Chapter 25: Birthday Shenanigans

Today was going to be a good day, Mika decided.

First of all, it was Friday, which was by definition a good day. Second, she had the day off from work, which was also by definition a good day. And finally, it happened to be her birthday. Mika loved birthdays, whether they were hers or not. But, if she was honest, hers was her favorite. She slept in late, later than she had since...probably a year ago. The sun was shining, the warm summer breeze was spilling through her windows, and she had absolutely nothing to do before a little get-together at the pub tonight.

Her stomach grumbled as her coffee maker drizzled out her morning brew. She'd definitely missed the breakfast times, and now even the brunch hour was teetering towards lunch. She hummed along to the song playing through her speakers, sipping her coffee and checking her phone for the hours of operation at the new bistro a few blocks over. That would make a fine birthday lunch. She planned to go on her own since most of her friends would be out with her that night, but as she passed by Bucky's door she thought it might not be so bad to have some company. Before she could think too hard about it, she stepped over and knocked on his door, hoping that he was at home. She expected he would be, since he usually didn't leave for the pub until three or four in the afternoon. What she was not expecting was for him to be shirtless upon answering the door. She was vaguely aware that he was waiting for her to say something, but she was understandably distracted by the muscles of his torso gleaming in the low light of the hallway. Sure, she'd seen him shirtless once before, but that was when he was broken and bleeding on her couch. This was different. It took her a moment before she brought her eyes up to his, shaking her head a little bit to clear the fog from her brain.

"Yes?" he asked, one corner of his mouth lifted in a grin. He still hid most of his metal arm behind the door, but instead of appearing nervous and secretive, he was leaning almost casually against the door frame. Mika cleared her throat, trying to grasp any shred of dignity she had left after so blatantly checking out her friend. But her brain was still short-circuiting a little.

"What were you doing?" she asked, then immediately regretted. Perhaps she didn't want to know what he was doing beforehand. He perked an eyebrow, and she readied herself for whatever saucy response he came up with, but his answer was quite simple.

"Yoga." he replied, as if the answer were obvious. Of course he was. He let her suffer in silence for an extended period before his face faded to his serious look and he asked, "Did you need something?"

"Honestly, you've surprised me and now I've quite forgotten." she said candidly, pinching the bridge of her nose and looking away from him so hopefully he couldn't see the blush creeping into her cheeks. He chuckled lowly, but didn't pressure her. The pit of her stomach ached from her embarrassment. Wait, no. That was from hunger. "Right! I'm going to lunch. Come with me before your shift?"

He blinked at her a couple times, making the face that she often equated with solving math problems. "Sure," he said after careful consideration. "Let me just clean up a bit."

"You do look a mess." she still tried to recover, making him roll his eyes before ducking back into his apartment with the promise to be back in a few minutes. She sat on the top stair and scrolled through the news on her phone while she waited, barely making it through the top stories before he was back out the door, this time showered and fully dressed.

"Shall we?" he asked. He still had a vaguely amused look on his face, which annoyed her. She chose to ignore it - after all, today was her day. And it was going to be a good day.

"We shall." she replied with an air of finality, standing up and starting down the stairs. He stuffed his hands into his pocket and ducked his head down, dutifully following her out onto the street. It was a bit warmer than expected outside, but her light summer dress kept her cool. Bucky, somehow, strode along next to her in jeans and a long sleeved shirt. She shook her head to herself before going to link their elbows together. He paused for a second and took a slight step away, making her recoil quickly. "Sorry." she said, putting a bit more space between them. He had been surprisingly comfortable with her little affections for the past couple weeks, but perhaps there was variation from day to day. He surprised her by stepping closer to her again, holding out his other elbow.

"Nothing to apologize for. Things just don't feel the same on this side." he said, gesturing with his left arm. Mika could smack herself. She'd known him for almost a year, and was still making the same stupid mistakes. She crossed behind him, curling her arm around his as they continued down the street.

