18+ WARNING MINORS DNI
They land at the Avengers compound and Alice can feel the tension and anxiety ricocheting off of Bucky as they unbuckle their harnesses. He's beginning to face the reality of the situation and what he may or may not have gotten himself into. She can see the fear in his eyes. He wants to run. Instead, he represses it and stands up, grabbing his and Alice's duffel bags as the doors open and fresh air rushes into the jet.
Steve officers Alice his hand to help her off the ramp while Bucky looks around nervously, jumping down. She smiles at Steve.
"Thanks, Cap."
"No trouble at all." He glances over his shoulder. "I'll show you to your apartment."
"Apartment?" Alice asks.
Steve nods as he walks ahead, leading them toward the entrance of the compound. She watches him place his palm on a keypad and a voice booms.
"Welcome. Voice activation required."
Sam begins to laugh and Steve sighs.
"Capsicle."
"Access denied."
"What?! That's what it was last time!" Alice can see his ears turning red. Bucky watches, amused, with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. She squeezes his hand and he bites his lip. Steve huffs. "Steve Rogers."
"Access denied."
Alice and Bucky exchange another look, both of them struggling to keep a straight face. Sam steps forward.
"Let me try, Steve." He puts his palm down. "Eagle Scout."
The door slides open.
"Welcome. Eagle Scout."
"How did you know that?!" Steve asks.
Sam holds up his phone.
"He texted it to me. I told him it wasn't accurate and he said...let's see..." Sam scrolls through his phone. "Ah, yeah. He said, and I quote, 'Shut up, Wilson. My compound, my nicknames.'"
"That sounds like Tony," Steve sighs. "Did he text you my new name?"
"Nope." Sam turns to Alice and Bucky and grins. "Come on."
Steve sighs and leads them to an elevator that takes them upstairs. The inside of the building is massive. You could get lost here. Alice finds herself disoriented from the sheer size of it and Bucky already looks overwhelmed. She holds his left hand and sticks close beside him as they follow Sam and Steve, who seem to be comfortable here. As they wait for the elevator, Steve turns to them.
"The gym, apartments, pool, and kitchen are all up on the 10th floor--"
"Sorry," Alice interrupts. "Did you say pool?"
Steve nods.
"Olympic sized. And the gym is super soldier friendly. Reinforced everything."
"Yeah," Sam replies, clapping Steve on the shoulder. "This one was busting up too many punching bags. It was starting to piss Tony off."
"Wow," she whispers. "Is that who runs this little organization?"
"Tony Stark?" Steve asks, as though it's the most obvious thing in the universe as to whose building this is. "Yeah."
Alice chooses to ignore his obliviousness... or is it arrogance? She's not quite sure she's figured him out yet. It'll probably take some time.
"Huh... and he doesn't know about this little thing we're doing, does he?"
Steve shakes his head.
"Like I said, it's off the books. There are cameras on this floor, but I had Banner disable them for the time being. So, you're not being tracked or monitored unless you go downstairs to the other floors or the main lobby. I know privacy is important."
"Understood," Alice replies.
The elevator arrives and they step inside.
"It's just us and Banner in the apartments right now, but some other people might end up coming to stay for a while depending on what's going on around New York."
"Do you both live here?" Alice asks.
"I do," Steve tells her.
"I bounce between here and Louisiana," he replies.
Alice nods. She's trying to make small talk to keep Bucky (and herself) calm. She can feel her phone buzzing in her back pocket, knowing it's Sapphire. Maybe if they're here long enough she can arrange some kind of visit, but with the way everything's being kept a secret, Alice isn't even sure she can tell Sapphire where the hell they are. It's killing her to keep all of this a secret, but it's for Bucky's protection. She hopes that if the roles were reversed, he'd do the same for her. Bucky wraps his arm around her and kisses her temple, the first sign of him slowly becoming comfortable enough to be himself. Sort of. Alice smiles up at him and his eyes are filled with warmth as he flashes her the tiniest grin he can muster despite his nervousness. She can still feel his heart jackhammering in his chest.
They walk down the hall, their footsteps echoing off of the walls. There are doors labelled GYM, SAUNA, POOL, and KITCHEN, along with other unmarked doors that she assumes are apartments. This place is spotless. She wonders how many people it takes to clean this place because Tony Stark definitely doesn't do it himself. Steve stops in front of a large white door, punching in a code to open it. The door slides open.
