Happy Saturday!

Hope you're all doing good. I've been plugging away on the final story. I've not made much physical progress, but I have worked out exactly what's going to happen next and how I'm going to tie off the knots. As you'll see when you get there, the final story is a very complicated plot.

Enjoy xxx

11. Movie Night

"You know, when you said you kept goats, I didn't think it'd be quite like this," Peter said, as the goat sniffed around his feet and clamped the hem of his jeans between its teeth.

Bucky laughed. "You do get used to them. And these aren't my goats. Mine were better trained."

"You'd hope so," Peter said, pulling his pants out of the goat's mouth. "Otherwise, you'd have ended up like Ross."

"Ross?" Bucky said, curious, as Peter rarely mentioned the man.

Peter nodded, eyes a little distant. "The planet I dumped him on, Gryn Fylds, had water that gave you diarrhea, mosquitoes that could drain you dry, and goats." He smirked. "But the goats were useful."

"He ate them?" Bucky asked.

Peter laughed. "Nope, they were too fast for him to catch, and it wasn't like I left him with a weapon. No, the mosquitoes didn't like goat dung, so if you coated yourself with it, they wouldn't bite you."

Bucky's eyes widened. "Are you telling me Ross had to coat himself in goat shit?"

"Yep. It was disgusting!"

"Yeah, I'd say so." He wrapped an arm around Peter and kissed his crown. "What are we doing today? Fishing? Hiking?"

"Goat herding?" Peter suggested, and Bucky dug him in the ribs.

"Jerk."

Peter laughed. "We can do whatever you want. We can…"

Bucky heard the footsteps at the same time as Peter, and he looked to the door of the hut.

Sam stuck his head in and said, "We knew you two would be hiding in here."

"We?" Bucky asked.

Sam came into the room and Wanda and Vision followed, hand in hand and perfectly content looks on their faces.

"Hey, guys," Peter said happily. "How are you doing? You here to see the goats?"

Vision laughed. "No, we're here for you two."

"Well pull up a bit of floor," Bucky said, gesturing them in further.

"Nope," Sam said firmly. "We're not holing out in here because, one, it sticks of goat, and two, we've got plans. We came to drag you both back for movie night. We're all going to be there, T'Challa included, so get your asses out of here."

Peter glanced at Bucky and raised an eyebrow in question. Bucky nodded. He was happy to spend some time with everyone else. He and Peter had plenty of time alone after all.

"Cool. We're coming," Peter said, jumping to his feet and following Sam out.

Bucky joined them in the sun, lifting his face to feel it soaking into his skin. Though this place was just a creation of Peter and Soul, it was a perfect imitation of Wakanda, including the warm sun and lush green fields.

Sam wrapped his arm around Peter's shoulders and said, "You know, just because we don't all have the super soul connection like you guys, it doesn't mean we don't want to see you."

"Sorry," Peter said. "I want to see you, too. I was just curious about Bucky's goats, and he wanted to show me his hut."

Sam snorted. "Yeah, goats and a hut, that's so interesting." He tousled Peter's hair, making Peter duck from under his hand and dance away from him. Wanda looped her arm through Peter's, and they walked together towards the palace while Sam slipped into step beside Bucky.

When they reached the palace, Sam steered Peter towards the kitchen and said, "We need snacks, Pete. Sandwiches?"

"Yes," Vision said. "I'd like sandwiches."

"Sure," Peter said cheerfully. "Sam can help me. You guys go pick out a movie."

"Coward," Wanda teased.

Peter laughed. "Totally."

With such a varied group of them, choosing a movie took some time. Peter's usual favorites were vetoed by Shuri who mocked the technology of Star Wars. Sam and Bucky liked action movies, T'Challa and Vision preferred arthouse pieces with subtitles, and Wanda loved romcoms.

They reached the vast living room which had the biggest TV and Bucky found the argument about viewing choices had already started. Shuri and T'Challa were the ones going to war this time over it, and Bucky chose to take his seat and watch rather than join in.

"Why does it matter?" T'Challa said. "You and Peter are going to talk through it anyway if I choose?"

Shuri feigned shock. "We will not."

"Yes you will," Wanda said.

Shuri clapped a hand to her chest and looked affronted. "Fine, pick on me because I'm the youngest."

