Not Sober
"Unbelievable," marveled Dr. Cho as she looked at Ivy's blood under a microscope. Ivy sat on her "favorite" bed in the makeshift hospital room of the new Avengers compound, rubbing her arm where the syringe had stung her just a few minutes ago. "Your cells are actually mutated, you're-" "A mutation? Thank you. I'd be taken apart and put back together piece by piece because of it" Ivy muttered, and Dr. Cho shook her head. "Your blood, your cells, it could be a new breakthrough in-"
"I'm not an experiment. I'll never be one again" said Ivy in a threatening voice and was ready to get up from the bed and leave, but Tony stopped her and pushed back onto the bed. "Dr. Cho knows that and knows that's not why she's here, she's here to help" Tony gave the doctor a stern look and Ivy shook his hand off her shoulder. She was in no mood for physical contact. "Can you? Can you help her?"
"Well, yes," Dr. Cho looked up from the blood work and glanced at her records. "It's a difficult case because there's never been anything like this before. Neither the serum nor mutated cells like this." "Is that a yes or a no?" asked Ivy impatiently. She would rather Bruce be the one to help her, since he was one of the only doctors she trusted. But Bruce had to disappear from the globe exactly when he was was needed the most. Ivy wondered if it was a sign. Maybe she shouldn't survive.
"I'll try, but it won't be easy" Dr. Cho promised and Ivy nodded. She hadn't expected it to be easy. She knew her chances of survival were slim and had diminished when one of the smartest minds and expert in all of genetic stuff disappeared. "I'm going to go to the lab and run some tests and look at the entries Mr. Simmons sent me." Tony looked a little confused at the mention of a Mr. Simmons, while Ivy simply nodded bluntly. "I'll get back to you in a few days, and I'd recommend not overexerting yourself until then." Dr. Cho began gathering her things and Ivy stood up.
"Thanks for the help," Tony thanked her as he shook Dr. Cho's hand. "I'll try my best" she assured them both, smiling weakly at them. Ivy forced herself to smile back and flopped back on the bed as soon as the doctor left the room. "Who is Mr. Simmons?" asked Tony as he dropped down on the bed next to her. "Dave," Ivy replied, closing her eyes. "Dave's last name is Simmons? I thought he didn't have a last name at all" Tony admitted and Ivy laughed hoarsely. "It's not his real last name. No one knows what his real name is."
A silence spread through the room. Ivy had a week until she would have to meet with Nato. Rhodey and Natasha wanted to help her prepare, but Ivy didn't know what good it would do. She would not be someone else in front of these people. She wanted them to see what happened to people the government failed to save. It wasn't her fault that she became this way. It wasn't her fault that no one had helped her and everyone had stopped looking for her way too quickly. It wasn't her fault to have come into the world like this, and certainly not her fault to have fallen into the wrong hands.
"We'll find something" Tony promised and Ivy opened her eyes. "What if we don't? Bruce is gone, if Dr. Cho doesn't find anything, there's no one to save me" Ivy whispered and Tony reached for her hand to squeeze. We'll find something. Just how long would she be alive to witness it? "Thank you for letting Bucky stay here. It means a lot to me" Ivy whispered. She heard Tony sigh and looked over to see him rubbing his forehead.
"How do you deal with it? How do you look at him without thinking what he did to my parents, Howard? Because when I look at him, I feel like beating him up." Ivy looked up at the ceiling and bit her lower lip. She would be lying if she said she didn't think about it, and that those thoughts weren't buzzing through her head. She thought about it, she had nightmares about it, she hated it. She hated that Bucky was the one who had killed her brother, but she couldn't hate Bucky. She couldn't judge him or blame him. She hated what had happened, but she could never in her life hate him for it.
"You know that Howard had thrown a hammer at Bucky once? He had found us both asleep in my bed one morning and played his big brother card" Ivy recalled with a small smile. "He never told me that story" Tony muttered back, curious where she was going with this. "He did act like he couldn't stand Bucky at times, but at the end of the day he respected him and possibly even saw him as a friend. He eventually started accepting Bucky and saw him as part of our new family. Howard and Bucky may not have been best friends, but they were a part of our extended family that had formed over the years. Imagine if you had to kill this member of your family and only after a few years afterwards would you remember who he was. And then you would have to look his sister and son in the eye with the conscience that you had killed him. I would hate myself for that, every day."