"Code is 0443," Steve says.
Alice repeats it a few times under her breath to commit it to memory as Steve leads them inside. The room is gorgeous. A large window covered with white curtains, a dresser, a king size bed, bookshelves, a TV, massive closets, and an adjoining bathroom. Alice's jaw drops and she looks around. Bucky looks flabbergasted, taking everything in the best he can.
"Holy shit. This is... this is amazing," Alice laughs. "This is seriously for us?"
Steve smiles, nodding, while Sam lingers by the door silently observing the situation.
"Yeah, well, like I said, we wanted both of you to be comfortable," Steve replies. "There's extra clothes in the closets and dresser. We tried to get as much variety as we could."
She sighs softly and sticks out her arms.
"I-- I don't know how to say thank you other than to hug you," she laughs. Steve chuckles and hugs her back. It's a little awkward, but she chuckles again nervously to break the tension. It makes Steve laugh. "I thought you were going to stick us in some closet in a basement lab or something."
"No," Steve laughs. "Never."
"How long is this going to take?" Bucky asks.
Steve and Alice pull away from each other and he sighs, running a hand through his hair.
"I don't know, Buck. It could be a few weeks or a few months."
"Months?!" Bucky asks. "How are you going to keep me a secret from Tony for months?"
Steve stammers and Bucky steps forward, his eyes hardened and his fists clenched. Sam moves toward him, his body tense and coiled, ready to fight if that's what this is going to turn into while Alice silently prays that the boys in the room can behave themselves.
"I'm assuming that's what you meant by 'off the books,'" Bucky snarls.
Steve, on the other hand, is calm and collected. Alice's nerves are frayed. She's exhausted and starving. She just wants the day to be over, and it's barely started.
"Yeah," Steve replies. "Tony said he would be gone for three months. Minimum. He's doing some work overseas. We can make some progress before then."
"And after that?" Bucky asks with a skeptical look in his eyes.
It's starting to occur to Alice that Steve might not have a plan, or if he does, it's not nearly as thought out as she thought it was. This is the thing she's good at. Reading people. It's a skill she developed working at the club. She can read body language, expression, and tone of voice to figure out a lot about a person, and she uses it to her advantage. She's a stripper with a very specific set of skills.
Alice keeps her mouth shut. She doesn't want to rock the boat. She appreciates the place to stay and the kindness, and the help with Bucky's memory and Winter Soldier issue, but the more she finds out, the less sure she is that Steve actually knows what he's doing.
Still, it's not like they have much of a choice anymore. And she was the one who got Bucky to agree to this instead of just shooting at Sam and Steve and running back to Vegas.
It also occurs to her that all of their cash is still in Bucky's duffel bag. He lined the pockets with stacks of bills. So, if they need to run, the money is already there.
"Then we take whatever steps we need to take to get you back to your old self again, pal," Steve tells him. His smile is confident, but his eyes betray him. Alice begins to feel sick.
Alice and Bucky are quiet. She has no idea what's waiting for them once they start this process, but she knows that secrets don't stay secret forever. Tony is going to find out one way or another, and with everything she's read about him in magazines (mostly at the dentist's office), he's a bit of a hothead. Bucky relaxes, as does Sam, and he rubs his face.
"Sure. I just... I don't want anyone rummaging around in my brain for too long."
"I know, Buck," Steve murmurs. "We can start tomorrow morning. First thing. We'll give you two some time to adjust. There's food in the kitchen if you're hungry. We'll both be around if you need anything."
"Thank you, Steve," Alice says. "Really. It's a lot to take in and adjust to, but we appreciate it."
Bucky keeps his eyes fixed on the floor. She feels guilty for speaking for him. Maybe he doesn't feel the same, but she's trying to be polite. Alice doesn't want a fight. Steve offers a small, tight-lipped smile.
"0800 tomorrow?"
Bucky nods as Steve and Sam walk toward the door. Sam steps outside and Bucky turns his head.
"Steve?"
Steve turns around, his eyes filled with hope. Bucky smiles. It's small, but Steve catches it and his eyes light up.
"Thanks," Bucky whispers.
Steve nods.
"No problem, Buck."
"Hey Steve?" Alice asks. "Can I get a tour tomorrow?"
She grins and Steve chuckles.
"Yeah. I can do that."
