Fire and Ice, Sugar and Spice

Chapter Twenty-Two~Party Time

Chapter Twenty-Two

Party Time

My dress slips on me like a glove and I feel sexy and badass as hell with my girls by my side as we walk into the huge room Tony has just for parties. Before we left his bathroom, I made myself a small crown made entirely of frozen flames. If anyone asks, which they always do, I'll tell them I'm the Greek goddess Hestia. Victoria is dressed as a cute little sailor and is most likely going to kill Steve with how great she looks. Wanda is a mermaid and after seeing my crown, had me make her one as well, only hers is all ice. I made it as cold as I possibly could, so it won't melt on her head. Natasha is the spinning image of Marilyn Monroe and I'm sure is going to have a lot of the attention from everyone in the room. Overall? We all look killer. We strut into the room where few people have gathered, only the rest of the team. No one comes to a party on time, anyway. Nat whistles at the men and they all turn towards us. Jaws drop as their eyes look over all of us, but my eyes are on Bucky and the way his eyes are slowly eating me up from bottom to top. When his eyes meet mine, I see they're mostly made of pure fire. I smirk and wiggle my fingers at him, shooting him a wink as well for good measure. When we finally reach the men, Victoria goes to Steve and they immediately embrace while he whispers in her ear. Natasha spins for Sam and Tony as they whistle and Vision just stares at Wanda as she grins at him, completely in awe. I go to James and wrap my arms around his neck, then kiss his cheek.

"You look very handsome." I comment, staring into his stormy blue eyes. He, Steve, and Sam are each wearing a military uniform. James and Steve's are from the 1940's while Sam's is more modern. Bucky takes a moment to survey my body again.

"You look...you look absolutely breathtaking." He says quietly. I notice his eyes lingering on my lips, but it isn't time to kiss him, not yet.

"Thank you." I rub his shoulders as he finally puts his hands on my waist, his eyes widening when he realizes there's a cut in the back. He frowns instantly.

"You do realize you'll be dancing with strangers tonight, right?" He asks, his fingers tapping against the bare skin of my back. "They're all going to have to touch your bare back to dance with you." He continues frowning down at me. I smile brightly.

"That's a little incriminating, James. Why would you care about other people touching me if you don't care about me?" I ask innocently. His eyes sharpen at my words and his hands squeeze lightly, making me bite my lip.

"I never said anything like that, Akilina." He murmurs while looking down, hiding his eyes under the brim of his hat. Before I can respond he pulls away from me and walks towards the punch bowl. I huff, but let him go.

"Hey, where's Grant?" Victoria asks just as a snow leopard comes bounding in with it's tongue hanging out. For a moment I'm filled with trepidation, but then it's just a curly haired boy in a nice suit coming towards us.

"You look sharp, bud." Steve compliments him and Grant beams.

"Now, what do you say if someone asks you why you're a snow leopard?" Victoria asks. Grant puffs up and answers with pride.

"Amur snow leopards are one of the most dangerously endangered animals in the world and the Avengers support the World Wildlife Fund to help save these beautiful creatures." Grant recites. Victoria beams and wipes some hair out of his eyes.

"Perfect." She approves. He grins a boyish grin and shifts back, his thick tail wiggling in excitement. He trots off to the door and Vi's face turns worried. "You have to change to eat! And no roaring!" She shouts, but calms when Steve pulls her close to him. I smile at the sweet couple, then jump when an arm wraps around my waist. I roll my eyes when I see it's just Tony. Sam flanks my other side and reaches up to touch my crown.