(The youtube video in the beginning is the dance that Bucky and Lucy do later on. Start at 0:24)
Stark disappeared off somewhere and I was left alone by the window. I was confused by what had come over me. I'd never felt that way about Stark before so where had that random urge come from? I swallowed hard before turning to look back out at the party. No one seemed to have noticed Stark and I by the window. I rung my hands together as I made my way to the bar. Steve and Sam were leaning against the counter and James was stationed behind the bar. Steve looked up from Sam and noticed me coming. He smiled politely at me.
"Lucy, tired of Stark already?" Steve asked as I neared them.
"I don't blame her," Sam breathed into his glass. Steve laughed as I reached them.
"Somebody needed to meet him. Said it was urgent," I shrugged, trying to push down my disappointment and seem indifferent.
"Miss us already doll?" James called from behind the bar. I turned to him as he smirked over a glass he was filling. He had his long hair pulled back away from his face in a messy bun.
"Oh you know I can't resist your 40's charm," I teased. He looked up at me with a smirk. He placed a pony glass in front of me. It was filled with thick brown liquid and topped off with what looked like creme and a cherry.
"Here, try this doll," James said with a mischievous smile.
"What is it?" I asked, pulling the drink toward me and studying it.
"A drink from my time. One we used to give to the dames that we liked," he winked at me. Steve shot a look over at James.
"Really James, behave," Steve warned. James looked up at him with a smirk.
"It's a party! Come on Stevie, try and have a little fun," James teased. Steve rolled his eyes and looked back at Sam who just laughed.
"So what's this called?" I asked pulling the drink over toward me. I held the glass in my hand and smelled the drink. It smelled sweet, like chocolate.
"Angel's Kiss," James's voice dipped low as I took a tentative sip. The drink exploded with chocolate liquor and sweet cream. I licked my lips and looked over at James.
"Mmm, wow this is delicious!" I cooed as I took another sip from the drink. James smiled as he shot a victorious look over at Steve. Steve rolled his eyes again and took a drink of his beer.
"So where did Stark disappear off to?" James asked leaning against the counter and picking up his own beer.
"His girlfriend called," I said into the glass as I took another sip. James looked over at Steve with a confused look on his face.
"Girlfriend?" James asked directed toward Steve.
"She's kidding Buck," Steve said without looking up.
"What's wrong James, don't know sarcasm?" I asked with a smirk. He looked over at me with a smirk.
"I guess not doll," he said.
"So Lucy, what is this necklace that you're wearing. You didn't have it when we got you out of Africa and I don't remember you getting it from your house," Steve asked.
"Woah Stevie, that's a little stalkerish," James said taking a sip of his beer. I laughed as I took a drink from my own glass. Steve's cheeks pinked slightly as he looked away from me.
"I found it in Africa before you guys got me but I don't know if you ever saw it. I've kinda kept it hidden cause I wasn't sure what to do with it," I said looking down at the compass on my chest.
"Does it have any thing to do with the tablets that you've been translating?" Steve asked finally looking up at me again.
"I think so, I found it right behind them so...," I trailed off pulling up the compass so I could get a better look at it.
"Can I see it?" James asked reaching his hand over. I turned to look at him and he took the compass in his hand to study it closer, "It doesn't look like any language I've ever seen. And why is it constantly spinning?" he asked looking up at me.
"I haven't figured that part out yet," I said. He looked up at me before dropping the compass back to it's original position.
"Maybe it's broken," Steve offered.
"Maybe, I haven't looked at it much. Maybe I'll figure it out tomorrow," I said taking another drink. I glanced up at the clock behind the bar.
Five minutes...
I looked over toward the direction where Tony had disappeared off to. No one seemed to be over there. I swallowed hard and turned back to my drink. I tipped the drink back and down the remaining alcohol.
"Woah, easy doll! You're not supposed to one shot it!" James said as I set the glass back in front of him. I swallowed stiffly before looking over at him.