"Thanks!" Alice chirps.
The door closes and they hear it lock automatically. Bucky sits on the edge of the bed and takes his gloves off, letting them drop to the floor. He puts his head in his hands and sighs. Alice sits beside him.
"Hey. You okay?"
"Yeah," he says, looking up at her. "I wouldn't have gone through with this if it hadn't been for you. Thank you."
He puts his arm around her and she snuggles into his broad chest.
"Of course, Bucky. I just want you to be safe and okay." She looks up at him. "And, hey, if anything bad happens, we take our shit and go back to Vegas."
"I don't know if Steve'll let us," he says flatly.
"I'll make him."
He raises a brow.
"You're gonna give Captain America attitude?"
"I already have. You saw me back at the safehouse."
"Yeah," he breathes. "Thank you for sticking up for me."
"Any time, mon amour." She kisses him. "I'm gonna unpack. Do you wanna check out what's in the kitchen?"
"I think I wanna work out," he whispers. "I feel tense."
"Does working out help with that?"
"Yeah. Helps clear my head a bit."
"I was expecting you to say sex clears your head."
Bucky chuckles and kisses her.
"Different kind of clear."
"I'll work out with you," she offers. She hasn't been to a gym or the pole studio in a while. She's kind of itching to move her body.
"You will?"
"Sure! But you have to promise you won't make fun of me for being a big weakling."
Bucky gently reaches up to squeeze her bicep with his right hand.
"I highly doubt you're a weakling. I've seen you on the pole at Empire. Nothing weak about you, Cherry."
She blushes and giggles as his eyes rake over her body. Alice bites her lip.
"Well, then I'll get changed."
Bucky nods and follows her to the dresser. There's workout gear - sweatpants, long-sleeve shirts, and t-shirts for him and leggings, pullovers, t-shirts, and tank tops for Alice. Bucky grabs a pair of sweatpants and a long sleeve shirt, quickly changing into it without looking at himself in the mirror. He picks up his leather gloves off the ground and slips them over his hands while Alice changes into a pair of black leggings and a black tank top. She brought sneakers just in case they had to run from the cops - or Steve and Sam. Bucky slips his boots off and they head out. She notices he looks around to make sure that nobody's lingering in the hall before he steps outside after her. She reaches for his hand and smiles as they enter the gym. It's windowless, unlike their apartments. Bucky seems to breathe a sigh of relief when he finds it empty.
It's huge. There are sparring mats, all of the weight racks and machines you could want, benches, stretching stations, and some equipment she's never even seen before. Granted, Alice does most of her working out in the pole studio.
"No shoes?" Alice asks.
"Don't like to work out in 'em," he replies, kissing her.
Bucky walks toward a set of punching bags. He picks up some tape and wraps it around his right knuckles. He looks comfortable here. She wonders what Hydra's training facilities were like. Alice pictures a dingy, poorly-lit room where he didn't just spar with other agents, he fought for his fucking life. It seems like the kind of cruelty they would inflict upon him.
Bucky stretches his neck, rolling his head from side to side. The punching bags aren't hanging from the ceiling. Instead, they're fixed to the ground. They look huge. Alice decides to stretch before she steps onto the treadmill. She sits on the floor, splaying her legs out stretching out each hamstring as she watches Bucky lightly punch one of the punching bags, like he's testing it. He hits it a few more times, still lighter before he fully attacks it, throwing quick jabs and hooks. The only reason Alice recognizes those punches is because her dad used to watch boxing all the time when she was little. She's totally clueless as to pretty much every other kind of punch except for those two. Bucky throws some complicated ones, jumping back and kicking the bag as he begins to use his whole body to attack it. He circles it like a shark, eyeing it with a fire in his eyes while she watches. She's never seen him fight before. He's fast and vicious, hitting hard enough to make the fabric in the punching bag split slightly, but nothing comes out of it. Steve was right. These are definitely reinforced.
She could watch him do this forever. It's fascinating to watch him move this way. He's graceful and quiet. His technique is almost dance-like as he stalks in circles around the bag, arms and legs delivering quick and precise hits that sound like they would be incredibly painful if he were up against an actual human being. It's only now that she sees just how powerful he really is. There's a terror in it, but also a kind of beauty that she's never seen before.
