Barnes sat alone at the bar, watching his blonde best friend get crowded with admirers. He watched him laugh, blush, and scratch the back of his neck, like the nervous lad from Brooklyn so many… decades, ago.

He took a swig of his scotch, forgetting that nothing could make him drunk again anymore.

How the tables have turned, Barnes thought, reminded of the one time he tried to flirt with Peggy Carter only to be brutally ignored. Am I as boring as watching paint dry? He asked himself, smirking and shaking his head to his own thoughts.

Sharon Carter was next to Steve at his left, Tony Stark to his right, in front of him, Sam Wilson, and a small gaggle of females surrounding the group entirely. The Captain America fanclub has been expanding locally, it seems.

He didn't feel jealous, more like an older brother who finally shook the girls off him and shoved them to his younger brother only to find out that those girls were never meant to stay anyway. He took another swig of his drink. Whoever Steve takes home tonight of that crowd, he hoped that it wouldn't be… temporary.

Suddenly a small hand covered his eyes and took the drink from him.

"Somebody feeling a little lonely?"

Bucky smiled. He knew that voice just as much as his own.

"Nat. Why aren't you joining the crowd?"

Keeping her right hand covering his eyes she swung her body to his left and sat on his lap. Barnes suddenly felt an intoxication so rushing that he thought all the scotch he's been drinking has finally been put to work. His hands grew sweaty, and suddenly the entire room felt hot and himself, steaming. Breathing got difficult and he could feel his cheeks reddening. He heard Natalia take a drink from his glass.

"Hmm, old-fashioned aren't we, James? Want me to make you a cocktail?"

He didn't know what to answer. He wanted her to get off as he feels like it would cool him down, slow his heart beat, and lower his blood pressure.

But he's scared she won't come back if he lets her go.

What the fuck, James. He reprimanded himself, She's just teasing, as she does with everyone. Let it go.

"What kinda cocktail?"

"Hmm… lemme see…"

Bucky's back was against the bar, and she pusehd him slightly against the counter as she shifted her weight to turn facing him. Natasha leaned forwards towards the bar, positioning herself so that Bucky got a face full of her chest and neck. He realized that 'that goddamned perfume!' was what intoxicated him in the first place – and now it only consumed him fully, his right hand supporting her lower back as she leaned back, his left steadying them on the stool. She repositioned herself back to his lap, and skillfully removed his tie only to blindfold him with it in less than a second.

"Natalia what are you doing – "

"Shh. They're all so busy with Captain over there. Nobody's looking."

She leaned back again to face the bar, her legs somewhat straddling him as her body covered his. He felt his hands move on their own, wrapping them around her back, the blush on his cheek worsening by the second. He buried his face on the crook of her neck and let out a low moan. He felt Natalia's neck vibrate as she laughed, and suddenly his body heat felt so ravaging he wanted to submit himself to cryostasis immediately.

"Hmm, if I only knew you were this easy to subdue decades ago, I could've overpowered you so easily," Natalia purred to his ear. Bucky cursed every word in the book in his head. He had absolutely no idea of what was going on, and he felt like he didn't want to know anyways.

"Natashenka, are you drunk?"

"I don't get drunk."

"Okay. So you know what you're doing."

"I'm making you a cocktail, Sergeant... Chill out."

He heard the chatter around him grow louder, Thor's echoic voice overpowering the room all of a sudden. He heard the clang of steel, a person thudding on a ground, and then another eruption of boisterous laughter, clapping, and some victorious sounding utterances from Vision. Stark cursed like a maniac – and then obviously, a sarcastic call-out from Steve about his foul-mouth.

"Drink up, soldier," the sultry voice to his ear spoke again. She brought the drink to his arm and he lifted it to his lips – the taste running heat he was incapable of imagining through his veins. Somehow he felt as if he was really falling into a heavier drunkenness.

"Natalia – " he spoke, his speech broken by the sudden clash of her soft lips on his.

At that moment, James Buchanan Barnes understood that no matter the number of women in the room, he was blind to anyone but her.

"I guess I hit the flavours right," Natalia said, her hot breath tracing dew on his lips. He tore his tie away from his eyes and was blinded by the sight in front of him – Natalia, red curls framing her face, a look so devastatingly alluring it could sink ships into sea, her lips redder than normal from the achingly rushed kiss.

Everything about her is so warm.

"You know, you didn't have to blindfold me to keep my attention all to yourself," he said, mimicking the purr she gave to his ear.

"I wanted to lead you where I wanted to go," Natalia said, and suddenly he was aware of the entire position of their bodies – her legs draped from his, hips on his lap, chest pressed to chest, his hands around her back and her arms wrapped around his neck.

He heard a manly voice boom in the background: "Hey, get a room!"

Bucky froze in place and then laughter from Steve's group emerged. "Don't worry, that was for Vision and Wanda," Nat reassured, directing his face to hers once again.

"But shouldn't we, though?"