A/N:
This actually used to be part of Chapter 10, but then I realized that it would be far too long if I'd kept this as part of it, so I decided to use this for Chapter 11. Minor lemon warning, if you don't like it, then don't read it.
I own nothing.
Enjoy!
Chapter 11
Fifteen minutes later, the pasta had been drained and the sauce prepared, now Steve and Bucky were setting the table, and Sam had gone to the lab to gather Natasha and Bruce for dinner. "Hey Buck? Exactly how much pasta did you put in the pot?" He had to think about it, "I'm pretty sure we made enough to feed a small army, why?" Steve laughed, "We're going to have a lot of leftovers." Bucky grinned, "And that's perfectly fine with me. I'm starving, can we eat now?" Steve chuckled, "Just a moment, Buck, I've got to do something first." Bucky raised his eyebrows, "Oh, and what is that?" Steve smirked and strode over to him, "This." And he pulled Bucky closer and kissed him passionately. He slid his hands under Bucky's shirt, lightly running them all over the scarred and muscular torso, causing Bucky's core temperature to shoot up several degrees. When they pulled apart, Bucky was breathless, "Was that a teaser for dessert?" Steve grinned, "Maybe, maybe not. I guess we shall see, won't we?" Bucky whined, "Ughhhh I want you now though. But first let's eat before I decide I want you right here, right now."
When Sam went down to the lab to retrieve Natasha and Bruce, he found her trying to calm a very frustrated Hulk who, surprisingly, hadn't completely destroyed the place. "A little help here, Wilson?" And he rushed over and tried to grab one of Bruce's arms, without much luck. "What happened?" Natasha shook her head, "I just told him that he should maybe take a break from his work. The wiring's been driving him crazy." Sam nodded, "You think he's just hungry?"
She looked bewildered, "Possibly." To Bruce, she called out, "Hey big guy, there's food upstairs, let's go and eat, and then you can come back and finish your work. You need food to think, come on, let's eat?" Amazingly, this managed to calm him down, and Sam ran to the closet and grabbed a spare set of clothes for him to change into. They both took a breath, "I can't believe that worked." Sam shrugged, "I know I get irritated when I'm hungry." She raised her eyebrows, "Go on ahead, we'll catch up with you. Tell them not to start without us." Sam laughed, "I'll try." And he left to go back upstairs. As soon as he was re-clothed, Bruce apologized to Natasha and looked rather embarrassed. She smiled, "It's okay, let's go get dinner." Smiling apologetically, he followed her out of the lab and upstairs.
Finally, everyone was gathered in the dining room and sat at the table. Food was doled out, and Steve and Bucky were, of course, sitting next to each other, with Natasha and Bruce across from them and Sam at the head of the table. Steve noticed Bruce was a little scruffy, "Why do you look disheveled?" Bruce explained that he essentially Hulked out over Bucky's arm, "The wiring's been killing me for hours. I don't know WHAT they did or how they did it, but I'll figure it out eventually." Bucky tried to say something but his mouth was full, so it sounded more like, "It'sh okay, I thon't need ith anythime thoon." Bruce gave a resigned smile as everyone else chuckled, "Once that's done then I just have to build it, which will be a lot easier, what with Tony's machine assistants and all."
Natasha smiled and rubbed his back, "I may not know much about tech, but I'll try to help you out any way I can." Bruce nodded appreciatively and resumed eating. She took a bite of pasta and almost dropped her fork, "Oh my god, this is AMAZING. Rogers, where did you learn this?" Steve smiled shyly and simply shook his head, "I don't reveal my secrets, Nat. But what I will tell you is that I also happen to make a damn good strawberry cheesecake. Maybe I'll make it one of these days." Bucky grinned, "The man can beat up aliens and still make it home in time for dinner." Sam looked like he was going to burst in frustration. "Of all the things I never expected from Captain America, was that he can COOK. I can't even make a piece of toast without almost setting the damn kitchen on fire. And I see you and Bucky all cozied up, and now it looks like Banner and Romanoff have something going on too, and Tony's got Pepper." The others put their forks down and stared at him with a mix of surprise and concern.
"You good, Wilson?" Steve was looking at him with a worried expression. Sam sighed in exasperation and put his fork down, "Man, I just feel a little left out." Bucky smirked and put a hand on Sam's shoulder, "You'll find someone, don't worry." Sam put his head in his hands and sighed, "Nobody wants damaged goods..." Steve smiled sympathetically, "In time, Sam. In time." Sam just shook his head and sourly took a bite. Changing the subject, Bruce called out to J.A.R.V.I.S., "Do you think Stark'll mind me using his tech? And where is he, anyway? He was supposed to be back yesterday." A beep sounded, "He won't mind you using his tech, and he and Ms. Potts have gone away together, he'll be back later in the week." Bruce shrugged, "That simplifies things a lot. Looks like I got my work cut out for me."
Twenty minutes later, everyone had finished their meals and plates were being cleared to be washed. Bruce and Natasha had already withdrawn to the lab, and Sam was helping Steve and Bucky. Steve was rinsing off the plates, and Bucky was putting them in the dishwasher, "Any more plates, Wilson?" Sam handed Steve the last one. "That's it, do you guys need anything else?" Bucky gave a cursory glance and shook his head. "I think we're done here, thanks Wilson." Sam nodded and left the room. As soon as he was gone, Bucky slid over to Steve and whispered in his ear, "Let's finish what we started." Steve smiled, "Just a little longer, Buck." And he dropped a dishwashing capsule in the tray, set the wash cycle, and shut the door. Gesturing in the direction of their bedroom, Steve cocked his head, "Shall we?"
And so we have Chapter 11, I kept this one short-ish because I'm dealing with some stuff. To all my readers, I will be updating again shortly. Leave a comment/review, constructive criticism is very much appreciated.
Happy reading!
-Aspiring Avenger