"Can you...do you mind if I ask what it feels like?" she asked. She had been slowly dying of curiosity since that first night he'd been in her apartment, which felt like ages ago. She couldn't believe she had the courage to finally ask about it, though she made sure to give him the option to say no. It was a big, scary question, but he shrugged nonchalantly.

"It feels like...when you sleep with your arm over your head, and it goes numb. I can still move it, and control it, but there's a barrier between it and the outside world." he explained, pulling his hand out of his pocket and turning it over, flexing the fingers a bit. Without a second thought, he tucked it back in. Mika furrowed her brows, trying to think of a proper response to his explanation.

"Does it hurt?" is what came out of her mouth. Once again, immediate regret. Why couldn't she just keep her mouth shut once in a while? This time he took his time answering, his brows furrowing in thought.

"No. Not really." he responded, and for the first time in their friendship she got the distinct feeling that he was lying to her. She chose not to call him out on it. "I guess I should just be happy to have a functioning appendage."

What an odd way to phrase things, though she chose not to comment on that either. "There you go. Look at you, being positive." she said, nudging him slightly with her elbow. He glared from the corner of his eye, though the look conveyed more irritation than anger.

"I'm not negative. Just realistic." he stated, and she patted his arm as if she were mollifying a child.

"Yes, yes, of course you are." she said as they made it to their destination. Now that the weather was warm again, she couldn't fight him on sitting outside. That was fine, she needed to work on her tan anyways. She waved through the door as he chose their table, sitting with his back against the wall of the building. At this point she was so used to the habit that she barely noticed it, sitting down in the chair across from him and crossing her legs. A waitress brought them menus and waters, saying that she'd return in a moment for their orders. Mika gazed over the selection, asking Bucky, "How's work at the pub?"

"Good." he replied, and he sounded genuine. "It's very different from my job at the warehouse, but in a good way, I think. Less opportunity for injury, anyway."

"Excellent. I like the sound of that." she said, giving him a grin. The waitress returned, collecting their orders and menus and heading back inside. Mika opened her mouth to ask about working for Hans, but she was interrupted by Bucky's face as he spotted something behind her. Or recognized someone, more like.

"Jones?" someone asked from over her shoulder. She turned to see a young man, probably a few years younger than her. He balanced carefully on Lofstrand crutches, his whole lower leg encased in a plaster cast. Bucky sat up straighter, clearing his throat.

"Ion." he said, as if very surprised to see him. Mika was also very surprised. Bucky had a friend? This was an exciting moment indeed. Bucky looked to her for a moment then back to the young man. Though his movements were still minute and controlled, she could see right through him at now. She'd never seen him so flustered. "Oh, uh, this is my friend Mika. Mika, this is Ion. We used to work together at the warehouse."

"Nice to meet you." Mika said, giving Ion a bright smile and extending her hand for a shake. He was a little precarious on his crutches, but he managed to give her a flirty grin and take her hand.

"Nice to meet you as well. You must be the 'friend' that Jones always goes on about." he said, his smile bordering on mischievous now. Mika raised her eyebrows, turning back to Bucky. He looked a little more nervous now.

"Oh, you talk about me?" she asked. She was really more surprised that he talked, rather than that he talked about her. She knew friends often came up in conversation. But was she going to let the opportunity to make fun of him pass by? Absolutely not.

"I may have mentioned you once or twice." he said lowly, as if Ion were divulging some dangerous secret. This, of course, was tremendously amusing to Ion and Mika.

"He likes to act tough, but we all know better." Ion said, fidgeting slightly to avoid putting weight on his cast.

"Sounds about right." Mika said, grinning fondly at her friend. Bucky continued eyeing them both, as if deciding what to do with them. He was saved from further ridicule by Ion limping forward. The grin was gone from his face, and instead he looked quite serious.

"Your shoulder healed alright?" he asked quietly, gripping the handles of his crutches in an anxious gesture. Bucky's demeanor changed slightly as the air around them became more somber. He sat a little straighter, a little more on edge.

