"We were victims of the night,

The chemical, physical, kryptonite

Helpless to the bass and the faded light

Oh we were born to get together

Born to get together."

Steve was often confused on how he ended up certain places. A pale imitation of a forties hospital room; facing a villain who also happened to be his best friend; a secret SHIELD base where he trained to be in the military; his bed instead of the couch he'd insisted on sleeping on so Bucky would have somewhere to sleep when he came back; the floor after he'd told Tony to go you-know-what himself when Tony told him Bucky couldn't stay; the list goes on. What he really didn't get was how he ended up in the middle of the makeshift dance floor Natasha and Sam had set up in the living room of the Avengers base as a way to try and ease the tension that had been suffocating all of them. A disco ball hung from the ceiling and Sam was doing his best to DJ. Natasha had gotten Clint and Tony to show up, though by persuasion or threat, no one was really sure (and no one wanted to know). Fury was there too, but he sat back in a chair watching them all with amusement. Steve would have been right there with him if he hadn't gotten swept away.

Bucky had gotten quite bold since he got his memories back, as though he were trying to make up for lost time. And he was. He and Steve were scarcely seen without the other (though that wasn't too much different from what Steve was used to from his old life) and he insisted Steve show him everything he'd missed and take him out of the base to see New York. It was risky, but Steve couldn't deny Bucky anything. Surprisingly, or perhaps not, as much as Steve was ahead of Bucky on culture, Bucky was ahead of Steve on technology. It had been vital to his missions, apparently, so they learned from each other. That was also not entirely new to Steve.

But dancing was. Bucky had his arms placed comfortably on Steve's waist. Steve wasn't entirely sure whether this was him being intimate, or trying to keep him from walking off the dance floor, or both. Probably both.

"Bucky," Steve said, half-amused, half-confused. "What are you doing?" Besides Natasha and Clint, they were really the only ones dancing together. Wanda looked perfectly content to watch. Vision sat next to her, though looking more curious than content. Steve started to look around to see what everyone else thought of the whole thing and Bucky said sharply,

"Don't. Keep your eyes on me." He smirked when Steve complied. "Just focus on me, okay? They don't matter."

"Am I allowed to talk?"

"No." Steve suspected as much.

"What am I supposed to do?"

"Shut up and dance with me." Steve heard a snicker coming from Clint's general direction and he felt a strong desire to smack him.

"Steve," Bucky said, noticing Steve was still distracted. "Seriously."

"Okay," Steve sighed, looking down at his feet. "Sorry."

Steve didn't really know what he was doing, but they swayed to the beat of the music. It was slower, so it worked. Steve suddenly became intensely aware of Bucky's hands. He finally looked up to see Bucky staring at him and his breath caught. He blushed and cleared his throat, looking over Bucky's shoulder instead. Then he found the willpower to look at him again, but he avoided his eyes. His gaze traced the strong jawline down his neck to his collarbone. Bucky was wearing a black v-neck that caught him perfectly. His gaze continued down to his chest until he saw the thick scar running down Bucky's breast bone. He looked away before he could get angry about it. He didn't want to think about that. Not now.

"Steve." Bucky's voice was softer now. Steve looked at him again to see a slightly superior look on Bucky's face. "I see you."

"Yeah," Steve replied, just as softly, lifting an eyebrow. "And?"

Bucky changed course slightly. "You know your eyes look pretty in this lighting? It changes – they look iridescent."

"I didn't know they taught you big words at Hydra," Steve joked.

"Shut the fuck up," Bucky said, swiping up to hit the back of Steve's head lightly. "I'm being nice. I did well in school, okay, pal?"

"I know you did," Steve chuckled. "I'm just teasing."

"I know," Bucky said. He was smiling. "You should smile more, Steve. You look pretty stressed these days."

"You know why."

"I also know you've got a hell of a smile and I missed it." Steve's chest tightened, but somehow it was a good feeling. His heart was pounding, he noticed. He was still very aware of Bucky's hands pressed to his sides.

"What else did you miss?" Steve asked quietly, in a voice he hoped nobody else could hear.

"Hm," Bucky said, his eyes glancing over Steve quickly. "Your dumb walk. You always used to walk with duck feet, but I don't think you do that anymore. Your hands – you loved to draw…when did you give that up?" Steve knew what he meant. His hands were roughened and scarred from fighting, no longer the soft, artistic hands he once had. Still the right shape, but not the right texture. Maybe he could pick that up again… "…and your dumbass grin after you got done with a fight that you lost and I had to bail you out of. You always looked so damn pleased with yourself even though you had a black eye and a cracked rib –"

"Bucky?" Steve interrupted.

"Yeah?" Bucky asked.

