Hello, thanks for reading and stay safe! Something a bit lighter…
Usual disclaimer applies, all Marvel, no money being made.
Chapter 43: Female Intuition
'Why would you cook something with mushrooms? You know how I feel about mushrooms!' Natalie whines, as Andi spoons food onto a dish for each person at the table and calls for Rosie to join them for dinner. She pulls back and stares at the older woman, daring her to challenge further, 'well, we've been rather busy and this was all we had!'
Natalie gives in and nudges a solemn Amelia, beside her, 'you ok, Mia? Baby girl is home now. It's all over, she's fine.' Amelia nods quietly and subconsciously digs her knife into their wooden dining table, not really in the mood for dinner or chat. Natalie grabs her hand and pleads, 'come on, if you're going to make him jealous, you need to sort out those panda eyes.' Amelia looks at her friend, offended, 'firstly, thanks for that and secondly, there will be no making him jealous, I am above that and I am not crawling back to him…' Andi intimates for them to stop and Rosie appears with a big smile and a fluorescent pink cast on her arm.
'Oh my goodness, Miss Rosie, you look wonderful!' Natalie gushes, 'how's the arm, kiddo?' Rosie climbs into a seat next to Natalie and beams at her, Amelia warms at the sight of her daughter smiling. Andi drops a plate of food in front of Rosie. The little girl tells Natalie all about the hospital and points out balloons, bears and flowers around the room. Rosie asks about Steve and Bucky as Andi finally sits down and all three adults stare at her, her mother barks out, 'they are working, too busy.' Andi smiles sadly at the child's disappointed face and then mutters, 'Stark's doing, no doubt?' Amelia ignores her and starts eating.
Natalie picks up on the tension and jokes, 'so, two days in NY General, any good?' Rosie giggles and spoons her food into her mouth, 'I saw Stevie, he was there, he came for me.' There's a clatter as Amelia's fork hits her plate and she runs a hand through her hair, 'sorry, I'm sorry.' Andi watches her and then re-joins the conversation, 'I took a couple days off, to keep an eye on pinky over there.' Rosie waves, identifying herself, Natalie gasps, 'how come she gets chicken nuggets?' Andi ignores her and Natalie grins at Rosie, 'do you like mushrooms, kid?' she asks seriously. Amelia sniffs beside her and pulling herself together, announces 'I do, slip them over here.' Natalie reaches to rub the brunette's arms and then begins scraping food onto her friend's plate.
'Back to nursery tomorrow though, isn't that right, Miss Rosie?' Andi asks in a serious tone, Rosie nods and with a mouthful of food, happily spits, 'back to Tower Tony and Stevie!'
Andi and Natalie share a look and Amelia seems very interested in her grey, mushroom mess that her sister concocted with the minimal contents of their fridge. 'Thank you for inviting me,' Natalie says dryly as she watches the sloppy food slip off the spoon. Andi drops her cutlery and cries, 'well we can't eat take out every night, can we?'
Natalie pouts in thought, 'why don't you girls go out at the weekend, I'll watch Rosalyn, we can handle it, can't we?' Rosie cheers and gives a big nod. Amelia suddenly looks panicked, 'I'm not so sure that's a good idea, Rosie's only been home a few days, thank you though.' Natalie looks at the little girl, 'it's been more than a week, not a few days! You feeling up to ice cream and a movie, kid, with your favourite fake auntie?' Rosie giggles, begging her mother. Amelia is unsure and Rosie pleads with her, Natalie tells her, 'go, you need it!' Rosie giggles and copies, 'you need it!'
Andi chooses to ignore her sister, dragging her phone out and texting someone, 'great, thanks, Natalie, I've invited Widow!' Amelia slowly looks up, suddenly signed up to a night out and one with an Avenger no less.
'Andi, we don't really hang out, why would you do that?' Andi chews her food before answering, 'I like her, takes no crap. Also, we owe her, for watching the kid, however short and sweet it was.'
Amelia gives in reluctantly and Rosie scampers off, asking if she can watch TV as she leaves. Amelia looks down at her uneaten food, 'how am I here? I didn't even want a boyfriend and now I'm alone and heart broken. I've got to explain to Rosie, something I don't really understand myself.' Natalie and Andi look at one another sadly.