She has to tear herself away from him to walk to the treadmill, but thankfully, it's facing him. Alice starts it up and starts to run. The beep from the treadmill catches his eye and he smiles at her. She grins and ramps up the speed a little. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't trying to impress him.
Except for the fact that she barely fucking runs and smokes like a chimney. This'll go well, she thinks.
When he turns his back, she slows it back down to a jog, already huffing and puffing a little. She really should lay off the cigarettes. Occasionally, Bucky stops to catch his breath after a particularly long stretch of punches and body slams against the bag. He wipes his face with a towel, and re-wrap his hand because the tape has split. He's beautiful. She can see his muscles through the grey shirt he's wearing. Sweat begins to pool at the back of his neck and lower back, making dark spots on the fabric. When she looks back down at her progress, she realizes she's run for a whole fifteen minutes - all spent watching him. Bucky doesn't seem to mind. Every so often, he catches her eye again and bites his lip before he launches into an extremely impressive set of punches and some kind of kick where he flips in the air?! The whole thing is astounding to watch, and feels very high school at the same time - both of them trying to impress each other.
Except Bucky is much more impressive. Alice can't do that stuff. The most acrobatic thing off the pole she can do is a handstand, and it's not even very good.
She runs for a little longer, watching him until her knee starts to get sore and her legs feel like jello. Alice makes a mental note to toss her cigarettes in the trash as she stops the treadmill and climbs off, going back to the mat to stretch out her ACL.
"Alice?" Bucky pants from across the room.
She sits up to make sure he's okay. He's unwrapping his right hand. The glove on his left hand is beaten to shreds from punching. He's drenched in sweat with red cheeks, and his hair is damp. He pushes it out of his face. His right knuckles are bloodied beneath the bandage.
"Yeah?"
"Can you... lock the door?" He asks with a grimace.
"Yeah! Of course, Buck. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah. I just... I want to take my shirt off and I don't want anyone to see me." He offers a shy smile. "Except for you, of course."
She wonders what he has planned, or if it's just a case of him being self-conscious. Regardless, she gets to her feet and walks over to the door. There's an electronic lock and a deadbolt. Alice flicks it and turns back around.
"Done!"
"Thanks, doll," he says softly as he peels the fabric off. Her jaw drops a little every time he takes his shirt off in front of her. He's just so... fucking hot. His chest and abs glisten with sweat. He leaves his dog tags on, pushing the hair back that's fallen in front of his face. Alice swallows, her mouth suddenly dry.
Bucky tosses the shirt on the ground and jumps up onto a pull-up bar, pulling himself up and lowering himself with ease as he crosses one ankle over the other. He's removed his socks, too, and his sweatpants hang low on his hips. Heat pools in her belly and she clenches her thighs together.
Now is not the time.
There's a damn good chance that Steve knows how to unlock that door, even if it's deadbolted. Instead, she decides to go back to the mat and start doing sit-ups, partially as a punishment, but it might make these filthy thoughts dissipate if she does enough of them and starts to feel her muscles burn. Alice drops onto the mat on her back and begins to do sit-ups. This was part of her warm-up routine when she was still dancing. 100 sit-ups, and as many push-ups as she could do. Her limit was usually 50 before she collapsed.
As she's lifting her upper body up off the ground, she realizes she's in a predicament. She can still see Bucky in all of his stunningly gorgeous super soldier glory as he does pull-ups. Alice has no idea how many he's done, but he doesn't look like he's stopping anytime soon. She tries to keep her focus, but the second he looks over at her as the bar is under his chin and fucking winks, she collapses onto the mat. She hears Bucky chuckle.
"You okay, Cherry?"
"Yep!" She yelps, trying to keep her voice from breaking. "I think you know what you're doing, Bucky!"
"Just pull-ups, Cherry!"
"Smart-ass," she mumbles as she tries to keep her focus. Suddenly, she feels someone looming over her and sees Bucky shirtless and soaked in sweat.
"What was that?" He asks with a grin.
She stops and smiles.
"Noooothing..."
He drops to his hands and knees, crawling over her and kissing her. It's sweet, delicate, and filled with passion. Alice moans, but as she goes to wrap her hands around his waist just to feel the muscles in his upper body, he pulls back.
"I'm not done with my workout."
She groans and whines.
"Bucky!"