"You're the same age as Peter," T'Challa said.

"Not if you count time travel," Shuri pointed out. "He's closer to twenty than sixteen now."

Bucky smiled. He'd not really thought about it before, but the party Tony and Morgan were planning would technically be for his nineteenth, or was it hundredth? With time travel, time spent in the Soul Plane, time with Franklin, he was far older than he looked. Luckily, the Stones had put a stop to his aging, which was good, otherwise Morgan was going to be very surprised when they got back to 2023 with her brother aging overnight.

But Peter looked exactly the same as he had the day he'd left to hunt Nemesis, leaving Natasha behind. Though his rainbow eyes had a new depth, perhaps the shadows of all the years he'd lived. But essentially, he was the same person at last, and Bucky treasured it.

Everything was as it should be.

Though T'Challa's request that Shuri and Peter not talk through the movie, which he'd chosen, was abided by, they apparently thought texting was fair game. Their phones were on silent, but the lights were distracting, as was their occasional muffled laughter.

Bucky could deal with it, as anything that made Peter happy made him happy, too. Sam, on the other hand, grew quickly frustrated.

"That's it!" he said after a particularly loud bout of laughter. "T'Challa, step up to the plate—pass a Royal Decree or something, make them stop."

T'Challa chuckled. "I would, but Peter is not a subject."

"No, but Shuri is," Wanda said with a smile. "If you shut her down, Peter will have no one to play with."

Shuri narrowed her eyes at T'Challa. "Go on. Try it, brother."

Sam threw up his hands. "How do you even have cell phones here? It's the Soul Plane!"

"Yep," Peter said cheerfully. "And Soul made them for us. We even have Tumblr."

Bucky snorted. "Soul lets you have cell phones?"

"Yep, she likes tech," Peter said. "She finds it funny."

Sam sighed. "Man, you have an answer for everything."

"Please, put the phones away," T'Challa said.

Shuri rolled her eyes, but Peter obeyed, tucking it in the pocket of his hoodie. He settled back on the couch, and Bucky wrapped an arm around him. Peter snuggled closer, resting his head on Bucky's chest. Bucky hugged him close and smiled. He was quite content here, with Peter, and he wouldn't mind staying like this forever. Though he couldn't. Peter had responsibilities to the survivors and his family.

Still, he always made time for them, and that was enough for Bucky.

Without Peter to distract her, Shuri found a new way to annoy her brother. They were watching a Norwegian film with subtitles, and she was reading the lines aloud. Bucky would have been annoyed if it was not for the fact Peter was chuckling against his chest.

"You can go elsewhere if you're not enjoying the film," T'Challa said eventually.

"Okay," Shuri said brightly. "You coming, Pete?"

"Yep." Peter gave Bucky a squeeze then jumped to his feet. "Where are we going?"

Shuri tapped her chin. "Rhino racing?"

"Awesome!" Peter said eagerly.

They dashed towards the door and T'Challa called to them. "You can race the rhinos, but you can never tell Okoye."

Shuri snorted. "Like we would. Come on, Crazy Eyes."

The door swung closed behind them, and Bucky smiled. He was happy, Peter was happy, and they were all together and at peace.

He wondered for a moment about the other Peter, the one he would never see again, though he was almost the exact Peter he did have in his life, just without the responsibility on his shoulders and the trauma of that battle.

Peter said he was in the Soul Plane with May and Ben, and Bucky assured himself that he would be happy there. His friends Ned and MJ were in adjoining spheres, so he could see them, too.

It was strange to think he'd never see him again the same way. They'd all be on that battlefield, and it was possible Bucky would have a chance of a reunion in the midst of it, but he was never going to share a movie night with that Peter ever again. Of course, it wasn't really a loss as that Peter had become the Peter that was now running around with Shuri. But for so long there had been two of them to love, one of them to miss while he was with the other, but soon it would all be in balance again.

Peter would be one person, bound to Bucky, and they had the whole of time open to them forever.

Bucky had Peter forever.

So… A glimpse of The Soul Plane. I could write a hundred of these stories, little glimpses into their worlds, but I have to prioritize the main story. One day, though, when the series is 'complete' I might come back and write some more, just for fun,

Until next time…

Jadey xxx