'I saw him, two weeks ago,' Natalie confesses. Andi swallows and adds, 'yeah, me too.' Amelia looks up quickly, 'what? I hope neither of you said anything!' Natalie bursts out in bitter laughter, 'nothing that wasn't true!' Amelia shakes her head, pushing her dish away, 'you know what? I don't want to know. How come we never talk about your love life, Natalie?' The older woman laughs, 'don't worry, I get mine, besides any busier and I couldn't do all this free babysitting.' She looks around the house, it's tidy, someone has obviously been taking care of them. 'When did your folks leave?' Andi licks her fork clean and answers, 'yesterday, dad wanted to talk to Steve, sort him out, it was hilarious. I was all for it, just for the laughs really, but Dana talked him down and then she offered to call Steve herself…' Amelia cuts her off, 'yeah, like I'm some kind of charity case.' There's an awkward silence and Natalie tentatively offers 'there's a really good looking guy just started in editing, I could work my magic and set you up?' Amelia shakes her head, briskly, 'no, I'm good, thank you. I don't need anyone, I don't need a boyfriend or a step-dad, I was with St… I wasn't looking, it just happened, I thought it was right. Now what I need, is to talk about anything else. Please!'
Andi and Natalie look at each other awkwardly.
'Can you invite the Stark man here when you two go out on the razz? To keep me company? He's got a devil side that one, I can tell.' Andi laughs loudly and Amelia looks up shocked, but can't help the rumble of laughter that spills out of her, lightening the mood. She drops her head onto Natalie's shoulder, smiling softly, 'don't ever change,' she mumbles, Natalie rests her head atop Amelia's and whispers, 'ditto.'
'How's your long haired lover from Brooklyn?' Natalie asks with a smirk. The doorbell goes and all three perk up, Amelia panics it's Steve, equal parts terrified and hopeful, but Andi interrupts, 'actually, that will be him now.'
Later that week, Steve is sat on his bed staring at his hands, turning his palms repeatedly. He sighs, thinking about Amelia and wondering how she is. He respected her wishes and didn't return to the hospital. He knows they are home, he overheard Natasha and Clint talking about it, which only hurts him more, they know and he doesn't. He looks out the window and pictures Rosie smiling at him, telling him a story from her day. He misses them both so much, their warmth and presence have become a huge part of his life over the past few months.
He takes out his list of things to do with Rosie and Amelia, some crossed off, some added by Amelia and Rosie's attempt at writing her name across both pages.
He reminds himself that he did this, he pushed them away. He checks his phone and there's nothing, he hasn't had a call or anything since she left London. He rubs his eyes, thinking about that ordeal, he had no idea she had seen him with Sharon. He then pictures Amelia sat beside a sleeping Rosie with cables and monitors attached to her. His heart constricts thinking about them in that way. Amelia wrestling Rosie out of her mangled car, Rosie's arm ripped open. He shakes his head, scared by the images he is conjuring. He looks at his phone again and suddenly realises that Rosie will still be here, providing it is a day Andi works. He grabs a jacket and heads for the day-care.
He stops outside the window and looks in, trying to spot Rosie. He can't see her, just a selection of children running around, screaming. He panics that something might be wrong, but remembers he saw Andi joking with Bucky earlier. He checks the time and wonders if they ever run out of energy. Just then a small girl with brown curly hair returns, shaking her hands of water, she has paint streaked down her face and Steve recognises her as Rosie. He frowns at the pink cast on her arm, she moves slower than normal and she is trying to lift a toy, pouting at her new-found difficulty. He smiles when she manages to get what she wanted and then she sits on a mat and plays by herself. He can see her arm is covered in signatures, he looks away sadly, thinking he should be one of those. Her bruises are fading and she looks more like herself.
Rosie looks happy and Steve steps back to the opposite wall, he doesn't want her to see him. Amelia won't be pleased and Rosie will undoubtedly ask a lot of questions. He leans against the wall and watches her call to a little boy and chat with him, patting the seat beside her. He smiles, folding his arms and thinking he should go, before this gets weird.
'Oh, Captain Rogers. Miss Miller said we wouldn't see much of you anymore.' Steve recognises the man from his last visit and his brow creases at the comment, he wonders which Miss Miller said that. Steve puts his hands in his pockets, nodding to the kids, 'just checking in, she had a nasty accident.' Dylan nods, 'yeah, poor thing. She's doing better though; she talks about you non-stop.' Steve looks up and smiles at the colleague. 'Yeah?' He asks, touched by the sentiment. Steve can see Rosie packing her bag and another nursery worker is stood there with her coat. 'Umm, I better go, got to get to work, thanks for everything you do here, the kids seem really happy.' Steve glances across one last time at Rosie and darts off, taking the elevator back home.