"Yes, it wasn't as bad as it looked." he replied, and she realized they were talking about the night he showed up half dead on her doorstep. Ion must have been there as well, though she wondered how he knew about Bucky's shoulder injury. That was the least obvious one from that night, and it was obvious he hadn't stuck around for the emergency services that likely responded. He still hadn't divulged any information about that night besides the basics, but there were multiple news stories the following day. She'd gleaned most of her facts from those.

"I never got to say thank you. For that night. I don't...I would have died, if it weren't for you." he said sincerely. Bucky's extensive injuries suddenly made more sense. Of course he almost killed himself trying to save other people. She wasn't even surprised.

"I'm sure you would have been okay. It's nothing." Bucky said, shaking his head and looking down. His cheeks were a shade of red that Mika had never seen. Ion gave a bark of a laugh that didn't quite sound humorous.

"What did I tell you?" he said incredulously, looking to Mika as his co-conspirator. Mika held her hands up in a what can you do gesture. After all, she was used to this sort of thing from her friend. He turned back to Bucky. "Well, it was a big deal to me. I owe you my life."

"No you don't." he replied, shaking his head. The attention was making him uncomfortable, and it was obvious. He must be really feeling it if he was willing to let it show. Mika certainly picked up on it, and Ion even seemed to sense it. He nodded, shifting again on his crutches.

"Well, if you need anything, ever, I've got you." he stated, and she could tell that he wanted to say more but was holding himself back. He pulled a pen from his pocket, awkwardly scratching his number onto a napkin. "The warehouse is closed now for good, but you can reach me there. I mean it, Jones. Anything."

"I appreciate it." Bucky said, still blushing furiously. Mika watched the exchange from the sidelines, keeping quiet. She knew he didn't like the attention, didn't like thank you's or compliments. And here was Ion, basically pledging a life debt. Bucky was usually very good at hiding his feelings, but here his emotions were changing so fast he couldn't hold them back, and she couldn't quite keep up interpreting them. Ion inched back a couple steps, the sound of his crutches on the sidewalk sounding superbly loud for some reason.

"I'll leave you to your lunch date here. But thank you, again. Nice to meet you, Mika." he said. Bucky nodded, ducking his head down to hide his face behind the bill of his baseball cap. With that, the young man moved away, swinging down the sidewalk with his crutches. Bucky was silent for a long moment, and Mika was almost afraid to break it. But the quiet was making her uncomfortable, and she couldn't handle it for long.

"Ion seems nice." she said. She thought to make a comment about him having other friends, but held her tongue for once. He still seemed very nervous or self-conscious, she couldn't tell which exactly.

"He is. He can be a little shit sometimes." he said, giving a humorless laugh. "He didn't need to say all that. He doesn't owe me anything."

"You know, you can let people be nice to you. Especially after you save their life." she pointed out. He blinked a few times, looking at her as if the thought never occurred to him. He was saved from responding immediately by the waitress bringing out their food, both of them attempting to give her polite smiles in return. Mika looked at him, waiting for his response, but he was off in whatever part of his mind he went to to process things. For the thousandth time, she wondered what he'd been through that made him act the way he did. She felt a surge of affection toward him, and though she wanted to pry further, she decided to let it go. They ate in silence for a few moments before he cleared his throat, returning to her plane of existence.

"Are you off from work today? You're normally not out for lunch this early." he asked. She deflated a little bit, trying not to be too disappointed that he didn't want to talk further. After all, he'd already shared a little piece of himself earlier - she shouldn't be too greedy. It didn't change the fact that curiosity was still burning through her, but it helped dull the fire. Another day, she told herself.

"I actually have today off." she replied, looking down at her food. She didn't want to spring her birthday on Bucky, knowing that he would probably feel some sort of way for not being prepared for it. Especially after the recent interaction with Ion. His brows furrowed in thought.

