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So, the party turned out to be less of a get-together and more of a… well, a party. Stark had taken it upon himself to invite more people than Alex could count as she walked into the room and though everyone looked to be having a good time she couldn’t help but think that getting the guests to leave would pose more of a challenge.

Weaving her way through the crowd, Alex walked over to the bar, in search of anyone she recognised. Thankfully, she saw Steve in the corner nursing a drink, and he waved her over, seeming just as happy to see a familiar face as she was. It took a while to reach him, weaving in and out of the other guests, but it was worth it for neither of them to be sat alone.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself,” Alex laughed, signalling the bartender for one of whatever Steve had in front of him.

“Let’s just say I’m thankful you got here when you did,” the captain sipped at his drink.

Alex looked up to see a blonde woman over the other side, glaring at her. She looked vaguely familiar, but as far as Alex knew she hadn’t done anything to her to warrant this withering gaze. “Steve, who is that?” She gestured to the woman who quickly averted her eyes when Steve looked over.

“The blonde?” he questioned, “Sharon – she’s Peggy’s niece.”

“Your Peggy?” Alex asked, regretting it when she saw a sadness in Steve’s eyes, “What did I do to her?”

“What?”

“She was looking at me like I’d run over her puppy or something.”

Steve looked confused, “She doesn’t know you.”

“Even so, she doesn’t seem to like me.”

He laughed at Alex’s befuddlement, “I’m sure that’s not true,” he slung an arm around her neck much like an older brother would.

It was then, as Steve looked away that she caught Sharon’s eye again. And suddenly it all made sense, her gaze seemed to linger on the captain’s arm still around Alex’s neck – it wasn’t that she didn’t like Alex, it was that she obviously thought something was going on between she and Steve. “You should go talk to her.”

“About you?”

“No, about you,” She slapped the arm still around her neck playfully. “I bet you two have a lot in common.”

He withdrew his arm, dropping his head into his hands, “Aw, not you too!” Came the muffled reply. “Romanoff’s already trying to set me up.”

“I’m not trying to set you up, just go talk to her,” Alex nudged his arm, “You might even enjoy yourself.” Steve groaned, burying his face further into his hands, “Oh, come on! I’m not asking you to marry her, Steve. Look, if you’re not having fun in ten minutes you can come back, and at least you’ll have made a friend.”

“Fine! But I’ll be back.”

“Okay, Arnie,” she chuckled, “It’s from--”

“I know,” he mumbled, walking away through the crowd.

Alex sipped her drink, discreetly looking across the bar to where Steve awkwardly approached Sharon. “You know how long I’ve been trying to get him to talk to women?”

Bucky slid into Steve’s vacant seat, catching Alex by surprise, “Sometimes it takes a woman’s touch, James.” Alex put on a mock posh accent, swirling her drink around the glass.

“Wow, it’s weird when you call me James,” he grimaced, throwing back the remainder of Steve’s abandoned drink before ordering another.

Alex smirked, “I might start doing it more, James.”

“Stop, please, it’s too painful!” He groaned dramatically, “But remember, two can play at that game, Alexis.”

“Good thing I can heal, because that was like a physical wound.”

“Let’s make a deal – no full names, ever.”

“I’ll drink to that,” They clinked their glasses together, “Cheers.”

The evening went on and Alex and Bucky chatted away, while keeping a watchful eye on Steve and Sharon like proud parents whose child was all grown up. “Who is she?” Bucky asked finally.

“Sharon? Apparently she’s Peggy’s niece.”

“As in Peggy Carter?”

“Yeah.”

Bucky frowned, “Isn’t that kind of weird? I mean, Peggy was kind of Steve’s girl.”

“I don’t know,” Alex sighed with a shrug, “But he seems happy, so who are we to say anything?”

“I guess you’re right,” he smiled at her, before grabbing her hand, “So, come on, let’s stop spying and enjoy the party.”

Before Alex could object, Bucky had dragged her out of her seat and out into the centre of the party where everyone was dancing. If anything, it seemed like there was more people here than before – a tell-tale sign that Pepper was away from the tower. But, Bucky kept a tight grip on her hand so he didn’t lose her, keeping her as close as he could. Soon they were right in the heart of the chaos, the music playing loudly as Alex and Bucky were jostled around by the rest of the dancing guests.