When Steve walks in, he wipes his face despondently, heading to the fridge and grabbing a drink. As he closes the door, he is taken by surprise when Bucky is stood there, staring at him. Steve mutters something and Bucky just coldly watches him, 'what were you doing down there?' Steve looks at him, shocked, 'you following me now, Buck?' Bucky shakes his head, 'they are having a hard time, Steve, she asks a lot of questions, don't go fucking it up even more.' Steve stares at his friend, offended by the comment. 'You wanted out, they are just doing the best they can.' Steve slams his bottle of water down on the counter, 'I did not want out, I needed a little space.' Bucky quirks an eyebrow, 'yeah, and how is that working out for you?' Steve swings an arm and lashes out, knocking his bottle across the room. It bounces a little and the water splashes up the window. Bucky remains still, but is quietly pleased to at least see a reaction from him. Steve grasps the counter edge and leans over, looking at the floor. He hears a scraping sound and he senses Bucky sitting beside him at the breakfast bar.
There's silence for a long time and Steve finally speaks, 'I miss them so much, Buck,' he shakes his head to himself, muttering under his breath. Bucky stares at his friend, 'fix it then, Steve, for God's sake, fix it, only you can do that' Steve closes his eyes. 'She doesn't want to know, I've pushed her so far away that I feel like I can't reach her now' Steve stands and looks over, 'I haven't seen Rosie, really seen her, for four weeks.' Bucky drums his metal fingers on the counter and takes pity on Steve, sighing 'she thinks you are away, working.' Steve looks alert at this, hopeful that he hasn't been totally erased. Bucky continues to fill in the gaps, 'her arm is in a cast, you'd never know what she went through. Their new place is nice, real plush. Amelia is throwing herself into work and Andi is worried about her. I helped them unpack and those blasted beds are still in pieces on the kid's floor.' Steve laughs a little, surprised by the details, licking his lips, 'thank you. For telling me that and for helping them' he says sincerely. Bucky nods and looks at the counter like it holds all the answers.
'You fancy some dinner?' Steve asks nervously. Bucky looks up and says sarcastically, 'I'm not dating you, if that's what you are after.' Steve huffs 'I hope I'm not single and available for dating.' Bucky eyes him, 'better check the fine print on that one, punk.' The nickname warms Steve and looking over at his friend, he realises that this is the first time they have been themselves together in four weeks as well. 'Dinner sounds good' Bucky adds, 'oh and I am way out of your league anyway.'
Natasha appears as Steve cooks. She's dressed in skin tight black jeans, a burgundy leather jacket and a black shirt. Steve looks over at her, smiling, 'where you heading off to?' Natasha scrunches her hair and checks her phone, putting it in her clutch, 'a bar.' Bucky smirks at her aloof answer, 'on your own?' Steve asks. Natasha stares at him, 'with friends, actually.' Steve stops whisking his eggs and looks at her keenly, asking slowly, 'anyone we know?' Natasha nods, 'once upon a time, maybe.' She turns to leave and Steve watches her step into the elevator, she holds the door and calls, 'I'll send your love.' Steve stirs the eggs slowly and watches until she has long gone. Bucky looks up at him and almost feels sorry for his friend, but reminds himself that Steve or a version of Steve, did this, created the entire mess. 'They are going out for drinks, the three of them, Natalie is watching Rosie. Mia was not keen, I tell you. She can be as stubborn as you, I've heard her list of reasons not to go more than three times this week.' Steve nods but barely reacts, he appreciates the information, but it only serves to remind him of what he's missing.
Andi jumps out the taxi, followed by Natasha and a reluctant Amelia, 'I'm still not sure about leaving her.' Andi waves her hand at her sister dismissively, 'Mia, she's fine, she's with big Nat. You haven't let the poor girl breathe since, you know what happened, she will enjoy the freedom. Think of all the crap she will eat tonight.' Natasha smiles at the bickering sisters and looks up at the bar's entrance, 'you know this place?' Andi steps forward, leading the way. 'Got a part time number here. well, not really since starting at Avengers HQ, but my friend is the manager.' Amelia follows behind them quietly and as they walk in, they realise the place is packed. Andi waves at someone she recognises and Natasha surveys the area. Andi squeals 'karaoke night, yes!' Amelia groans and offers to find a table. Andi grabs her hand, 'nope, stay with us, missy.' Andi pushes to the front of the bar, 'right, what are we having?' she calls Josh over and orders the drink choices, plus three shots.
Amelia looks around, remembering the last time they were here and hoping Greg doesn't appear. Then she looks to where she sat with Steve, there's a couple draped over one another, kissing and Amelia's lips twists at the irony. She looks down at her fit and flare dress and brushes invisible crumbs off it, nervously. It's off the shoulders and she's gripping a black cardigan around herself, annoyed that she succumbed to her sister's whining and wore the damn dress in the first place.
