Once Steve and Natasha were several feet away from his position, Bucky stepped out of his hiding space and tapped his chin thoughtfully. Since they were all going to be at Thor's party, that gave him the perfect opportunity to prepare Steve to look his best.

Bucky knew his best friend had a few good shirts in the back of his closet that he rarely wore, and they'd be great to wear to a party. One in particular was a dark blue button down shirt that could easily be worn as casual or formal attire. If he remembered correctly, it was tight on Steve's muscles and bulged when he flexed his arms. Natasha wasn't impressed strictly by a man's muscles, but she'd still appreciate seeing him in that shirt.

What should he wear with it, though? Maybe a pair of relaxed black jeans. Black goes well with everything. Oh, but he only has one pair of boots and they're black too. Would that be too much black or should he just wear dark blue jeans instead and the boots with the shirt? Maybe he should just wear a comfortable pair of tennis shoes.

Bucky's mind was so focused on what Steve's outfit should be for the party that he didn't pay enough attention to his surroundings and he bumped into someone. A feminine "Oh!" was uttered from their lips as a book fell to the ground, spilling several papers as it landed.

"Shit, I'm sorry. I-Wanda!" He interrupted his apology and a smile spread on his lips once his eyes met hers.

Her expression was soft as she replied, "Hi, Bucky."

As he aided her in her retrieval of her papers, he took notice of her clothes. She wore her hair in a messy bun, a red halter top with a black shawl around her waist, a loose black skirt that stopped just at the knees, black fishnets and a pair of ankle boots. There was never a day when he didn't see her wearing black or red. Those were two of her favorite colors and darker tones were more appealing on her person - or so she said; Bucky thought she could pull off neons and pastels, too, but he was a little biased since he thought she'd look good in a paper sack.

"Sorry about that. I should've been watching where I was going."

"Oh, it's okay. No harm done." She stretched out her hand to retrieve the same paper that he did. Their hands touched, causing her to startle and pull away in surprise when static electricity shocked them both. They continued to pick up the other papers, but she kept her hand away from his.

"Come on, Wanda. I won't bite. Well, unless you ask me to." He winked and she laughed.

"How very kinky of you, James." She gathered her papers and stood again, her shoes squeaking lightly on the brown tile.

"Only for you, doll."

She rolled her eyes in spite of herself because James was just too much. And the fact that he liked to be flirtatious towards her also made her insides warm. His blue eyes probed hers and seared her on the spot. It was an intoxicating thing whenever he looked at her so carefully before speaking. There was something she couldn't quite identify in his gaze and Wanda felt her heart thump against her chest in anticipation of whatever he was going to say. She let her eyes drift to the green and white Go Lions, Roar! football poster that was taped to the black locker behind him.

"Are you gonna be at Thor's party tonight?"

Oh, that. She shook her head. "You know I hate parties. Everyone just gets drunk, listens to trashy music, has sex on the lawn and goes home with the worst hangover in the world. I like Thor, but I don't consider a party to be a great use of my time."

Bucky clasped his hands together in a pleading motion. "I'm begging you to go, Wan. You're one of the few people I'll be able to have an intelligent conversation with there."

"Another reason why you shouldn't go," she quipped.

"Ah, but what kind of friend would I be if I didn't attend Thor's party? You know how sensitive he is. He'd be hurt if I didn't show up and I'd hate to put him through that kind of pain. Don't even get me started on how awful it'd be for him if you didn't show up." Bucky gave Wanda his best pouting expression and leaned forward so his face was mere inches from her own.

Damn him for tantalizing her with those lips of his! They were her kryptonite. "Fine, fine. I'll go to the party, but you owe me for this, James."

"I can work with that. You're not gonna make me do manual labor though, are you?" He touched his chest in mock concern.

"Nah, nothing that obvious, although I'm sure these guns could handle it." She reached out and poked his bicep playfully. "I want you to read my new story."

"Fine with me. I love reading your work."

"You flatter me, kind sir," she replied in an affected English voice and they laughed.

The ease Bucky and Wanda had with each other came as a result of being friends since high school. At the start of the school year, Wanda had been one of very few thirteen year olds who skipped a grade and started as a freshman in high school. Her style of clothing and introverted nature caused people to avoid her, except for Bucky.

He felt sympathy for her since she'd had a difficult time making friends and decided to become acquainted with her. Many of his peers thought he was crazy for befriending the quiet Jewish girl, but he ignored them. Wanda was young, but she had a depth of character that he'd never seen in a girl her age.