"Did I miss another holiday?" he asked, making her laugh. Typical. She shook her head, unable to stop her smile. Well, she might as well just tell him and get it over with. Actually, if she played her cards just right, she might be able to convince him to go out that night, or at least give it another try.

"No, you're good there." she said. "But, I am meeting a few friends at the pub tonight and I would really like if you joined us after your shift."

"I don't know." he said immediately. It had been a couple weeks since his last valiant attempt, and while he often said hello and had a cup of coffee with her after he finished in the kitchen, he had yet to stay past that again. He gave her an odd look, trying to connect the dots. "Are you celebrating something?"

"Well, it does happen to be my birthday." she said, giving him an awkward smile. He stopped chewing, giving her an annoyed look.

"You're kidding." he said, actually talking with his mouth full for a moment before remembering to swallow. Her posture grew more awkward.

"I'm not." she replied, eyeing the subtle emotions as they passed over his face. The one he settled on was vague concern, though she didn't know why he would be worried.

"I haven't got a present for you." he said, and he seemed genuinely distressed about it. She reached across the table, gently touching his hand.

"No, no, I don't want presents." she said quickly. It was true. She was twenty-nine with a big girl job, if she wanted something she could just buy it for herself. "I just want to spend time with my best friends. And that includes you."

The irked expression returned to his face, but she could see his resolve waning. She gave him her best puppy dog eyes, hoping that would do the trick. He let out a sigh, placing his fork down on his empty plate. "I'll do my best." he compromised, though he looked apprehensive. It wasn't a no, but it wasn't a yes either. She still clapped her hands excitedly, trying to be optimistic.

"Excellent! It'll be fun, I promise." she said, remembering a half second too late that she'd told him the exact same thing last time, when he had obviously not had fun. "But don't feel bad if you want to leave early."

His math problem was back in front of him, and he was silent in thought for a moment before saying, "I am still a little pissed you didn't tell me earlier about your birthday." Still no definitive yes or no.

"It never came up. When's your birthday, hm?" she asked pointedly, putting down her silverware and pushing her plate to the side. She rested her chin on her hand, eyeing him. He thought for a breath, as if he actually had to take a moment to remember.

"March tenth." he said, conveniently leaving out the year. Mika immediately sat up straighter, her jaw dropping in shock.

"It was in March?" she exclaimed, genuinely offended. He'd just let his birthday pass by, with no celebration or fanfare? Not even a little? "Why didn't you say anything? We completely missed it!"

"It'll be back around next year." he said with a shrug, making her groan loudly and dramatically with her face tilted toward the sky. He tried to hide his amused smile at her theatrics.

"Fine. That's fine. Now I have nine months to prepare for it." she said with a triumphant grin. The waitress returned then, placing the check on the table and collecting their dishes. Mika was just about to ask her to split the bill, but was distracted by Bucky smoothly taking it, pulling out his wallet. He kept his eyes down, trying to be sly. But of course she could not allow that. "Whoa whoa, what's this?"

He looked at her for a brief second before going back to counting his bills. "Not going to let you pay for your lunch on your birthday." he said pointedly, tucking the lei into the leather pocket and placing it at the edge of the table.

"It's okay, you don't have to do that." she said, going to pull her own wallet from her purse. He halted her actions with a look.

"Well you didn't give me enough warning to find you a present, so this will have to do." he replied, giving the waitress a polite smile as she came to collect.

"You didn't even tell me when it was your birthday." she exclaimed. She held up a finger, telling him to wait and pulling her phone out. A few quick scrolls in the calendar application confirmed her suspicions. "And it was on a Sunday! We definitely hung out that day. And you said nothing. We didn't do anything special!" she was genuinely a little outraged by this. However, like with most things, he seemed unconcerned.

"Watched a movie and had pizza. Seems like a pretty good day to me." he said. He was carefully keeping a neutral face, but she could see the glint in his eye. He was enjoying her suffering. On her birthday. Jackass.

