Warning: LGBT is brought up in the following story. If you don't like that, kiss my arse! But have fun reading, and…..
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
Also, EVERYONE ON OOC! If you don't like that, this isn't for you.
"Hey, Barnes, I have a challenge for you!" Natasha was coming home from the store and lugging bags in both hands while calling out to James.
"Yes, Romanoff, I'm listening. What is it?" James himself was seated next to Steve in the one of the large couches in the living room (Steve and James kept calling it a sitting room and tony kept calling them "1845 and 1844"). At Natasha's words his head had popped up to see her fully. James and Steve had been reading (the same book) before she had spoken with the prospect of an adrenaline rush.
"Easy, I'll bring by a few candies and you have to guess what they are without their package. If you get most of the correct, you win. However, if you get most of them wrong, I win."
"And what happens when you win that should make me want to win?" he waved his hands to add emphasis. Steve just reached up and brought James's hands down to the couch. Both Natasha and James stared at him with silent confusion. The moment became oddly awkward… When he finally looked up from the book all he said was:
"He was making a shadow on the page." Before looking back down to his book. Romanoff shook her head and turned back to Barnes.
"If you win you get bragging rights and suspected of cheating. If you lose, then I get bragging rights and you have to tell me a secret that only Steve knows."
"Well this should be fun."
"Yep, shake on it?"
"Sure…. If he would let my hands go… let my hands go! Steve!"
"Shadows."
"Old man." James plucked himself from the couch next to Steve and darted to stand in arm's length from the conniving spider. Their hands met and so it was sealed. And Natasha was fairly sure she was going to win.
"James! Get your ass over here." Natasha had her first candy and knew she would win.
"Okay, so I've already unwrapped it." Walking up to the counter she held the candy bar in the palm of her hand. However simple the ordeal was, James scrunched his face with fake annoyance.
"Oh, But now you've touched it!" clearly, the disgust was fake. Just to annoy her… and it was kinda working? She put the candy on the counter stood to lean against the wall, enjoying her soon to be victory.
"You getting cold feet, Barnes?"
"Never," he said, walking past her and towards the counter before pulling it in half. "It's a 3 Musketeers."
"What the hell!" she said, pushing away from the wall. "How did you know that?"
"They first came out when I was about twenty."
"Shit!"
"Okay, so you guessed the last one but this should stump you. But I did have touch it, so, sorry." Natasha said as she set a ceramic plate down on the coffee table near James.
Him and Steve had been reading (a new book) together again. It was a strange habit that nobody really understood, but the rest of the Avengers honestly didn't care anymore… except for maybe tony... So far they had gone through five books and were apparently very fast reader (that or they just skimmed).
As James leaned forward to examine the red rope-like candy, Natasha settled herself into the papasan chair opposite the couch.
"So what do you think, Barnes? Think I got you beat? Cuz I do." She had her own string of candy that she had begun devouring. All she did was stare at Barnes as he held one end of the string and let the other hang limp well below his wrist.
However, she was hearing an annoying tapping somewhere in the room. Natasha whipped her head from side as she searched for the noise. Her eyes landed on Steve as her lightly tapped on the cover of the book he was reading while clearly being invested in the words on the page.
Feeling someone's eyes on him, Steve looked up just long enough to lock onto Natasha's eyes. But one second was enough to let her know that he knew she had a suspicion. But then he looked down at the book, remerging himself into the world of words. So Natasha forced herself to stray her eyes elsewhere.
She chose James to gaze on instead.
"Is it liquorish," he had taken a small nibble of the confectionary treat. "Or is it just candied rope?"
"Ooo, you're really close. It's a kind of liquorish, but it's flavored because not everyone likes the taste of black liquorish."
"Well it tastes horrible." Natasha couldn't help but laugh at the face James made. He stuck out his tongue (just a little), and wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"Oh, aren't you just so cute!" a light smile teased itself across her face, and while for the most part it was just to irk him, part of her believed her words.
"There is something wrong with you, Kitten." She loved the nickname he had given her.
one time he had caught her gaze following the bright spot on the wall where his metal arm was reflecting the light, so he called her Kitten. He claimed to have chosen the name because she had followed the light like a cat, but she knew it was in honor of the time they had met when she was a child. He had been brought in to work with her, and had called her Kitten because she was so agile and landed on her feet.