Natasha watches her closely, just then Josh appears with a tray and plants it in front of the women. Amelia protests at the sight of the shots. Andi passes the drinks out and makes a toast. 'To the ladies.' Amelia is pleasantly surprised that it's sensible and raises her glass cautiously, knocking back the shot.
A Shot of Tequila:
Amelia's face scrunches and she looks at the red head beside her, unflinching and effortlessly cool. Andi wipes her mouth with the back of her hand forcefully and lets out a loud breath. 'Tonight, ladies, we forget about men and we have fun, just us three.' Andi passes more drinks out and head hunts a table, commandeering one at the back. As the three sit, Amelia can feel Natasha's eyes on her. 'What?' She relents, pulling her sweater tighter. Natasha shakes her head, 'nothing, just wondering what Steve is thinking.' Amelia scoffs, 'I am not sure even he knows the answer to that.' Amelia sips her wine and begs, 'anyway, no Steve talk tonight, please?' Andi gulps and toasts 'I'll drink to that. Boring!' Amelia looks annoyed at the comment, 'you said yourself no men, but I give it five minutes, you have Bucky on the brain.' Natasha looks around the bar, spotting a dance floor, the karaoke stage and many drunk revellers.
A Glass of Red:
Amelia swirls her drink in her glass sadly, Andi just shrugs at Natasha.
'Where's your boyfriend tonight?' Natasha asks the younger Miller, Andi giggles and gushes 'at home, keeping the bed warm.' She winks dramatically and Natasha looks at her straight faced. Amelia just pouts at her, 'see! Five minutes!' Andi gasps, 'hey, no fair, she asked me!' Natasha smirks at Amelia, almost as if she dropped the blonde in it on purpose. Andi looks over and can see the karaoke stage being set up, 'oh, I am so ready for this.' Amelia rolls her eyes and asks Natasha, 'do you sing?' The Russian spy grins 'not in public.' Andi points at her, 'not an answer or an excuse.'
Natasha looks at Amelia seriously, 'how are you doing, really?' Amelia swallows nervously, 'yeah, I'm ok, I'm good, you know,' Andi pushes her sister's shoulder, 'that's bull, she's miserable, misses Steve, misses the sex, misses the whole daddy act he had going on, misses everything.' Amelia looks embarrassed, 'how many have you had?' She asks in exacerbation. Andi makes a small gesture with her hands, 'might have had a tiny drink before we left.' Natasha chuckles at her, 'you two are fun, I can see why the super soldiers keep you around.' Amelia laughs bitterly at her words.
'How's my favourite mini spy?' Natasha smirks. Amelia looks up, 'about that. She keeps creeping up on me, I've broken two mugs, please don't teach my daughter to be an assassin.' Andi laughs and bangs the table, 'refill,' she demands and Natasha volunteers. Once she has disappeared to the bar, Amelia grabs Andi and pulls her close, 'stop embarrassing me in front of her, I'm trying to show strong independent female, not needy, sad girl. I'm fine!' Andi nods, but Amelia can see she isn't listening.
A Cosmopolitan:
Natasha returns with cocktails and Andi cheers loudly. Amelia grabs hers and takes out the umbrella, twirling it sullenly. Out of nowhere she asks, 'do you think I'd make a good blonde?' Andi stares at her shocked and Natasha shakes her head. Andi says 'no, but you would' she points to Natasha, who smiles. 'This is about that Carter girl, isn't it, she's blonde. I've seen her, she ain't got nothing on you and we all know he likes brunettes, said it on the TV and everything.' Amelia is quite enjoying this drink and smiles at her sister's comment. 'Anyway, you go blonde and we won't look like the PowerPuff Girls anymore.' Amelia ignores her sister, Andi's phone chimes and she pulls it out, looking at it and giggling. Amelia looks like she wants to throw up, her sister and Bucky are all over one another. 'Share with the group' Natasha insists. Andi looks coy and buries her phone in her pocket, still sober enough to have some decency.
'Want to play truth or dare?' Andi asks. Amelia wants to bang her head on the table at this point or just go home. Natasha plays along, 'what are the rules?' Andi lights up at the captive audience and explains. Amelia looks around again, checking for familiar faces.
'So, yeah, that's pretty much it, you pick which one you want to do, what do you fancy?' Natasha quirks an eyebrow and simply says 'no.' Andi looks confused and for the first time Amelia really laughs. Josh appears with a tray of drinks and Andi gushes at him, telling him he's sweet with great timing.
