went over to her house to tell her how the others reacted to the recording she produced for us. She's done so much for us, and we don't deserve it. I just wanted to do something nice for her. She's getting tired of me apologizing. I don't know what else to do."

"Is that it?" Bucky started to sweat. That was their dad's courtroom voice, not that he used it much on witnesses under oath, mostly on his guilty offspring, but still.

"What else would there be?" he stalled.

"James." He panicked. It was exactly the same intonation as their mother used when she was at the very end of her rope.

"I scared her when I showed up, she hid under the bench. I didn't realize she was listening to music," he babbled. Becca sighed.

"Get her some flowers, then. You know what she likes. Unless... what else did you do?"

"Her bikini top fell off." He put his hand on his forehead. "I got a boner. It was awkward." She burst out laughing, raucous and uninhibited. He scowled. "I can't help it," he snapped.

"She has got to stop trying to tan. She's half Irish, for god's sake, her mom was almost as fair as her dad too," Becca chortled. "But you might recall that I asked once why you weren't all over her. Even I kind of want to play with her tits, and I'm pretty straight. It's not just me, though, she's very popular, goes out a lot."

"With who?"

"Whom." Bucky growled at her and she laughed. "Every age-appropriate guy in Hollywood, it seems, I can't keep up with her social life. Check the papers if you want to know, she's in them enough. I'm not sure who's taking her out tomorrow, but he's Brat Pack or Brat Pack-adjacent. Rob Lowe, I want to say.... But her standards for more than just a good time are high. She's sworn off musicians. Which is not good for you, but you also might remember I told you to snap her up." She sighed. "I'm not saying this to be mean, Buckster, but I don't really know what you have to offer her these days," she said gently. "It has nothing to do with your arm, she's really proud of it. But her standards have always been high, and she wants someone to see all of her and appreciate everything she brings to the table, understand and accept even the parts of her she's not proud of. She'll always be beautiful, but you're only young for so long, and unless a relationship is based on more than superficial things it won't last. She knows that, she's looking for somebody whose interest doesn't stop at her body or her bank account. She's ferociously smart, competent, loyal... I honestly am a little surprised she's back on speaking terms with you. If I'd been screwed over like her, I'd have considered hiring hit men. The difference is that she recognizes her worth now, and she won't settle for someone who doesn't measure up to her expectations. If you want to go after her, do not even think about just using her, because I will fuck you up if you do," she snapped. "She's not some toy to be played with and discarded. Make yourself into the sort of man who deserves her."