He took this moment, standing with Alex in the eye of the storm, to really look at Alex, the way he hadn’t gotten the chance to for so long – not when she was looking the other way, or asleep, but when he could see her looking back.

“I’m not ready to give up on us.”

“What?!” Alex shouted, “I can’t hear you properly over the music!”

“I said you look really nice!” He recovered, thinking that this place probably wasn’t best to have that discussion. And though the lighting was low, he could still see how she blushed at the compliment.

The track changed to something slower, and though Alex was glad of the quiet, they were now left with some kind of awkward high-school slow-dance scenario. Well, we may as well make the best of it.

“May I have this dance, Mr Barnes?” She gave an over dramatic curtsey, holding out her hand.

“Well, as this is the one kind of dancing I know, Miss Lockhart, you may.”

He put his right hand in her left, lifting it to the back of his neck, where her other hand soon joined it, his own settling on her lower back. They were close, closer than they’d consciously been in weeks – but neither of them said a word – just swaying along with the rhythm, lost in their own little world.

‘I’m not ready to give up on us…’

That’s what Bucky said – Alex heard him – but she couldn’t let him know that, she wasn’t ready to have that conversation yet.

The party began to die down and soon there was only a few agents and tower residents left. Steve lingered by the elevator when Sharon announced that she was leaving, blushing as she kissed his cheek before leaving. As he walked over, sitting down next to her on the couch, Alex couldn’t help but smirk, “I’d hate to say I told you so, but…”

“Shut up,” he shoved her playfully, beaming. Bucky’s attention was taken by Clint and Tony arguing whether Iron Man could beat Bucky arm wrestling and Alex could tell that the captain wanted to keep it that way.

“Clearly there’s only one way to settle this!” Tony exclaimed, rushing off while Clint roared with laughter at the chaos he had caused.

Moments later, Tony returned, left hand encased in his glove, kneeling down at the opposite end of the table to Bucky, “Come on, one-armed bandit, let’s settle this.”

Bucky looked between Tony and Clint, cocking his brow as if to ask if they were serious. By this point, the rest of the room had gone quiet, all eyes on the impending contest. Without a word Bucky linked their hands together, the clash of metal on metal causing their audience to lean back involuntarily. Alex looked to Steve and though it was clear he wanted to intervene, he like everyone else wanted to see what the outcome would be.

Clint shuffled in between the competitors, acting as a referee, “Right gentleman, I want a good clean match – no spitting, no biting and nothing below the belt.”

“Barton, you’ve seen arm wrestling before, right?”

“Yeah, but I’ve also seen Stark arm wrestle – trust me, those are restrictions that need to be there.” Clint eyed Tony, who simply shrugged, “Ready? Set? Go!”

There was something a little unnerving about the sound of metal clanking and Bucky’s arm recalibrating – if they didn’t know better it would seem as though something more sinister was afoot. Both men seemed remarkably cool to start with, but soon Tony began to break into a sweat, his glove feeling the pressure of Bucky’s hand as well.

Almost ten minutes went by with the room in near-silence, before Bucky managed to pin his opponent’s hand to the table’s surface. It was miracle that neither of then broke anything – furniture, bones or otherwise.

After that, Tony didn’t seem too much in the party spirit, obviously having hoped for a different outcome to their match – ever the one to want to be able to gloat. So, everyone decided that was enough for one night and piled into the lift. The doors opened for Bucky and Alex and he walked out first, but before Alex could follow on, Steve grabbed her arm, “There’s a meeting tomorrow at 8am – you need to be there – but you can’t mention anything about it to Bucky,” he spoke quickly in a hushed tone.

“Why not?”

“I don’t know, that’s just the message I got. But I’ve got a bad feeling he’s the subject.”

Steve let go of Alex’s arm and the elevator doors closed before she had the chance to ask him anything else. “Are you okay?” Bucky stood, concerned about the sudden change in Alex as she stood there shell-shocked.

“Yeah,” she recovered quickly, smiling at him. “Just tired.”

He eyed her, a little wary, “Okay…”

“I think I’m gonna turn in.”

“Goodnight, Alex.”

“Night Bucky,” She walked over to him, kissing his cheek quickly, in an effort to distract herself and him, “And congrats on the win.”

As she closed the bedroom door behind her, Alex prayed that Steve was wrong about this meeting.