A Second Shot:
Amelia grabs the second shot far more willingly and clinks it with the other two, before pouring it down her throat. Natasha watches her, and Amelia can feel her eyes all over her, 'what is it?' She asks with a large sigh. 'Nothing, I just think you are very attractive and you should believe it more.' Natasha holds Amelia's gaze and Andi eventually coughs a little, 'umm, she's not that off men.' Amelia hears her sister but stares at Natasha, blushing and she pulls away babbling, 'have you looked in the mirror recently? I mean, come on!' Andi grins, agreeing 'I mean, I'd sleep with you, no doubt.' Natasha just stares at her, as Amelia curls in on herself in embarrassment.
Andi shouts loudly, causing the pair to look up and refocus on her. She's pointing wildly at the first victim stepping up to karaoke. Andi cheers and stomps her feet, Amelia looks mortified. The man begins to sing and Andi pulls a face, 'horrible song choice.' Natasha looks at her, 'what is your go to?' Andi considers this, 'Go-Gos, Stevie Nicks, anything by Heart, maybe some Joan Jett, if you're lucky. And yourself?' Andi doesn't expect an answer. Natasha calmly answers 'Rasputin, Boney-M.' Andi laughs raucously and even Amelia chuckles, 'I'm kidding, you two are wasted.'
Natasha turns to Amelia and asks suddenly, 'truth or dare?' Andi whispers, excitedly 'yessssss' and Amelia gives in, 'fine, truth.' Natasha takes a mouthful of drink and licks the sugar from her cocktail glass. 'Do you still love Steve?' Andi gasps loudly, trying to stir up some drama and Amelia stares at Nat, 'you don't mess about' she chastises the Russian. Amelia reaches for her next cocktail from the tray.
A Strawberry Daiquiri:
Amelia grabs a strawberry from the glass and nibbles on it, she considers the question and pulls it away from her lips. 'Yes.' Natasha nods, satisfied, Andi's mouth hangs open and she protests 'that can't be it, that's the world's most boring question, I knew that! I could have told you that!' Natasha shrugs and Andi says 'fine, my turn, before I go and sing my heart out. Truth or dare?' She asks Natasha, who picks dare, 'ok, you need to get someone's number before the night is out,' Natasha nods and drinks in a silent agreement, 'she said dare, that's poor, Andi! We aren't fifteen!' Amelia grumbles to her sister.
Andi can see the book for song choices is free and she stands, shaking her jacket off and brushing her hair with her fingers. 'Right, that's my opportunity, watch me go, ladies.' She readjusts her short skirt around her thighs and struts for the stage. Amelia watches her leave and Natasha leans in, 'she any good?' Amelia barks with laughter, 'absolutely terrible, but an A for effort.' The pair smile and Andi waves at them from the front. 'You know, Barnes is much more fun since he started spending quality time with your sister.' Amelia smiles thinking of Bucky, she feels a little woozy, but pushes that feeling away, looking over at her sister. Andi is fighting with the mic stand and people are cheering as she starts to sing. Amelia hides her face in her hands, laughing as she belts out an awful rendition of Edge of Seventeen. Natasha frowns, 'this is worse than I expected,' Amelia laughs, 'she will have at least two more attempts.'
At the end of the song, only Amelia cheers, Natasha sits awe struck by the terrible performance and Andi returns, bowing. She has a beer with her, Amelia asks where she got it and Andi chugs the bottle, 'some guy.' Amelia looks anxious and Natasha says, truth or dare to her. 'Umm I dunno, truth.' Andi tells her she's boring. Natasha opens her mouth to ask a question and a tipsy Andi calls, 'out of ten, how was the sex? Oh no, how big is it? Answer finally please, it's been killing me.' Amelia looks concerned and her eyes flick between the women, grabbing the beer from her sister and knocking it back, 'yuk, consider that my forfeit. I am not telling you two anything.'
Someone Else's Beer:
Amelia grimaces, she doesn't particularly enjoy beer, let alone someone else's. Andi laughs and jests, 'I reckon it's tiny.' Amelia just smirks to herself. Andi looks Natasha dead in the eye, 'so, you and Robin Hood, anything there?' Natasha shakes her head decidedly. 'Never?' Again, she shakes her head. Andi looks unsure. Amelia announces 'men and women can be friends, Andi,' she sways and waves her hands and gently sips her beer, 'Ugh someone take this away.' She realises it's some random person's drink, Andi laughs and takes it back, passing her the remnants of a cocktail and telling her to wash her mouth out.
Andi tries to discuss Bruce, but Natasha is having none of it. 'I like Bruce.' Amelia says simply and Andi giggles at her, 'you're drunk' she teases. Amelia laughs, 'I am not!' She starts fighting with her sweater, trying to pull it off her arms. Natasha downs her drink and suggests Amelia gets the next lot.