Tony said nothing, but Ivy's words ran through his mind. He hadn't really tried to put himself in Bucky's shoes or Ivy's. He didn't know what it was like to be subjected to so much pain and so much torture. And he didn't know how, despite all of that, Ivy was able to get up every day and keep fighting. For herself, for Bucky, for her future. She fought for everything she had left. For every little bit of it. She had fought all her life. First for the right to be treated like a human being, for the right to be alive, for everything close to her heart, for her freedom. Her whole life she fought only because she was different. Because her cells, her DNA was different, because she was not like the people around her. She was fighting because people couldn't accept that she was different and there was nothing wrong with it.
"I need a drink, do you?" sighed Tony, sitting up. "I'm not sure my doctor would be okay with that" Ivy said with a small smile. Tony shook it off and pulled her to her feet. "A drink never hurt me and if you really want to be a boring I'll give you Cap's Capri Sun which he sips when he's in a bad mood" Tony joked causing Ivy to burst out laughing. The two linked arms and with small smiles walked to the kitchen where Tony had hidden his alcohol in several drawers.
~°~
One drink turned into several and Tony and Ivy didn't stay alone in the kitchen for long. Natasha and Jack joined them after a while, which led to more drinking but also more laughing. When Steve stepped into the living room with Bucky and Sam, who were giving each other venomous looks behind his back, they were surprised to find everything white and covered with snow. A thicker layer of snow that went up to their ankles lay on the floor and little snowflakes danced through the air. Pietro had built a snowman that wasn't quite as child-friendly, which Wanda had decorated with a hat and a scarf.
A mattress had been placed in front of a big window and the three men quickly figured out why. Ivy and Natasha zoomed down the frozen and snowy staircase, dashing all over the living room and past the three men until they ended up screaming and crashing against the mattress, landing in the snow. While Ivy was using a regular sled, Natasha had stolen Steve's Shield and was using it as a sled.
"What the hell!"
"Why wasn't I invited!? " exclaimed Steve and Sam at the same time. Bucky and Steve rushed to their girlfriends to help them up. Ivy couldn't stop giggling and swung her arms around Bucky. "Bucky!" She pressed a kiss to his cheek, and Bucky was a little overawed with her behavior. He'd never really seen her this drunk. "What happened here?" asked Steve as he tried to keep Natasha in check and prevent her from running away.
"Get out of the way!" yelled Jack, thundering down the stairs with his sleigh. Sam shoved the mattress aside and opened the patio door, sending Jack sledding down the hill toward the lake. "What, one less problem?" he said when he felt Steve's gaze on him. Natasha and Ivy exchanged an enthusiastic look and tried to run upstairs, but Ivy was caught in Bucky's arms. "I want to do this too!" she whined, which made Bucky squeeze her a little tighter.
"Sam? Can you find the others? We'll take care of them" said Steve, as Natasha told him something in Russian that sounded like a threat. To someone who didn't speak Russian, it sounded very brutal and violent. In reality, Natasha was talking about Steve's ass, which made Ivy laugh. Even one of the corners of Bucky's mouth went up, but he didn't say anything to Steve.
"Come on, let's get you upstairs" Bucky muttered to Ivy, whereupon she started to protest. She tried to climb out of his grip, which made him throw her over his shoulder. He started walking to the other staircase, which was not frozen and also led upstairs. "James, put me down right now!" shouted Ivy before she found out she had a great view of his ass. "Although...don't... Do not let me down. Where else am I going to get a view of your ass like that?" she giggled, pinching his ass. She cried out in shock as Bucky pinched her ass back.
"You're not the only one with a good view" he murmured quietly, but Ivy heard it anyway. Her cold fingers crawled under his T-shirt and began running up and down his back until they found their way to his stomach. "Ivy," Bucky warned as her fingers began to move over his abs and even a little lower. "James" she replied teasingly and her hands reached the fabric of his underwear. That was as far as her hands would get, thanks to their position, but it was enough to throw Bucky off.
He pulled her off his shoulder and pressed her against the wall in the hallway. Ivy's back hit the wall and she smiled teasingly at him. Her mouth moved to his neck and she started kissing him along there while her hands surreptitiously moved to his pants again. Bucky caught her hands and pressed them against her chest as he pushed her into the wall, separating her lips from his neck. "James," she whined, using his real name on purpose. She could see the effect on his face, but not just there.
"No" Bucky forced himself not to give in to her blue eyes and stay strong. "You're drunk." Ivy shook her head and leaned a little closer to him. "I'm not...I'm one hundred percent sober" she lied and tried to kiss him again. Bucky avoided her mouth and picked her up over his shoulder again, carrying her the last few feet to her room. He went straight to her bathroom and put her in the shower. Ivy finally managed to grab his face with her hands and press her lips to his. In a moment of weakness, Bucky gave in and kissed her back.