"You got anything stronger?" I asked. His jaw fell open and he looked over at Steve with wide eyes.
"Lucy, you sure about that?" Steve warned from next to me.
"It's a party Steve," I said without looking at him. My eyes drifted back to the door where Stark would be returning from.
"What are you thinking about?" James asked. I tore my eyes away and looked back at him.
"Long Island Ice-Tea?" I asked. He nodded as he reached for a new glass. Steve and Sam shared a skeptical look as I stole another look over my shoulder at the door then the clock. James slid my new drink over to me and I swept it up to take a drink.
The party seemed to drag on for hours after that. I haunted the bar and talked with James until Banner stole me away to join him in conversation with Natasha and Clint. The hours passed and still no Tony.
Maybe his business was really important? Or maybe he just changed his mind about me...
I tried to push those thoughts from my mind but with every passing minute they crept back even stronger. It wasn't until people started leaving that Tony reappeared. I'd manage to disentangle myself from a conversation with Natasha and Maria and had taken up residence on the second floor in the corner. I stared out the window, down at the city. It really was beautiful. The city that never sleeps, alive and buzzing even at this time of night. I couldn't hear it over the music but I knew if it were silent and I was outside that I'd be able to hear the cars hundreds of feet below. I'd intended to go home but I couldn't tear myself away from this view. From up here I could even see the University...
Suddenly as arm slid around waist and rested on my hip, causing me to jump.
"I'm sorry," Tony's velvet voice came from next to me. I looked over at him. He'd lost his jacket and was holding out a glass to me with a smile, "Barnes said you've been dry for awhile. Thought maybe wine would cheer you up," he offered. I took the glass in my hand but didn't take a drink. I glanced back over my shoulder at the clock.
"5 minutes huh?" I said quietly and looked up at him. His smile fell slightly and he took a deep breath.
"Yeah, I'm sorry about that sweetheart. They just wouldn't take no for an answer," he explained.
"4 hours Tony?" I asked.
"Sweetheart, please,"
"Don't call me that," I hissed pulling myself out of his grasp. He looks over at me confused, "Your sweetheart left 3 and a half hours ago," I breathed as back away from him. I tore my eyes away from his pained expression as I turned to descend the stairs. I discarded the still full glass on one of the tables I passed.
"Lucy!" James called out to me as I passed the couch he was sitting on. He dodged off it and trotted off after me, "Hey Lucy, where are you going? You're gonna miss the best part!" he said excitedly from next to me.
"I really just want to go home James," I said exhausted. I continued to walk. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me to a stop. I groaned as I turned to look at James.
"Come on, please don't leave yet," James begged as he held my hand in both of his. I looked over at him, his eyes were soft and kind. I couldn't say no to him. I sighed.
"What's this 'best part'?" I asked exasperated. His eyes lit up as his grip on my hand tightened.
"The best part is when everyone leaves and it's just us," James said pulling me back toward the couch he'd been sitting on.
"Who's 'us'?" I asked as he sat down on the couch. He pulled me down to sit next to him on the couch. He turned to face me with a bright smile on his face. I don't know if I've ever seen someone with such a brilliant smile on their face before.
"Just the team. After everyone leaves, Tony will finally let us have our mini party. If I'm honest, it's the only reason I come to these parties in the first place," James whispered to me, that brilliant smile still on his face. I tried to keep myself from smiling but I couldn't, James was just like an excited child, "Stark's already ordered pizza to be delivered to the Tower, now all we need is for the last few people to leave," James said as he shot a look over at the few remaining guests that lingered near the door.
"Just scare 'em off," I suggested. He laughed. He held up his metal hand in front of me with a smile.
"Just show 'em this?" he asked with a laugh.