Amelia stands, pulling her dress down on the shoulders and wobbles, turning quickly and heading for the bar. She leans against the wooden counter and looks around for Josh. She peers over and kicks her leg up, hitting a passer-by, muttering sorry into the crowd.
Someone steps in beside her, 'hey, aren't you Steve's girl? Amelia, right?' she looks up at Sam Wilson, she remembers him from dinner one time. 'Yeah, but I'm not really his girl anymore.' Sam's eyes widen, 'you kicked him to the curb! Why so cruel, little lady?' Amelia blushes and explains, 'he broke it off with me actually, kind of, I think. I'm still not clear on that part.' Sam looks at her, stunned, but snaps his mouth shut, scanning her up and down, 'well, the boy is mad.' Amelia laughs and confirms 'yes, yes he is mad,' as if she's just realised this.
She's tired of waiting for service and she's past tipsy, so she gives up and shouts, 'Josh! Over here.' He nods at her and Sam laughs. 'A woman that gets what she wants, I like that.' Amelia narrows her eyes at him, 'you're not flirting with me, Wilson, are you?' He smirks, 'well, you remember my name, so the foundations are already there.' Amelia laughs heartedly, 'I am off super heroes, trust me.' Sam chuckles, grasping his chest, 'you flatter me, but no, I wouldn't want to upset Rogers, he seemed pretty taken with you.' Amelia looks unsure, 'pfft! Not anymore.' Sam adds 'if you ever want to make him jelly, I can give you my number.' Amelia groans loudly, 'you did not just say that.' He laughs at her and digs out his phone, 'how about a selfie?' She looks unsure, 'you going to show Steve? Show him how rough I look?' Sam scoffs, 'far from it, but I could show him how dazzling you look.' She looks at him dryly, then considers his words and fixes her hair, 'fine, take the picture and make sure he sees it.' She's had a drink, otherwise these petty games would be below her, she reasons. She leans in beside Sam, smiling and he wraps an arm around her, holding the other out for the photo. He shows her the picture and she approves. 'Do your worst,' she dares him. Sam flies a text off, offering her to see the screen and the message but she refuses. Josh walks over and she reaches across for his cheek, ordering, 'thank you, Joshie!' Sam pockets his phone and leans down beside her, 'who you here with?' She looks around and momentarily can't see her friends, she spots them, pointing over, 'sister and Widow.' Sam eyes them and laughs, 'Stevie Nicks is your sister?' Amelia nods, 'didn't we have dinner with you?' nodding and drinking his beer, he flirts, 'clearly I was captivated by the other sister.' Amelia looks smug and tells him good save. Josh brings the drinks over and Sam offers to carry them, Amelia thanks him, 'aren't your friends missing you?' Sam looks at the table they are heading towards and says, 'there will be high fives all around for landing this table.' She raises a brow, 'you carried a tray, it's not an orgy,' Sam looks surprised, 'it's not?' Amelia grins at him, 'remember she's with Bucky, don't do anything to upset him!'
A Glass of White Wine:
At the table Natasha mutters under her breath, when she sees Sam and Andi jumps up, 'Mia you caught a birdie.' Sam rolls his eyes, 'you must be banging Barnes. Thank you by the way, he's way more bearable for it.' Andi smirks and grabs her new drink. 'What are you doing here, Wilson?' Natasha asks flatly. Sam shrugs, joking, 'I carried a tray!' Amelia snorts and he winks at her, 'well, I better leave you ladies to it, stay safe and remember my offer!' Amelia giggles as he backs away.
Andi catches the interaction, Amelia watches him walk away and suddenly Andi calls loudly, 'truth or dare, Mia!' Amelia drops her head and says 'give it to me, TRUTH!' Natasha looks between them, both clearly drunk. 'Seriously, how is the sex with Captain you know who?' Andi's eyebrows dance across her forehead suggestively and Natasha looks over, interested. 'You know for a night with no men, we have talked about a lot of men, well one man really.' Amelia is no longer shy and she closes her eyes. 'It's... like nothing else, he makes me feel like I am the only woman to have ever walked the earth. Like everything about me is beautiful, even the bits I hate.' The women stare at her, watching her happy smile and her eyes open slowly, 'I meant more like, is he a goer? Or good with his mouth?' Amelia laughs, 'Oh, right. Yes, and yes.' Andi shouts, 'I knew it.' Natasha asks 'what about you? Barnes must be a machine?' Andi leans in, calling them in close. 'I tell you ladies, that metal hand can reach places that I didn't know existed,' Natasha narrows her eyes in slight jealously and Amelia looks wide eyed, like she just learnt a great secret. 'Is his hair soft?' Amelia asks from no-where. Andi nods, 'what does he use?' Natasha interrupts, 'some coconut oil, I think.' Andi bats them away, 'no, no, it's all natural.'