He walked her more into the shower until her back hit the wall. Ivy started to take off his t-shirt while his hand disappeared from her hip and reached for something beside her. Cold water suddenly began to rain down on her and Ivy cried out in surprise. Bucky quickly stepped away from her and out of the shower, leaving her standing alone in the cold shower. She tried to follow him, but he gently pushed her back in. "Come out when you sober up." Ivy gave him an offended look and turned off the cold shower. Bucky forced himself to look at her face and not at her body. Her wet clothes clung to her body, accentuating the areas he'd like to run his fingers over.
"You seem a little tense" she teased, noticing how hard he was trying not to look down, knowing he would be putting his self-control at risk. "I could help you with your problem" she suggested with a playful smile. Bucky stepped back into the shower, but not for the reason Ivy would prefer. "Maybe when you sober up, snowflake" he whispered in her ear before turning the cold shower back on and stepping out of the stall. This time he didn't stay in front of it, but walked out of the bathroom and out of her room altogether.
Ivy fell against the wall sighing and felt the cold water fall on her. She closed her eyes and stood like that a little longer until she reached for the faucet with her hand and turned off the shower. Her hair stuck to her face, just as her clothes felt like a heavy second skin. But the worst part was feeling Bucky's lips still on hers, even though he was gone. the desire to feel his lips on hers was too great.
"All right, Bucky Barnes. Let the game begin."
~°~
"You need my help with what?" asked Wanda baffled, blinking at Ivy a few confused times. "Why am I even here?" Pietro dropped himself into a starfish position on Ivy's bed. Ivy grabbed a pillow next to her and smacked him in the face with it. "First of all, you weren't even invited, you just walked in here" she said to Pietro before turning her attention back to his sister. "Second, I need some woman to woman advice because I haven't done this kind of thing in a long time."
"You think I've done something like that?" asked Wanda and Ivy raised an eyebrow and looked at her knowingly. Wanda's cheeks flushed and she muttered something under her breath, making Pietro's face contort into a whine. "Don't act like you're not the hoe in our family" Wanda silenced Pietro and Ivy had to stifle her laughter. "Why do you care so much? It's just sex."
"It isn't!" both women exclaimed and Pietro pressed his ears shut. "You should tease him. Put on something sexy and let him see you without giving him what he wants!" suggested Wanda with a smirk, while Ivy slapped Pietro's hand away when he tried to touch one of her books. "Something sexy?" she inquired and Wanda got up from her bed to go to Ivy's closet. Ivy was glad Dave had brought her clothes with him when he arrived here with Bucky.
"What do you think about a night out at the club?" Wanda held up a red dress. It was short and it showed a lot of skin, it had also been a gift from Natasha. It went to the middle of her thighs and had a plunging neckline. It had no back, just red ribbons that stretched from one side of her back to the other. Ivy looked at the dress with wide eyes, while Pietro also finally looked interested. "I'm all for it" he smirked.
"You want to go to a party?" asked Ivy uncertainly and Wanda shook her head. "The goal is for you to never get to the party," "That sounds creepy, sister," Pietro interrupted her and Wanda looked at him annoyed. "It isn't! The goal is that in that dress she'll tease Bucky and suddenly she'll be doing something more important than going to a party" Wanda grinned and Ivy looked at the dress thoughtfully. "And what if it doesn't work?"
"I doubt it very much, but if it doesn't we will actually go to a club." Pietro seemed to like this option more and his expression said it all. "Okay" sighed Ivy and Wanda looked at her excitedly. "Okay!" squeaked Wanda and started pulling Pietro off the bed. "Get out!" she urged as Pietro moved slower on purpose. "But what about the show?" he whined, smirking at Ivy, which made her raise an eyebrow threatingly. "Get a girlfriend and get your own show!" retorted Wanda, shoving her brother out of the room before letting the door slam shut behind him. She turned to Ivy with an excited smile and Ivy smiled nervously back. "Let the show begin! It's going to be great!"
~°~
"Stop fiddling with your dress, you look great!" whispered Wanda as the two walked down the stairs. Wanda had forced Ivy into the red dress with matching red high heels and had helped her with her makeup, as well as her hair. Ivy's hair, which had grown long again, fell down her back in light curls. Her eyes stood out through her fancy makeup and her red lips matched her dress perfectly. Wanda had dressed up to impress someone as well. Ivy thought she did. She didn't ask Wand about it, though, for the mean time.