He chuckles and goes back to his pull-ups while Alice flips over onto her stomach and starts on her push-ups. She doesn't look at him, but she can see him in the mirror. He's definitely looking at her. After 50, her arms are shaking and she collapses. She watches Bucky drop from the pull-up bar and grab his damp shirt, pulling it back over his body while she flops onto her back and breathes hard.
He reaches down and offers his metal hand. Alice takes it and he hauls her to her feet like she weighs nothing. His shirt is drenched and clings to his frame. She can see the outline of his abs beneath the fabric. Bucky smiles.
"Everything okay, Cherry? You look a little flushed. Is that from the workout?"
Alice's jaw clenches and she shakes her head, smiling. Bucky laughs. He's slowly starting to get back to his old cheeky self. Of course, Alice knows this is fleeting. He'll clam up the second Steve and Sam come back around, but for now, she's happy to see his personality coming out. He knows what he does to her and he knows exactly how to make her flustered.
"I can play your game too, Bucky."
"Can you?" He poses the question innocently, but as he swipes his tongue across his bottom lip and his eyes blaze, she knows exactly what he's thinking about. He reaches for her but she playfully ducks out of his reach and smirks.
"Mmhmm. I'm gonna go and take a shower."
Bucky says nothing, he simply follows her, far too closely, reaching out quickly to unlock the door before she can. Alice looks over her shoulder and he arches an eyebrow.
"I'm just trying to get you to your shower faster."
"Uh-huh," she mutters.
Alice walks in front of him, swaying her hips from side to side. She feels Bucky's fingers link with hers and blushes immediately, her resolve breaking. They giggle and walk a little faster back toward their room. The hall is still empty. She punches in the code and they slip inside. Alice walks toward the bathroom. When she steps inside, she gasps. There's a standup shower and a bathtub, complete with a little bench, large marble countertop and two sinks - both of them silver and glistening in the light. She whistles.
"Pretty fancy."
Bucky is already ripping off his clothes. Alice turns to him, crossing her arms over her chest.
"And what makes you think you're showering with me?"
He raises both eyebrows, as though to say, "come on, Alice." She bursts out laughing.
"All right. Come on."
Alice strips while Bucky starts the shower. He gets it to just the right temperature and she climbs in with him. His lips find hers in an instant and he presses her against the wall.
"You're not gonna let me shower, are you?" She asks between kisses.
"I released some tension," he breathes as he flicks her earlobe with the tip of his tongue. "But I'd like to relax a little more."
"Oh?" She giggles. "Well, who am I to stop you?"
"It's been a long day," he purrs.
"It has." Her response is genuine and Bucky's flirtatious demeanor drops for a second as his thumb ghosts across her bottom lip.
"I love you, Alice."
"I love you too." She grins. "You wanna fuck me, Bucky?"
"You and that dirty mouth," he chuckles. She throws her head back and laughs as Bucky's lips find the shell of her ear, placing a soft kiss on it. "But the answer is yes. I do want to fuck you."
His voice is so low that she gets goosebumps. This feels just as intimate as the first time they had sex, except he's a lot less nervous.
"You and that dirty mouth, Mr. Barnes."
"I'll show you what it can do, Cherry."
Her brain short circuits.
Oh my God! Where the fuck is he getting this stuff?!
He runs his lips down her throat as the shower begins to steam up, fogging the glass. His mouth finds her nipple and he bites down on it lightly before swirling his tongue around it. Both hands grasp her waist and his right hand snakes behind her to grab her ass and squeeze just hard enough to make her moan. He knows precisely the right amount of pressure to use to make her keen for him as he releases her left nipple with a pop and works on the other. Alice's eyes flutter closed and she rests her head against the wall, moaning softly.
"Bucky..."
He groans and his mouth slides down her belly. He kisses along her hipbones and eventually falls to his knees. He looks up. His hands go back to their place around her waist and he smiles, lifting her off the ground. She yelps.
"Bucky, what--"
"Put your legs on my shoulders. I'll hold you up."
"Both of them?" She asks with a shaky voice.
"Yeah."
It doesn't take much effort for her to drape both legs over his shoulders. Both hands have a firm grip on her waist to keep her from falling. The wall does the rest of the work and Alice feels weightless. He holds her up like a feather. His strength is incredible. Bucky kisses up and down her inner thighs before beginning to lap at her clit. Alice whines softly, unsure of how loud she can be. They're not in the safehouse anymore with no neighbors so screaming isn't exactly an option, even though she wants to when he licks her the way he is now. Her hands grip the wall, fingernails scraping against the tile as steam continues to fill the shower, spilling out between the crack in the door.