"Whatever. This doesn't count as my present then." she said, deciding to go a different route. His eyes narrowed; he could tell she was planning something.

"What does count?" he asked lowly, as if he had an inkling of where she was taking this. She grinned devilishly, knowing that he wasn't going to like her answer.

"Please hang out at the pub tonight." she said, reaching across the table to grasp his hand. She gave her best doe eyed look, hoping that would be enough to sway him. He stared at her for a long while, hoping to outlast her in this staring contest. But she had magic birthday powers that enabled her to withstand his gaze, and soon he broke with a sigh.

"Don't know why I think I can say no." he grumbled, and Mika pulled back with a cheer. His face showed that he regretted this tentative agreement, but she knew he'd stand by it. At least, he'd give it a good try.

"I know, my face is irresistable." she said, standing up and pulling at his hand until he was standing as well. She tucked her hand into his elbow, relishing in her victory as they walked back to the apartment. He opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind and clamped it shut again. "What?" she teased.

"Nothing." he replied airily. She pinched the skin of his bicep, making him flinch and give her an annoyed look. "What? Can't very well say you're full of shit on your birthday." he said passively, the corners of his mouth moving ever so slightly as he tried to hold back a smile.

"That's right, you sure can't." she said, pinching him again just for good measure. He sent a glare her way, but didn't say anything further. She gave him a cocky smile, basking in the protection that the day gave her. It was an easy walk back to the apartments, and when they parted ways at their doors, Mika made sure to look him in the eye and ask, "See you later, right?"

"Right." he agreed, though he made sure to sigh dramatically for good measure. Her toothy grin was way too satisfied, he decided, shaking his head and ducking into his apartment. He'd have to hurry if he wanted to get to work on time to make stew tonight, which would take a few extra hours. He thought about changing his menu for Mika's birthday, but didn't know what he would make for her instead. She ate most everything, and had never voiced a favorite food. The most consistent things he'd seen her eat were pizza and chocolate. No, she wouldn't be concerned about her supper.

He didn't know why he felt so miffed that she hadn't told him about her birthday. After all, he'd passed his own by without a thought. Until Mika asked him about it today, he completely forgot about it, just as he did Christmas and New Year's and every other holiday he'd grown up celebrating. He didn't need celebrations of surviving another year. He was supposed to be dead a long time ago. But Mika? Mika was young, and lively, and deserved to experience all the joys life had to offer. All she'd asked him for was to spend time with her that night, which was, by and far, a simple request.

He considered this as he chopped up vegetables and herbs for the food that evening. Usually, he finished his shift at ten, and either paused for a cup of coffee with Mika before leaving or left straight for his nightly perimeter rounding. But he could alter his plans; it's not like he required much time for sleeping. Working the nights in the kitchen helped him acclimate to the loud nature of the pub, as well as gather intel on the regulars. It was a relatively predictable bunch, with outliers here and there. The weekends were always busier than the weeknights, so he probably wouldn't be able to stay very late. But he would stay longer than prior.

He listened as the pub doors opened, as the Friday night crowd started trickling in. He kept track of the rising volume as Hans popped in and out of the kitchen, serving up plates and talking to himself as Bucky did his work. He could tell when Mika came in, as her friends greeted her with loud cheers and immediately started singing a birthday song. He couldn't help but smile, humming along to the familiar tune as he worked. It took him a minute to realize he was singing along in English instead of Romanian - an old habit from previous life.

The minutes ticked by, and soon enough the kitchen was closed and Bucky was running out of excuses to avoid socializing. He took his time putting away his utensils and washing the dishes, and made sure the last few plates for him and Hans were perfectly packed and organized. He stood and admired the clean workstation for a long minute before accepting that it was time for him to be a person. He hung up his apron and poured himself a cup of coffee, dimming the lights before finally going out onto the main floor.