Andi turns to Nat, 'truth or dare?' Natasha picks truth, Amelia cuts her sister off, 'is Steve as miserable as I am?' She sniffs, Andi looks at her and she looks weepy, her sister instantly thinks this is not good. Natasha nods, 'it's pitiful.' Andi cuts in, 'I actually had a good question, Mia, please! So, have you ever slept with Barnes?' Natasha sips her drink, racking her brain in jest, 'no. Maybe the Winter Soldier, but not Bucky.' Andi mutters 'not funny.'
Andi looks at Natasha, 'do you wanna be a mom, you seem pretty good at it?' Natasha looks flummoxed for the first time and then recovers with, 'auntie would be fine for me.' Amelia looks over at her sadly and Andi explains, 'well, world's greatest auntie has been taken, so back off bitch.' Natasha chuckles and Amelia feels sad for her, sensing there is more to that story, her sister shouts 'I have another one, truth or dare?'
A Round for the Table:
Someone stands over the table and the three women look up. 'The guy at the end of the bar asked me to bring these over...' a waitress awkwardly drawls. Andi waves at the man and Natasha grabs her hand, pointing her to the other end of the bar, 'wrong guy' she mutters. The three women snatch the drinks and toast, ignoring the man that sent them over. Andi throws her arms around the women, looking weepy, 'this is nice, you're so special, both of you,' her phone vibrates and she pushes the two away quickly, reaching for her purse. She laughs again at the content and Natasha grabs it, her eyes skim over the screen and she smirks, 'filthy girl.' Amelia pulls a disgusted face, 'ugh gross, that's my sister.'
Amelia looks around the bar and spots Sam again, waving at him, she gets up and runs over. Andi watches her leave and says to Natasha, 'if she sleeps with him, we will be in a world of trouble.' Natasha scowls at Sam, 'it wouldn't be worth it, trust me' Andi spits her drink out and laughs, 'you've been there?' Andi asks and Natasha ignores her.
And Another Shot:
Amelia slides up clumsily beside Sam and his friends, 'Wilson! Did he message you back?' She asks loudly, wobbling beside him. Sam looks down at her and then back at his friends, 'did you get the drinks?' Amelia looks confused, instantly forgetting the gifted tray of drinks they knocked back. 'Hey, fellas, this is Amelia, she's Rogers' girl.' Amelia smirks charmingly at them, 'not right now I'm not.' She shakes their hands and Sam leads her away to the bar and warns, 'maybe you should get a water in you?' Amelia laughs, 'I'm not letting you put anything in me, thank you very much.' Sam watches her quizzically, 'how many have you had?' Amelia shrugs, looking confused, counting on her fingers, but giving up.
'Truth or dare!' She suddenly calls, Sam looks puzzled but cautiously says truth. Amelia thinks for a long time and then asks 'can I do better than Steve?' Sam scratches his neck and sighs, 'honestly? No, that I'm almost certain of.' Amelia turns to look back at his three friends, 'that's what I thought.' She feels upset, but spotting her sister trying to arm wrestle Natasha, she eases up. She hollers over to them and waves them across enthusiastically.
Suddenly, Wilson's quiet drink with his friends is encroached by two drunk women and the Black Widow. Amelia monopolises a charming young man called Dave, pouring her heart out to him, mentioning Steve in every other sentence. 'It was great, I mean great, the sex was phenomenal, he's an amazing da…umm, ignore that and then…well I forget what happened next, but he was so sad and he won't speak to me, look at me, let alone f-' Dave quickly offers her a drink, cutting off her rambling.
Natasha is stood beside a man called Aaron, who is desperate for her feedback on his karaoke turn, 'I was good, wasn't I?' Natasha stares at him, 'no.' He looks surprised and says, 'you know I was easily the best.' Again, she deadpans 'no,' he continues to try.
Andi is playing darts with a Rob and he's showing her how to hold the dart, cradling her arm and pressing against her. When she suddenly mentions her boyfriend he mutters 'cock-tease.' Sam overhears and warns him, 'you wouldn't say that if you knew who her boyfriend was, he would throw you out that window.'