"That would definitely work," I laughed back. He studied my face for a moment before laughing again and leaning his forehead down against my shoulder. We sat on the couch for the next half hour just talking and waiting for the remaining guests to leave. The longer we sat on the couch, the more of the Avengers drifted over to the group of couches that was in the middle of the main floor. At first it was just Steve who came over and sat on the other side of me and talked with James and I. Sam was the next to drift over and sink down onto the couch directly across from James, Steve, and I. He pulled out his phone and started tapping away on it while casually sipping a beer, obviously waiting for pizza. Next was Clint, Natasha, and Banner who all collected themselves at the end of the circle. Natasha sat herself down in an armchair at the end and Banner sat down at the end of a couch but leaned over to continue talking to her. Clint took the armchair next to Natasha but perched himself on the arm instead of in it. Thor was next and he didn't sneak over to group. He strode over and dropped his hammer down on the table in the middle of the circle. It made a beautiful, metallic sound as it fell through the air.
"Lady Lucy! I have not seen you all night! Has the Solider of Winter stolen you all night?" Thor asked as he plopped himself down on the opposite end of the couch as Sam. His arrival shook the whole couch and made Sam jump from not paying attention.
"Solider of Winter?" I asked as I turned to look at James. James, who was pulling his arms out of his jacket, looked over at Thor with a warning look. He rolled up his sleeves as he looked back over at me.
"Don't worry about it doll, it's just a nickname like Stark is the Man of Iron," he smiled as he started rolling up his other sleeve. I gave him a skeptical look before looking back at Thor. While we were distracted, Rhodey and Maria had walked over and taken up the other two armchairs on the opposite side of Natasha and Clint. Now the only person who wasn't a part of our group was Tony. I reached down and unhooked my shoes to slip out of them. I looked around the room and couldn't find Tony anywhere in the room although it looked like all the guests were finally gone. Suddenly there was a door that slammed off somewhere in the room.
"Alright Avengers, your favorite part of the night has finally arrived!" Tony's voice echoed throughout the now empty room as he reappeared carrying boxes of pizza. He entered the circle and set all the boxes down on the glass table in the center. All conversation ceased as the pizza was laid out on the table. Now that it was silence, I realized that JARVIS was playing low music in the background. Everyone leaned forward in anticipation for the coming meal.
"What kind of pizza did you get this time, Tony?" Clint asked, leaning further forward to get a better look.
"All the classics: pepperoni, sausage, cheese," Tony said. As he moved back away from the table everyone lunged forward at the pizza. I watched as the heroes all fought over the pizza that was in front of them.
"Hey doll, aren't you gonna get some pizza?" James asked as he leaned back from the glass table with a mouth full of pizza. He wrapped his metal arm around the back of the couch and rested it behind me.
"Yeah, but I'm gonna give you guys the first go and then go in at a time where I won't get my arm ripped off. There's no way I'm winning in this group of people," I said. The group laughed as they all took their respective pizzas back to where they were sitting. Once everyone was settle back in, I leaned forward to retrieve some pizza from what was left.
"So doctor, how has your work been coming along?" Natasha asked as she looked over at me. I swallowed the bite of pizza that I'd been chewing and looked over at her.
"It's going well. I think me and Banner may have finally come across a translation," I explained.
"That wasn't me, that was all you Luc," Banner smirked over his beer at me.
"Well, you helped," I conceded as I took another bite of my pizza. It was quiet for another moment before anyone spoke again.
"Hey Stark, why don't you ever play any music that we know?" Steve asked as he looked over at Tony. James looked up from his pizza and glanced over at Tony.
"Did they even have music back then?" Tony asked as he sat down next to Thor on the couch.
"Believe it or not, we did have some technology back then," Steve's voice was thick with sarcasm.
"I can't believe it, Capsicle and Bucky Badger used to have fun?" Tony asked through a swig of beer. As his face was hidden behind his glass, I could see his smirk falter for a moment as he surveyed James's arm around me.
"Oh we were the cat's meow back in the day," James smirked over at Tony. Tony's glare was burning holes into James's arm but James seemed oblivious.
"Come on Tony, humor them the once," Natasha said, leaning back with her beer.