"Yes there is, and he's sitting across from me looking stupid with a piece of red liquorish." She replied
Natasha came into the kitchen with a bag of groceries in the crook of her arm while keeping her eyes on her phone, reviewing photos of the guy she was arresting later. However, she had seen James sitting on the counter waiting for her. So his ambush was completely expected.
"Hey, what the hell-" he slipped his hand over her mouth while also running an arm around her waist and pulling her back close to his chest. Is may have known it was going to happen, but damn him anyways.
"Did I scare you, Kitten?" then he removed his hand from her mouth before taking the phone from her hand and tossing it on the counter and doing that same for the groceries.
"Actually, you did. And what do you have to say for yourself?" she had cocked her head. She could get away if she wanted to, but this seemed interesting.
"What do I have to say for myself," he moved his other arm down to match his other at her waist. "What I have to say for myself is that I want to dance with you. Just like I showed you when you were a little girl." At this a small smile spread across both their lips.
And so they danced to no music in the kitchen. They just slowly spun and breathed each other in. that is, until her phone rang with the announcement of her mission.
But before she went, he kissed her cheek. It was the lightest of things, but enough to speak volumes. He never told anyone how much he missed his sisters, from his life before the war, but she knew. She also knew she reminded him of those little girls he left behind from war.
"I have the last candy," there was no sound. "James?"
However, he came around the corner still fairly wet from showering.
"Can you just tell me now?"
"Never."
"let me see it then." So she handed him a small zip top bag with colorful beads inside.
He spent no time examining the candies, but instead popped one into his mouth. However, he scrunched his face like he had before and nearly spit the bead out.
"Ugh, that was horrible," when he finally swallowed the candy he held the bag at arm's length with only his pointer and thumb as though afraid to hold it any closer. "Are you trying to poison me?"
"Never,"
"Then why do they look like M&M's, but taste so bitter?"
"Because it's a fruit M&M. Instead of chocolate it has fruit flavor. And it's called a Skittle"
"Well it tastes bad, and that is a stupid name."
"I agree – with the latter."
"So I've won and know you have to tell me a secret that only Steve knows. What will it be, then?" It had been only a few hours since James was defeated in what had been dubbed the 'candy war,' and all the Avengers were sitting in the living room to hear the secret. Wanda was the most excited.
"Okay, let me think... Umm….. You remind me of my sisters."
"No,"
"What?"
"No. I already knew that. So tell me something that I don't. Try again."
"Fine… Well Steve tried to tell me what the red rope stuff was in Morse Code."
"I had already figured that out earlier. I asked him tell me, and he did."
"you don't play fair! you do know that right?'
"Yes."
"fine then, I 'll shock you to shit," at that, James rise from his spot on the floor and walked over to where Steve was, once again, reading. In fact, Steve looked like he wished he could become the book. James plopped down on the couch and stared intently at Steve's eyes until he looked at James.
"No, I'm not helping you out of this one," said steve. Their staring was peeking everyone's interest. James started pulling that book out of Steve's hands, and started a small tough of war between the two men. However, it ended abruptly when Steve let go of the book and it bonked James between the eyes.
"Shit," was all steve said. Did he look a little pink?
"Oh, yes" james was smirking the tiniest bit…
With that James took hold of Steve's head to came forward to meet his lips to the shock of everyone – but Wanda. They held the kiss for a few moments, but when they broke part you could tell Steve was not very happy. To prove that, Steve took his book back and smacked James on the side of the head with it. James fell off the couch in fake anguish. Steve went back to reading as if nothing had ever happened, whereas James could no longer suppress the giggles.
And so, James laughed his ass off while everyone, but Wanda, was still confused. Wanda's triumphant grin told all.
"Wanda, you knew?" tony was beyond shocked at what had just happened.
"Of course! I was in all of your heads, remember?" now Wanda had joined in with a few giggles and nearly fell out of her seat too.
"Natasha," tony rose to his feet "this is your fault!"
"What the hell is my fault, stark?"
"We used to have a prude, and now we have two gay men! And all because of your little game!" at that Steve's head popped up and he added his words to the mix.
"To be specific, Bucky is gay and I'm Bi, but for the record, we are virgin!" but with that Steve got up and left the room.
"We never needed to know that that, Capsicle!" tony started mumbling something about brain bleach for that metal image he had formed.
And Natasha never dared either of them again…
A/N HI! So that was a piece of crap… but…. Im fine with that…. ive got some better stories now if you want to check those out.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!