A Vodka and Coke:
The three abandon Sam's crowd and end up back at the bar. Andi suggests another round of karaoke, she stands on a chair and can see there is a long queue, pouting at the scene. Amelia tugs her down by the arm and she tumbles on to her sister, both landing on the floor, laughing together. Natasha looks at them and decides it might be time to go home. Amelia stands and makes her excuses, heading for the bathroom. Natasha sends a message from her phone and stares at Andi, 'why don't you give him a call, your boyfriend?' Andi looks at her indignantly, 'he's my challenge, actually.' She sticks her nose in the air and then decides she will call him, grabbing her phone from her jacket pocket.
Bucky and Steve have long since finished their dinner and they are sat in the kitchen. Conversation is light, but it's as normal as it has been for weeks. Steve's face grows sombre and he confesses, 'she asked me if I would rather have Peggy with me, than her.' Bucky slowly lifts his gaze, concerned 'and? What did you say?' Steve rubs his face, 'I said nothing, I couldn't get in there quick enough.'
Bucky groans, 'I was going to say…I wanted to say, that I'm not who I was back then and now, the me I am now, she is more than enough, she is too good for me, she is all I want. I don't want her to doubt she's not enough or there's someone else.' Bucky softens and watches him, slowly acknowledging, 'yeah, that would have worked.' Steve taps the counter, 'but she bolted and tore out of here doing seventy and left me.' Bucky looks at him poignantly at the poor wording, 'I know, but you know what I mean.'
Steve smiles a little, 'thank you for looking after them, for being there, I mean it.' Bucky nods, 'it sometimes reminds me of having a sister, and I certainly wouldn't have let your punk ass near any of them, that's for sure.' Steve laughs aloud and shakes his head, remembering the Barnes girls. He suddenly looks at Bucky in surprise, Buck waves him off 'it comes in dribs and drabs, punk, don't get too excited.'
Bucky's phone chimes and he pulls it out, he frowns, the message is from Sam. It reads, 'think your friends might be ready to go home.' He then reads the next text, from Natasha, 'pick us up' she simply says and then his phone rings. He looks at it, thinking the timing is spooky. 'Hello' he says quietly, 'Hey, handsome!' It's Andi, of course it is, her name was on the screen.
'Oh hey, what's up? Time to go home?' Andi giggles loudly and snorts, Bucky holds the phone away from his ear. Steve looks at him with confusion. 'Yeah, pick me up, take me home and let me ride you until dawn.' Bucky splutters and his eyes wander to Steve, who looks concerned but somehow didn't hear her. 'I thought I saw Steve, but it was the TV screen,' she giggles loudly and Amelia shouts, 'you're an idiot, you scared the shit out of me!'
'Where are you?' He asks, she rambles about the bar, Sam Wilson, drinks and Bucky gets the idea. Steve stands to clear the dishes and Bucky says, 'well, it will be about twenty minutes, will you last?' he can hear cheers, 'yay, another round!' Then there is wrestling the other end and Amelia speaks, 'Bucky boo! Are you going to pick us up?' He chuckles, 'yes, Mia, I'm leaving shortly. Be good alright?' She laughs, 'I've been a bad girl tonight and I don't care' She says darkly and he can hear Andi, 'hey, that's my Avenger!' At the mention of her name Steve turns quickly and hovers, hoping to hear her. Bucky coughs at the bad girl comment and prays that Steve doesn't want to know what she said. There's more wrestling and Natasha comes on the line, 'make it snappy, Barnes, safe to say, neither can handle it and I don't do vomit.' Bucky asks 'how many have you had?' but she hangs-up.
Bucky groans, thinking about vomit. He stands and pushes his plate away. 'Looks like I'm needed,' Steve scoffs, knowing he certainly isn't. Steve nods numbly, 'it's good that she's having fun.'
Bucky laments 'why don't you come, sounds like they are a handful, could use the help?' Steve shakes his head, 'I don't think she will want that.' Bucky mumbles, 'not sure she will notice, to be honest…' Steve pulls out his phone, on the off chance that she has messaged him. He sees a message from Sam and smiles, he clicks on it and a picture unfolds of Sam with Amelia, heads touching for a photo. Steve's smile slips and he frowns at the phone. The message reads, 'how could you fuck this up?' He looks back to Amelia's happy face, rosy cheeks and bright blue eyes. She's clearly drunk, but she looks beautiful, her curly hair, piled on top of her head and ringlets framing her face. He can just about see one of her earrings, the Christmas gift he gave her. Steve looks to Bucky, 'I think maybe I will come.'
AN: A little break from the drama. I love it when Bucky is firm with Steve for once. I'm a complete lightweight, but this lot don't seem to be… Next up, Steve and Bucky are designated drivers! Take care x