"Alright fine, JARVIS play something for the old men," Tony conceded and leaned back. There was a slight pause before the music began. After a second I realized what the song was.
"Oh I love this song!" I said. James looked over at me.
"You want to dance doll?" he offered out his hand to me.
"Oh, I don't know," I blushed.
"You still owe me a dance doll face," he smirked.
"Come on Luc!" Steve encouraged.
"Yeah Lucy!" Banner smirked. A few more joined in and I finally caved.
"Fine," I blushed as he pulled me up. He wrapped his arm around my waist and spun me around before sliding his arm out to my arm. He swung me out and I kicked my feet out slightly. His metal hand held mine lightly as it guided me around.
"Doll, you're a natural!" James smiled as he spun me under his arm a few times.
"I used to take lessons with my best friend," as I said that I spun out away from him again. We continued to swing dance for a few seconds before he pulled me over next to him and then in front of him. We kicked out our feet in unison. I laughed as we faced each other and kicked again before going back to our original position. He pulled me back and stopped for a moment before he grabbed both of my hands and pushed me up into the air as I did a quick splits. A few cheers came from the Avengers as he spun me out again and continued swinging. He swung me out wide and pulled me back to swing around his back. More cheers broke from the heroes as we stuck the landing. James smiled as we swung again. He pushed me in the air again and spun me around. We continued to swing and spin and laugh for the rest of the song. Near the end, he spun me around with his metal hand lightly on my back as he dipped me low. My knee raised, my arm wrapped around his neck and my other lowered to brace on the ground. The song ended and the Avengers broke into wild cheers, whistles, and claps. I blushed as James pulled me back up straight.
"That was impressive Lucy!" Banner complimented.
"Amazing job doll," James smiled as he kissed my cheek. I blushed deeply as I sat down next to James and Steve again. I glanced over to see Tony glaring over at James.
"That really was something," Maria raised her wine glass in a salute before taking a sip.
"That was good but you can't dance a woman like that!" Clint said.
"And why not!" James asked pulling his arm around me tighter.
"Cause that's not romantic at all! Look at her, she's completely out of breath!" Clint motioned over to me. I was breathing deep and trying to not pant as I leaned on James.
"How is that not romantic? Everyone used to dance like that in our time!" James shrugged.
"Well, that's not how you do it anymore," Clint said taking a sip of his beer. James leaned back and splayed his hands out at Clint.
"By all means maestro, show me the current ways of romantic dancing," James said. Clint held his beer in his mouth for a moment before swallowing.
"Alright," he set his beer down on the table and stood up. He strode over to me and held his hand out to me as he stopped in front of me.
"Oh, I'm not sure if this is-"
"Come on doctor, James wants a lesson in how it's done," Clint said. I hesitated a moment before grabbing his hand and standing up with a huff, "JARVIS play "Crazy Over Me" by Dylan Scott," Clint said as he led me over to the open spot where I'd just been dancing with James a moment ago. He pulled me close to him and rested his arm on my upper back. I placed my hand on his shoulder and we linked our other hands and held them out. The soft music started playing through the speakers. Clint started swaying with me softly. We swayed side to side and back and forth through the song slowly. Every once and a while, he'd lift my arm and spin me under his. This was kind of an awkward dance because I was standing so close to Clint and I didn't really know him well. We continued to dance until the song was over. He spun me one last time before he faced me with a smile. He looked over at James with a smirk.
"That's how it's done?" James asked with his arm crossed and his eyebrows cocked.
"That's how it's done," Clint said. James looked at him for a moment before laughing.
"Well, mine was at least way more fun," James said as Clint made his way back to his seat and picked up his beer again.
"That's not how it's done," Tony piped up finally. I looked over at him again. His knuckles were white around his glass and his eyes were a blaze with an emotion that I couldn't place.
"Oh, you think that you can do it better Stark?" Clint asked from his chair. Tony set his glass down on the table and stood up.