Description
So, the party turned out to be less of a get-together and more of a… well, a party. Stark had taken it upon himself to invite more people than Alex could count as she walked into the room and though everyone looked to be having a good time she couldn’t help but think that getting the guests to leave would pose more of a challenge.

Weaving her way through the crowd, Alex walked over to the bar, in search of anyone she recognised. Thankfully, she saw Steve in the corner nursing a drink, and he waved her over, seeming just as happy to see a familiar face as she was. It took a while to reach him, weaving in and out of the other guests, but it was worth it for neither of them to be sat alone.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself,” Alex laughed, signalling the bartender for one of whatever Steve had in front of him.

“Let’s just say I’m thankful you got here when you did,” the captain sipped at his drink.

Alex looked up to see a blonde woman over the other side, glaring at her. She looked vaguely familiar, but as far as Alex knew she hadn’t done anything to her to warrant this withering gaze. “Steve, who is that?” She gestured to the woman who quickly averted her eyes when Steve looked over.

“The blonde?” he questioned, “Sharon – she’s Peggy’s niece.”

“Your Peggy?” Alex asked, regretting it when she saw a sadness in Steve’s eyes, “What did I do to her?”

“What?”

“She was looking at me like I’d run over her puppy or something.”

Steve looked confused, “She doesn’t know you.”

“Even so, she doesn’t seem to like me.”

He laughed at Alex’s befuddlement, “I’m sure that’s not true,” he slung an arm around her neck much like an older brother would.

It was then, as Steve looked away that she caught Sharon’s eye again. And suddenly it all made sense, her gaze seemed to linger on the captain’s arm still around Alex’s neck – it wasn’t that she didn’t like Alex, it was that she obviously thought something was going on between she and Steve. “You should go talk to her.”

“About you?”

“No, about you,” She slapped the arm still around her neck playfully. “I bet you two have a lot in common.”

He withdrew his arm, dropping his head into his hands, “Aw, not you too!” Came the muffled reply. “Romanoff’s already trying to set me up.”

“I’m not trying to set you up, just go talk to her,” Alex nudged his arm, “You might even enjoy yourself.” Steve groaned, burying his face further into his hands, “Oh, come on! I’m not asking you to marry her, Steve. Look, if you’re not having fun in ten minutes you can come back, and at least you’ll have made a friend.”

“Fine! But I’ll be back.”

“Okay, Arnie,” she chuckled, “It’s from--”

“I know,” he mumbled, walking away through the crowd.

Alex sipped her drink, discreetly looking across the bar to where Steve awkwardly approached Sharon. “You know how long I’ve been trying to get him to talk to women?”

Bucky slid into Steve’s vacant seat, catching Alex by surprise, “Sometimes it takes a woman’s touch, James.” Alex put on a mock posh accent, swirling her drink around the glass.

“Wow, it’s weird when you call me James,” he grimaced, throwing back the remainder of Steve’s abandoned drink before ordering another.

Alex smirked, “I might start doing it more, James.”

“Stop, please, it’s too painful!” He groaned dramatically, “But remember, two can play at that game, Alexis.”

“Good thing I can heal, because that was like a physical wound.”

“Let’s make a deal – no full names, ever.”

“I’ll drink to that,” They clinked their glasses together, “Cheers.”

The evening went on and Alex and Bucky chatted away, while keeping a watchful eye on Steve and Sharon like proud parents whose child was all grown up. “Who is she?” Bucky asked finally.

“Sharon? Apparently she’s Peggy’s niece.”

“As in Peggy Carter?”

“Yeah.”

Bucky frowned, “Isn’t that kind of weird? I mean, Peggy was kind of Steve’s girl.”

“I don’t know,” Alex sighed with a shrug, “But he seems happy, so who are we to say anything?”

“I guess you’re right,” he smiled at her, before grabbing her hand, “So, come on, let’s stop spying and enjoy the party.”

Before Alex could object, Bucky had dragged her out of her seat and out into the centre of the party where everyone was dancing. If anything, it seemed like there was more people here than before – a tell-tale sign that Pepper was away from the tower. But, Bucky kept a tight grip on her hand so he didn’t lose her, keeping her as close as he could. Soon they were right in the heart of the chaos, the music playing loudly as Alex and Bucky were jostled around by the rest of the dancing guests.