She looks down at Bucky who is buried in her cunt, determined to make her come. Fast. It's working. He's pulling out every trick she's taught him, swirling his tongue around her clit to tease her before flattening it out again and dragging it between her folds. It's amazing how well he knows her body after just a few weeks. She's not sure if it's him or the humidity from the shower that's making her thighs slick. Either way, she's quickly tumbling toward the edge and Bucky is guiding her the whole way.
She runs her hands through her hair, swearing under her breath through moans.
"Bucky," she whines. "Bucky, I'm coming."
His deep, satisfied groan fills the shower as his lips wrap around her clit and he begins to suck gently. That sends her hurtling toward her climax and she slams one hand against the tile, bringing the other up to shove her knuckles into her mouth and let out a stifled scream. Her heels dig into the muscles in his back as she squeezes her eyes shut as it ripples through her body.
Alice can hear his laughter reverberating through her bones. God, he's such a brat. She loves it. The more sex they have, the more confident he gets in his abilities to make her come within just a few minutes - and then he tries to do it again and again and again, and beat his record next time. He lets her come down and lifts her up again. Alice untangles her legs from around him and sets her feet back down on the tile while Bucky stands up. He's so hard that his cock is bright red. Alice reaches down to give it a few gentle strokes, spreading his precum down his cock. Bucky presses both palms against the wall and kisses her in between muttering soft curses in Russian. At least, she's pretty sure they're curse words. He's said some of them before when he was yelling at a cop who cut him off.
He breaks the kiss and looks up at her, eyes narrowed, but burning with passion. Alice releases him. Their bodies and urges are totally in sync. He grabs her by the waist and she jumps up, wrapping her legs around him. He thrusts into her, fucking her slowly as moans drip from his mouth like nectar. He keeps this pace, teasing her and working them both into a frenzied state.
It works. Alice kisses him, unable to get enough of the softness of his lips and the way he tastes. The kiss quickly becomes fiery, tongues clashing and teeth clicking as they devour one another. Bucky's hips begin to snap against hers as he fucks her faster. They whine and whimper, the sounds getting lost in between gasps for air. Her pussy clenches and pulses around him as he fucks her toward her second orgasm.
"'Mgonnacome," he grunts. She can feel his body beginning to shake as he lets out a high-pitched moan.
He sounds desperate. Alice is continually amazed that she can reduce this man who is made of nothing but muscle and metal to a quivering mess. He breaks the kiss and sinks his teeth gently into her shoulder. It's just enough pressure to send a forest fire coursing through her veins. She quakes and begins to come as he spills into her, lifting his head to press his lips to her ear.
"I can feel you." His voice is a ragged groan. "Oh my God."
Just the sound of his voice keeps her going as the tense coil in the pit of her stomach releases again and adrenaline and euphoria collide in her veins. Bucky is still coming. Every muscle is clenched as his hips snap one final time and he finishes. Despite coming down from his own high, he manages to hold her up until her climax has subsided. Slowly, he lets her down and holds her steady. Bucky kisses her. It's gentle, but chaste. They both giggle and breathe deeply.
"That was... wow," she whispers. "You're getting better at that every day."
He smirks.
"Practice makes perfect, right?"
She smiles and reaches for the shampoo.
"We should finish up. I don't want to rack up Tony's water bill."
"I'm sure he can afford it," Bucky replies as she squeezes some onto both of their palms. They lather up and take turns rinsing their hair. Bucky washes her back, insisting he's being helpful.
"I think you just wanna feel me up again."
He shrugs.
"Guilty."
They laugh and she scrubs his back, taking the chance to squeeze his ass. Bucky looks over his shoulder.
"You're obsessed."
"Hey, my man's got a cute butt, I'm gonna grab a handful of it in the shower."
His smile is wide and dazzling as he blushes.
"It's okay. I like it."
It's the first time since the rooftop that she's seen him truly happy. Even last night after their incredibly long love-making session, he seemed miles away. Maybe this trip was good for him.
They turn off the shower and help each other dry off, changing into fresh clothes. Alice twists her hair and puts it up into a ballerina bun to keep it out of her face while Bucky towel dries his own, letting it fall down his face in loose waves. When it dries it's going to look so sexy, she thinks. She loves his hair. It's thick and soft. She loves to run her fingers through it. He lets her braid it when they watch TV.