He'd assumed earlier that Mika would just be meeting a few friends, and maybe that's originally what she'd intended. But now, it was a full on party. Hans was frantically making and pouring drinks, keeping up with the flow of patrons passing the bar. He thought to go and help him (though his mixed drink knowledge was probably subpar), but was interrupted by a brunette curtain with a floral scent descending over his eyes. He caught Mika around the waist as she jumped on him, once again pushing down his reaction to throw her across the room. She normally knew better than to surprise him like that, but it was clear as he put her down that she'd had just enough alcohol to forget this fact.

"You're here!" she exclaimed, and even though it was her birthday he couldn't resist messing with her a little bit.

"I work here." he deadpanned, though he couldn't hold back the grin trying to escape. She rolled her eyes in a grand gesture before dissolving into giggles. Yep, she was solidly past tipsy.

"Well duh you work here. But I thought you were going to sneak out the back whenever you were done with your shift because you're a sourpuss." she said, poking him in his chest. He lowered his brows enough to feign hurt at her comment.

"I'm not a sourpuss." he said, keeping up with his injured expression. Mika had her lips pressed together and her eyes wide, trying to hold together her weak and crumbling poker face. It didn't work, and soon she was laughing at him again.

"You're a little bit of a sourpuss, but you're my sourpuss and I wouldn't have you any other way." she said, affectionately patting his cheeks before grabbing his hand. "Come on, the gang's all here."

He could see her usual group of friends in the corner, all looking a little more drunk than they usually did on a Friday night. He supposed they were celebrating more than just the end of the work week, and had a few more friends with them. Multiple people told Mika "happy birthday" as they walked by, and seemed very genuine with it. "Who are the rest of these people?" he asked, eyeing each of these strangers as they passed. She shrugged.

"I don't know. I think they just got excited cause someone has a birthday." she explained, sliding into the booth. The group gave him almost as warm of a welcome as they usually gave Mika, which startled him. Nicolae immediately engaged him in conversation when he sat down, and Elena offered him a sip of her drink when he gave it a curious look. It seemed that he now had more friends. He settled into the corner, happy to just converse casually and keep an eye out for the other people in the pub. There was a couple in the corner he didn't recognize, but they seemed nonthreatening. He'd keep an eye on them just in case. He didn't feel as claustrophobic this time, though the movements of the people still made him uneasy. As long as they stayed here, in their nice little corner, he could make it.

Soon Mika's glass was empty, which was not allowed on a birthday, even back in the forties. "Next round is on me." he said, taking the opportunity to get up and take a quick round of the bar.

"Wait, wait, wait!" Mika said, stumbling out of the booth after him. "I know this is an odd request, but I need two drinks."

He perked an eyebrow. "Why two?" he asked lowly. He did not want to be buying drinks for everyone, it wasn't their birthday. Mika gave him a pained smile.

"Because I've already had three and usually around four is where I accidentally end up in someone's bed that I don't belong in and that is not our objective for tonight so-" she rambled her explanation, using her hands to aid in his visualization. He cut her off before she could really get going.

"Drinks four and five. Gotcha." he said, shaking his head and laughing. She pressed her hands to his cheeks again, moving her face close to his. He stood very still. He'd not have someone's face that close to his in a long time. He could smell the alcohol on her breath, and count the freckles on her nose.

"You're a saint." she said, pulling away and sitting back down at the table. He let out his breath, turning and slipping through the crowd to the bar. He leaned his elbows against the sticky surface, waiting for Hans to have a moment. The stool next to him scraped across the floor as a blonde girl slid into it, resting her arm on the bar before pulling back with a look of concern. She noticed Bucky looking, and gestured at the bartop.

"I feel like it's not usually like this." she said, grabbing a stray cocktail napkin and wiping her skin with it. Bucky grinned, shaking his head.

"I think Hans is having a busier night than usual." he said, tipping his head at the bartender. Hans was working his way down the line, his hands flying between bottles and glasses. The girl smiled, crossing her legs and resting her arms on her knee instead.