"Oh I know that I can do better Legolas," Tony said making a way over to me. I shot him a sharp look, trying to figure out what he was getting at.
"By all means Tin Man, show me how it's done," Clint said. Tony stepped up to me and held out his hand to me. His eyes softened significantly as he looked at me. He smiled at me softly as he motioned for me to take his hand.
"You know, this is more dancing that I've done in my entire adult life, right?" I commented. The Avengers around me laughed as I placed my hand in Tony's. Tony smiled at me and laughed.
"Alright, show us how it's done Mr. Stank," Rhodey said. Tony turned and shot a look over at him before turning back to me.
"Theoretically, if you're going to dance with a woman, it's usually someone you fancy. So first of all, you ask the lady if she'd like to dance. So Miss Scaffer, would you care for a dance?" Tony asked, a hint of mischief in his eyes.
"I mean, why not. Third times a charm right?" I said as he swung his arm with his hand still in mine. A low laugh went through the heroes behind me.
"Second, you ask the woman what song she'd like to dance to," Tony said, glaring over at Clint. Clint shrugged his shoulders and took a swig of his beer. Tony turned back to look at me with a small smile, "So what will it be?"
"Oh dear god, that's a large request Mr. Stark. How about "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic" cover by Sleeping At Last," I said. Tony's mouth quirked up at me and he nodded his head slightly.
"You hear that J?" Tony asked to the air.
"Yes sir, looking for it now," JARVIS's British voice echoed around the room. The light piano of my song choice filed the room quietly.
"Third, you must be more gentle with her," Tony's voice was much softer than the authoritative tone he had originally had when talking to Clint. He placed his left hand on my lower back lightly and held up his right hand to me. I took his hand in mine and lightly lay my other hand on his shoulder. He pulled me close to him, so close that I could feel the heat radiating off of him. My body rests against his as he sway me lightly. I felt like I couldn't breathe being this close to him. The feeling from earlier overwhelmed me again and I looked away from his face. His breath fanned over my face softly as I turned to look away from him. I could feel his eyes on me as we continued to dance slowly. He took my hand and spun me around slowly before pulling me back close to him. I couldn't help it, I turned my head and faced him. My face was so close to his that his features blurred together. His smell intoxicated me: thousand dollar cologne, whiskey, and leather. His face turned to me, his mouth dangerously close to my face.
"You look beautiful doctor," he mumbled into my ear, so quiet that I doubt anyone else heard him. I almost missed it myself. His eyes caught mine and I couldn't look away from his. They really were beautiful, now that I saw them up close. Dark brown, like thick chocolate and I was afraid the longer I look into them, the further I'd get lost. His forehead leaned against mine and it was a good second or two before I realized that the song had ended.
"Just theoretically, right," I breathed, trying to convince myself to pull away from him. Everything inside of me was screaming to me that this was a bad idea but I couldn't seem to tear myself away. It was like a car crash, I knew I should move but I was frozen to the spot. His eyes flicked down my face and looked at my mouth before looking back into my eyes.
"Of course. Theoretically," he swallowed hard without breaking eye contact.
"Would you two like the room?" Natasha asked, breaking whatever spell was over me. I blinked and looked away from Tony, blushing a furious shade of red. It was silent for a moment before anyone spoke again.
"J, what happened to the music?" Tony asked, slightly annoyed. When there was no reply, he shifted annoyed, "JARVIS, answer me," he demanded. It was silent again for a long time. He stepped back from me and glanced up at the ceiling confused, "JARVIS?"
"Sir," JARVIS's voice came out in a broken crackle thick with static like a failing radio station. All the heroes around me suddenly lost all jokes and smiles as every one of them stiffened. The atmosphere in the room went thick suddenly.
"JARVIS, what's happening!" Tony demanded, his grip around my waist tightening slightly.
"Breach, level 95," JARVIS's voice was broken and hard to decipher but I could make out the last bit and my blood ran cold.
"The lab!"