There's a knock at the door and Bucky recoils slightly as he quickly puts on his black Henley, hiding his left arm behind his back. Alice opens the door to find Steve standing in front of them. He looks slightly embarrassed.
"What's up?" She asks.
Steve stammers, his cheeks getting a little redder.
"I came by earlier, but, uh... nobody..."
Alice blushes and Bucky pretends to be busy putting on his boots so that he doesn't have to look his friend in the eye.
"Yeah, sorry, we were just in the shower." If she's not weird about it, maybe he'll stop being weird about it. Bucky has sex. He's an adult. It's not anything he has to be embarrassed about, even if his best friend heard them fucking in the shower. She chuckles. "I didn't realize the walls were that thin."
"They're not," Steve answers. "It's, uh, super soldier hearing."
"Oh!" She laughs. "Apartment living must suck for you, then, huh?"
"A little," he confesses, with a chuckle. "Listen, we ordered some pizza for lunch if you guys were hungry."
"I could eat," she replies. "Bucky?"
"Can we eat in here?" He asks. "My glove sorta got shredded from the punching bag."
"There's nobody here but us," Steve assures him. "Tony's staff doesn't come up here. They use a separate entrance, and even if they knew about the apartments, they can't get up here. Their key cards only go to the 9th floor."
"What about the staircase?" Bucky asks.
"Again, key cards only go to the 9th floor. We're safe up here."
Bucky stares at him for a moment, contemplating what he's going to say before he finally sighs and nods.
"Sure."
They follow Steve out into the hall toward the kitchen where Sam is sitting, scrolling through his phone. There are three pizzas, plates set out, and beers on the table. The kitchen is huge. There are five dining tables and pretty much everything you could ever want in a kitchen. It was definitely built to have at least 10-15 people in it at once. Sam picked the table closest to the entrance. He smiles as he sees Bucky and Alice walk in behind Steve.
"We got pepperoni, cheese, vegetarian, and one all meat one."
"Sounds good!" Alice says brightly.
She and Bucky sit down while Steve and Sam sit across from them. Steve gestures at the pizza.
"Ladies first."
"Oh!" She laughs. "Thank you."
She grabs a couple slices of the vegetarian pizza and a beer. Bucky grabs a couple slices of the meat pizza and Steve and Sam serve themselves. Alice takes a bite and they eat in a somewhat awkward silence for a few minutes. Bucky wolfs his slices down, grabbing more. Sam clears his throat and takes a sip of his beer.
"So, uh, how did you two meet?"
Alice knew this question was coming. She tries to hold back her nervousness as she takes a sip of beer for courage.
"He came into my work a few nights in a row, always sat in the same spot..." Her eyes slide over to Bucky who is trying to hide a smile by taking a swig of beer. "We just kind of caught each other's eye."
"Are you like a bartender or something?" Sam asks.
Here it comes. This is the moment of truth.
"I'm a stripper," she replies.
Steve chokes on his pizza, turning his head and coughing into his elbow until his face turns red. Bucky's hand finds her thigh and he squeezes it gently. Their little signal that they have each other's backs. Sam's eyes go wide and he stares at them. His face finally softens into a smile and he looks over at Bucky as if to say, "nice job".
"I'm sorry, did you say stripper?" Steve asks. "The dancing girls who take their clothes off?"
"That's me." She stares at him. "It's not a problem, is it?"
"Nope," Sam replies. "It's not an easy job."
"Do you like it?" Steve asks, his face twisted in a grimace of disbelief. He's still in shock. It must be tough being almost 100 years old and dealing with women's liberation in the modern world, but he really should start to get with the program. The look on his face makes Alice a little irritated, but she tries to tell herself that it's just his age. He's not used to this stuff yet.
"I do," she answers. "I like it a lot."
"She's good," Bucky says quietly as he peels the label off of his beer bottle. "She used to be a ballet dancer."
"Yep," Alice confirms.
"Like, professionally?" Sam asks.
She nods.
"So why are you stripping?" Steve cuts in.
Alice picks at her pizza.