He took this moment, standing with Alex in the eye of the storm, to really look at Alex, the way he hadn’t gotten the chance to for so long – not when she was looking the other way, or asleep, but when he could see her looking back.

“I’m not ready to give up on us.”

“What?!” Alex shouted, “I can’t hear you properly over the music!”

“I said you look really nice!” He recovered, thinking that this place probably wasn’t best to have that discussion. And though the lighting was low, he could still see how she blushed at the compliment.

The track changed to something slower, and though Alex was glad of the quiet, they were now left with some kind of awkward high-school slow-dance scenario. Well, we may as well make the best of it.

“May I have this dance, Mr Barnes?” She gave an over dramatic curtsey, holding out her hand.

“Well, as this is the one kind of dancing I know, Miss Lockhart, you may.”

He put his right hand in her left, lifting it to the back of his neck, where her other hand soon joined it, his own settling on her lower back. They were close, closer than they’d consciously been in weeks – but neither of them said a word – just swaying along with the rhythm, lost in their own little world.

‘I’m not ready to give up on us…’

That’s what Bucky said – Alex heard him – but she couldn’t let him know that, she wasn’t ready to have that conversation yet.

The party began to die down and soon there was only a few agents and tower residents left. Steve lingered by the elevator when Sharon announced that she was leaving, blushing as she kissed his cheek before leaving. As he walked over, sitting down next to her on the couch, Alex couldn’t help but smirk, “I’d hate to say I told you so, but…”

“Shut up,” he shoved her playfully, beaming. Bucky’s attention was taken by Clint and Tony arguing whether Iron Man could beat Bucky arm wrestling and Alex could tell that the captain wanted to keep it that way.

“Clearly there’s only one way to settle this!” Tony exclaimed, rushing off while Clint roared with laughter at the chaos he had caused.

Moments later, Tony returned, left hand encased in his glove, kneeling down at the opposite end of the table to Bucky, “Come on, one-armed bandit, let’s settle this.”

Bucky looked between Tony and Clint, cocking his brow as if to ask if they were serious. By this point, the rest of the room had gone quiet, all eyes on the impending contest. Without a word Bucky linked their hands together, the clash of metal on metal causing their audience to lean back involuntarily. Alex looked to Steve and though it was clear he wanted to intervene, he like everyone else wanted to see what the outcome would be.

Clint shuffled in between the competitors, acting as a referee, “Right gentleman, I want a good clean match – no spitting, no biting and nothing below the belt.”

“Barton, you’ve seen arm wrestling before, right?”

“Yeah, but I’ve also seen Stark arm wrestle – trust me, those are restrictions that need to be there.” Clint eyed Tony, who simply shrugged, “Ready? Set? Go!”

There was something a little unnerving about the sound of metal clanking and Bucky’s arm recalibrating – if they didn’t know better it would seem as though something more sinister was afoot. Both men seemed remarkably cool to start with, but soon Tony began to break into a sweat, his glove feeling the pressure of Bucky’s hand as well.

Almost ten minutes went by with the room in near-silence, before Bucky managed to pin his opponent’s hand to the table’s surface. It was miracle that neither of then broke anything – furniture, bones or otherwise.

After that, Tony didn’t seem too much in the party spirit, obviously having hoped for a different outcome to their match – ever the one to want to be able to gloat. So, everyone decided that was enough for one night and piled into the lift. The doors opened for Bucky and Alex and he walked out first, but before Alex could follow on, Steve grabbed her arm, “There’s a meeting tomorrow at 8am – you need to be there – but you can’t mention anything about it to Bucky,” he spoke quickly in a hushed tone.

“Why not?”

“I don’t know, that’s just the message I got. But I’ve got a bad feeling he’s the subject.”

Steve let go of Alex’s arm and the elevator doors closed before she had the chance to ask him anything else. “Are you okay?” Bucky stood, concerned about the sudden change in Alex as she stood there shell-shocked.

“Yeah,” she recovered quickly, smiling at him. “Just tired.”

He eyed her, a little wary, “Okay…”

“I think I’m gonna turn in.”

“Goodnight, Alex.”

“Night Bucky,” She walked over to him, kissing his cheek quickly, in an effort to distract herself and him, “And congrats on the win.”

As she closed the bedroom door behind her, Alex prayed that Steve was wrong about this meeting.