"This place does get busy, but I'll be damned if he doesn't make the best sidecar in the city." she continued. She was fiddling with her necklace, which usually would be a nervous tell, but her eyes and posture were confident.

"I'll take your word for it." he replied. He was used to strangers striking up conversation with him, as everyone in this city seemed to be friendly and easy going. This girl seemed a little different, but he couldn't quite put his finger on why.

"Not your thing?" she asked, her head tilted to the side. Her earrings glinted in the low light of the pub. He shook his head.

"Not really." he replied. She seemed oddly curious, but the alarm bells weren't going off. Not yet, at least.

"What is your poison of choice then?" she continued. He didn't understand why she cared about his drink, but figured she was trying to pass the time until Hans made his way over to them. Bucky shrugged; he hadn't really partaken in a lot of alcohol since his emancipation besides what Mika had given him.

"I like wine alright." he admitted, making her perk an eyebrow. Why was that answer surprising?

"Most men wouldn't admit that." she said, seemingly impressed. Really? Why not? It was moments like these that Bucky wondered if men were even dumber now than they were back in his day.

"Don't know why. Tastes good." he said, making her laugh. She laughed easily like Mika, but again, something seemed different.

"Confidence. I like that." she said, still grinning. Okay? Bucky was saved from having to piece together a response by Hans making his appearance, the cool look of determination on his face as he made his decisions for their drink. He pulled out three shot glasses, filling two with tequila and the last with one of the cheaper whiskeys. Bucky furrowed his brows.

"I only need two." he said, but Hans shook his head.

"Those two are for Mika," he said, pointing to the tequila. He then gestured at the whiskey. "That one's for you."

"Oh. Thanks." he said, surprised at the turn in events. Usually Hans just gave him coffee. But, he supposed if he was going to stick around this party for a while, a little liquid courage couldn't hurt - even if it didn't actually do anything to him.

"Drink runner for your girlfriend?" the blonde girl asked, and Bucky couldn't help the dry laugh that escaped him. It would never cease to amaze him how people thought he could have a girlfriend. Maybe his well-adjusted facade was better than he realized.

"Just a friend. It's her birthday." he said as Hans slid another shot and what was presumably a sidecar to her. She rose her eyebrows at that, giving him another smile.

"Just a friend, eh?" she asked, to which Bucky nodded. That was exactly what he said, was it not? He ran over the translation in his head, but didn't think he'd made a mistake. The girl picked up her shot for a toast, and while it took him a second to remember the proper response, he soon picked his up as well. "To friends."

"Cheers." he said, and she clinked their glasses together before knocking the shot back. He swallowed his own in one go, the recognizable burn soothing him from the inside out. The flavor and feeling were warm and familiar, even if he would miss the buzz that used to accompany it. The girl held out her hand for a shake.

"Claire." she said, introducing herself. Bucky briefly held her hand before letting go.

"Bucky." he said in return, though he still didn't like giving people his real name. But with so many people in this pub who knew him, he couldn't risk it. Claire smiled at him over her drink, sliding from her chair.

"It was nice to meet you, Bucky. Hopefully I'll see you around." she said, keeping eye contact as she walked by. Bucky decided that he was just not going to understand this interaction, going to pick up Mika's two shots. The third glass was refilled with whiskey.

"You're welcome." Hans said before moving on to the next customer. Bucky happily drank the second shot, figuring he could use it. With that, he grabbed Mika's drinks and made his way back to the table.

It was going to be an interesting night.

Oh Bucky, what a dumb dumb. Thank y'all so so so much for the reviews, faves, and follows! I literally can't express how amazing y'all are and how much I love to hear your thoughts and feelings on this story. I hope y'all liked this chapter, and that you're ready for a little bit of drama to start up soon!

As always, please let me know what you think of this story, and if you're bored and on tumblr you can come be my friend. My username is whindsor.

-XM