"I got injured. It was really bad. Had a few surgeries to try and fix my knee, but no dice. I kind of floated between a bunch of shit jobs and then some of my friends were joking about quitting their jobs and becoming strippers. I was working at this shitty telemarketing company making dick all--" she can see Steve wincing with each curse word she drops, but she keeps going. "And I decided to take it seriously. I've been at the same club for two years."
"Where's the club?" Sam asks.
"Vegas."
"Oh!" He exclaims, eyes wide. He claps his hands. "Hey, do you get to wear those cool showgirl outfits with the glitter and the corsets and feathers and stuff?! You know, like, uh... what's that movie?"
"If you say Burlesque..."
Sam shakes his head, sipping his beer.
"No, no! Moulin Rouge!"
They laugh while Steve stares at his pizza, trying to process what's going on around him.
"No," Alice chuckles. "Definitely not anything that flashy. It's mostly just bikinis and latex dresses. And really high heels."
"How high?"
"Six to nine inches."
Sam whistles.
"Damn, girl. That's impressive. You know, I never figured out how you girls walk in those things."
"Carefully," she giggles. "Very carefully. It's all in how you distribute your weight."
"Latex?" Steve asks. His mind is still a few steps behind. The man looks absolutely confused. Bucky eyes him with suspicion at first, and then Alice begins to see a mischievous glint in his gaze.
"Yeah, it's kind of shiny and really tight."
Steve is blushing. Bucky takes another bite of his pizza.
"I like them."
Steve puts his palms down on the table.
"So, let me get this straight. You... are a stripper... and showed Bucky... everything before you two got together?"
"Well," Alice laughs. "Not everything."
"Pretty close." Bucky looks like he's having a bit of fun with this. He's got a leg up on his more reserved best friend.
"I just don't get it," Steve mumbles.
That gets Alice's guard up. She purses her lips and breathes deeply.
"Don't get what?"
"You and Buck."
"Steve, don't start this," Sam replies. "Tons of people go to strip clubs."
"Is there something about my occupation that makes you uncomfortable, Captain Rogers?"
Her stare is icy and she holds his gaze. Steve swallows and offers a small smile in return. It doesn't quite touch his eyes.
"No."
"Good," she whispers. "Then we don't have a problem."
"It doesn't matter where I met her," Bucky says after a long silence.
"You're okay with what she does?" Steve asks, his tone cutting and erring on the judgemental side. If flames could shoot out of her eyeballs, they would.
"For shit's sake, I'm right here!" Alice exclaims.
Sam reaches over and grabs her hand.
"It's okay. He's just not used to this stuff."
She shakes her head.
"Well, you'd better get used to it, Steve. Unlike you, my job doesn't define who I am. And you know what? I'm a damn good stripper. I'm also a good friend, a good girlfriend, a good daughter, and me taking my clothes off for a shitload of cash doesn't diminish my worth as a person. I make good money and I'm proud of what I do. If that bothers you, then we're going to be butting heads a hell of a lot more than we already have." She drops her pizza and dusts her hands off on her pants. "Look, I appreciate the hospitality, but--"
"I am okay with what she does, Steve," Bucky interrupts. He looks over at Alice. "Sorry, Cherry. Alice is a great person and I found her when I didn't expect to find anyone who understood me or gave a shit. I love her very much and I won't let anyone hurt her or disrespect her. Even if he's my best friend."
He takes another bite of his pizza and chews in silence. Steve stares at them, his eyes bouncing between Alice's cold stare and Bucky's unreadable expression. He takes a deep breath.
"You're both right. Alice, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to disrespect you, and I apologize. I guess I'm just not quite used to some things just yet."
She sips her beer, assessing the apology. It seems to be the best he's capable of, and let's face it, it could have been a hell of a lot worse.
"It's okay," she says softly. "I really don't want to fight about me when this whole thing is supposed to be about Bucky. But I'd like to be taken seriously in this compound. I don't want to be shut out just because I'm not some superhero."
"Understood," Steve replies.
Sam nods and winks at her. They eat in silence for a little while before Sam looks up at Alice.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Do they really pump oxygen into the casinos to keep you gambling?"
"What?!" Bucky and Steve ask in unison.
"Oh yeah!" Alice chuckles. "That's not a myth."
The table descends into chatter and laughter as Alice begins to explain the ins and outs of casinos, slot machines, and the time she almost got arrested for trying to cheat at Blackjack. Steve alternates between shock and laughter. The tension in the room dissipates. It makes her hopeful for the rest of her stay here.