"Shut up and dance with me," Steve said as he slid his fingers through Bucky's belt loops and pulled him closer. Bucky grinned in the dim room and pressed his forehead to Steve's. Steve could feel Bucky's breath, coming faster than it should have been. Steve thought he heard a whistle from someone behind them, but he didn't know who and he didn't care to.

"Steve?" Bucky whispered.

"Buck?"

"What did you miss about me?"

"You being an idiot."

"You're holding back," Bucky said, almost whining. "I told you a buncha things, you dumb bastard…"

"Language." Steve closed his eyes and thought about what he wanted to do very carefully. There was no going back, but if he waited, he may not have a chance. For all he knew, this was their last chance.

"Ste-eve –"

"Shut up and dance!" Steve huffed before pressing his mouth to Bucky's. Bucky responded fairly quickly considering how much it caught him off guard. It took him a few seconds, but suddenly his hands flew to Steve's face and held him there. The kiss was needy, hot, and long overdue. Steve's arms were around Bucky's back, pulling him closer. They didn't pay attention to anything going on around them – the hooting and hollering and cheering and Steve thought someone was screaming, but he could barely hear it. Suddenly Bucky shoved him away, and Steve looked at him, eyes wide and very afraid.

"What?" But Bucky was grinning.

"You punk," Bucky said. "I was gonna do that."

"Then go on," he taunted. Bucky grabbed Steve's hands and pulled him back to him and their mouths smashed together again. It started off haphazardly and then they fell into the easy rhythm again. Bucky's metal hand held the back of Steve's neck and started to thread into his hair, pulling it slightly. His other hand was interlocked with Steve's, and Steve's other hand roamed up Bucky's side. Steve could do this forever. He probably would have, if Tony hadn't come by the second minute into it.

"Are you two breathing? Are you drowning? Do I have to call 911? Or tell you to leave room for Vision?" he asked, circling them. Bucky weakly swatted at Tony, but it did nothing. "Jeezus, you two, break it up." Steve capitulated and finally pulled away, panting slightly. He cocked an eyebrow at Tony and asked,

"What? You jealous, Stark?" Tony rolled his eyes and walked away, muttering something along the lines of "I can't believe I showed up just for this. So predictable."

Natasha and Wanda were giggling in the corner while Clint stared at them with his arms crossed and a huge smirk on his face.

"Don't mind him. He's just mad 'cos he lost a bet," he said. Steve frowned, reality slowly making its way back into his head.

"You guys placed a bet?" Steve asked. "Wha-? How?"

"I said you guys would kiss after Bucky'd been back at least four months. Tony bet no longer than two months." Steve and Bucky exchanged a look before Steve turned around to look for Sam. He was still standing up on the stage as makeshift DJ, grinning down at them as well.

"Why didn't you tell me about this, Barton? I woulda joined in! How much did you make offa Stark?"

"A million."

"That's risky," Steve snorted.

"I know. But Stark's a dumb gambler. He doesn't know what he's talking about."

"Oh leave them alone, Clint," Natasha said finally, coming behind him to put a hand on his shoulder. "They're probably going to want some alone time now." She wiggled her eyebrows at them and they both blushed furiously.

"We do not –" Bucky started.

"Stop that," Steve said at the same time.

Natasha shrugged and steered Clint away from them. Wanda and Vision followed them out, and Wanda looked back at Steve and winked. Steve glared at her back and she snorted, whispering something to Vision. Sam was the last to go. He ruffled Steve's hair affectionately (making Bucky scowl) and walked backwards out of the room, saying,

"We're probably gonna go watch a movie or something. You're welcome to join us, but we won't wait up." At Steve's expression he laughed and left them alone. Steve turned to Bucky and sighed, shaking his head.

"What a night," he said. Bucky agreed with a nod, leaving the unspoken 'Now what?' hanging in the air.

Steve smiled at him and walked backward into the middle of the dance floor, now quiet and empty. He crooked a finger at Bucky and motioned for him to join him. Bucky did and Steve took Bucky's right hand in his left and put his other hand on Bucky's waist. Bucky rested his free hand on Steve's waist in return. They started swaying again, slowly, to music only they could hear. A slight rustling started from behind Bucky, distracting him. It was just Natasha's cat, but it was enough. Sensing them losing the moment, Steve said quickly,

"Don't you dare look back. Just keep your eyes on me." Bucky smirked and rested his head in the crook of Steve's neck, moving closer to Steve. Steve stiffened, suddenly unsure of himself.

"You're holding back," Bucky murmured. Steve smiled and kissed the side of his head slowly. He relaxed then; they both did.

"Shut up and dance with me," Steve said, silencing him with a long, slow kiss. They didn't stop swaying until the lights went out.