The two women entered the living room and just as Pietro had told them, Bucky, Steve, Vision and Tony were there. Bucky's eyes widened when he saw Ivy and his eyes tried to drink in as much as possible of her. "Where do you guys are planning on going?" asked Tony with a smirk that the two women returned. "Clubbing," they replied simultaneously, exchanging a glance. "I'm going for a quick drink before that though" Ivy said before disappearing into the kitchen.
She opened the fridge to look for a bottle of water and smiled triumphantly when she heard Bucky's footsteps walking towards her. "Clubbing, then?" she heard him ask. She closed the refrigerator and looked into his eyes. He had leaned against the kitchen counter and had his arms crossed in front of his chest. "Yes. Anything wrong with that?" replied Ivy before opening the cabinet above her to reach for a glass. She couldn't reach it right away, and Bucky stepped behind her to bring down a glass for her. He set it on the kitchen counter in front of her, but didn't step away from her. He stood right behind her and didn't touch her. But just feeling him behind her made Ivy's body go crazy.
"Weren't you planning on drinking?" asked Bucky after Ivy had stood still for a few seconds. His warm breath caused the region around her ear to burst into flames. Ivy forced herself to turn around and look at him. She knew why he wasn't touching her, the look in his eyes revealed everything that was running through his mind right now. Ivy brought the glass to her lips and took a small sip, never losing eye contact with Bucky. "Would you like a sip?" she asked, and Bucky shook his head.
"What are you doing?" he asked and Ivy tilted her head to the side as if she didn't know what he was talking about. She knew all too well what he was talking about, they both did. "What do you mean?" she asked innocently, which made Bucky put his hands against the kitchen counter on either side of her so that she was trapped between his arms. His legs were between hers and his chest was almost touching hers. Ivy forced herself to keep her breathing under control because he would know if her chest started moving up and down rapidly.
"Don't play dumb with me. You're anything but stupid" he muttered, gripping the kitchen counter a little harder, which made his arms tense. "If I was going to do something, would it be something like this?" Ivy's fingers slowly began to slide up Bucky's arm until they reached his shoulder. "Or do you mean something like this?" she whispered into his ear as her other hand disappeared under his T-shirt and slowly traveled over his abs.
"Or..." Ivy leaned closer to Bucky and let her hand move from his shoulder to his face. "Something like that..." she heard Bucky take a sharp breath as she began to slowly kiss along his jaw. She leaned back against the counter with a small, yet satisfied smirk, and let her hands fall from him. "Because I hadn't intended to do anything like that." Bucky seemed to be struggling with himself as he looked at her. Ivy licked her lips and Bucky closed his eyes. "Fuck it," he whispered before his hands let go of the counter and reached for her face instead.
He pressed his lips hungrily to hers and pressed her against the counter with his body. Ivy returned the wild kiss with the same fire as Bucky, pulling him closer by his T-shirt. Bucky's hands moved to her waist and picked her up before setting her on the counter, which made Ivy swing her legs around his hips. His hands began running down her bare back, exploring every inch of bare skin, as if he was feeling her skin against his for the first time.
Ivy's hands disappeared into his hair and she tugged on it a little as his mouth began to trail down her neck. His lips explored her cleavage and Ivy let out a small noise as Bucky began to suck on the visible skin in her cleavage, likely leaving a hickey. Bucky pushed her closer by her ass so she would make that noise again and she did. Only a little louder this time.
"The others..." Ivy tried to say, but was interrupted by the pleasure Bucky's lips produced on her skin. "You should have thought of that before you instigated this" Bucky muttered back, pressing his lips to hers again. "You're the one who kissed me" she replied with a smirk, which made Bucky catch her lip with his teeth and pull on it a little.
"You want me to stop?" he asked, looking into her blue wide eyes that looked at him with the same lust he felt. Ivy shook her head and tried to kiss him, but Bucky wouldn't let her. "Words, Ivy. Use your words" he mocked and held her face. "I don't want us to stop" she whispered back, which made Bucky kiss her again. His hands moved to her ass and lifted her up off the counter to leave the kitchen with her in his arms.
"What about the club ?" he asked, and Ivy wasn't sure if he was teasing her. Maybe he had seen through her plan, after all. For the moment, though, she had no problem with that. "I don't remember any club," Ivy whispered against his lips, which made him smile. He walked up the stairs with her in his arms and on to her room. "You didn't have to make Wanda dress you both up. You could have just asked me nicely. " "Shut up and kiss me," Ivy murmured back and Bucky closed the door behind them, chuckling.