She had a gift with words and wrote several short stories, some which were published in a few magazines. When she started college, she took a position on the school newsletter where she wrote movie reviews and occasionally, an opinion piece when the newsletter needed more content. Bucky always read her stuff because he was a bookworm and he enjoyed reading everything she wrote. As a matter of fact, he continually gave her feedback and was a sounding board for her whenever she was brainstorming. He couldn't count the many times she called him in the middle of the night to tell him about another story idea that came to her.

Not that he minded, of course. Wanda was his closest friend after Steve and he was willing to do his best to help her in any way he could. With her talents, he believed that she could get a great job in no time. She was on the shy side, but when it came to her work, she became animated and vibrant. Writing brought out a lively side of her and Bucky liked seeing it up close and personal.

The young brunette was also skilled at reading people and she saw more in him than just an attractive football jock with a potential career in the professional sports league. Few people knew that Bucky had interest in joining the Army. For years, he was certain that he wanted to be a football player, but as time passed, he realised that he had a deeper desire to serve his country. He also wanted to travel without running up a lot of bills and if he joined the Army, he'd kill two birds with one stone.

Wanda thought it was a brilliant idea and encouraged him to hold fast to it. She knew what it was like to have a dream. To the outside world, they were both so different and yet, they shared similarities that made their friendship better as the years passed. When hardly anyone understands you the way that special person does, that bond has a way of pulling the two of you together and so it was for Bucky and Wanda.

There were some unresolved feelings between the two of them, but neither had the guts to speak up about it. Bucky flirted with Wanda in a silly way and she'd joke back at him. He'd kiss her hand playfully and she'd swat his backside, but it was always casual, tinged with the hint of something more, but neither one of them made a move, hence, their situation was very much like Steve and Natasha's.

"Do you need a ride today?" Bucky asked as they walked through the deserted hall, heading for the front doors of the college.

"Yeah. Pietro dropped me off because my Vespa isn't starting up."

"You should just sell that piece of junk, or better yet, scrap it. Scooters are okay for short distances, but you'd be better off with a motorcycle."

"I'd rather have a Mini Cooper or a Volkswagon Beetle."

Bucky rolled his eyes. "And small. What do you have against big cars?"

"Nothing. Smaller cars just suit me better."

"Well, make sure you drive very carefully. A lot of people have gotten in accidents in small cars and I wouldn't want that to happen to you."

"Alright, dad." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"Watch it, missy or I may have to take you home and spank you."

"Anything but that." Wanda made a mock expression of fear before laughing and when they reached Bucky's silver Ford Focus, she turned to hold out her hand. "Can I drive?"

"Mm, okay, but try not to drive too fast, lead foot." He gave her the keys.

"Please, you're the last person to talk about speeding." She clicked the unlock button on his keys and they both entered the vehicle. "I seem to recall two days ago when you hit a hundred on the highway while listening to Kenny Loggins." Once she deposited her backpack in the backseat, she fastened her seat belt, turned the key in the ignition and started to back the car up.

"That was one time...but point made. I promise to not drive like a maniac, alright?"

"That's acceptable, but I may need it in writing."

Wanda swatted Bucky's knee and he smirked, adjusting his seat so he could lie back for a bit. They both lived in the same neighborhood which was ten minutes away from school, and the drive wouldn't be very long.

"You know Nat's going to the party, right?" He peeked at her from underneath his eyelashes, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Mmhm. She told me. Why does that matter?"

"Steve's going, too." He spoke in a sing-songy voice.

"James, please tell me you're not going to set them up."

"Okay, but that would be untrue."

"You can't play matchmaker with Steve and Natasha like that!"

"Calm down. I'm not playing matchmaker, just...giving Steve a little nudge in her direction."

"How?"

"It's not anything bad. I've been giving Steve hints that he and Nat would make a nice couple and that he shouldn't be nervous around her, but that hasn't worked very well. What I figured out is, they're in sync when they're alone together with no one else bothering them. Remember when Nat tutored Steve in biology last month?"

"Of course not. She wouldn't stop talking to me about how sweet Steve is and how talented and that she'd love to have him do her portrait. She's been crushing on him pretty hard."

"Well, he's crushing on her just as much. I swear, he gazes at her any time she's in his line of vision. It's a miracle he hasn't failed all of his classes either because he sketches her a lot in his spare time."

"It sounds like he's whipped."

"Oh, he is. That's why I decided I was going to help him."

"Alright. I guess I understand that. If I were in your shoes, I'd do the same thing. I hope it all goes smoothly."

"I think it will. I heard the two of them talk about finding a quiet place at Thor's so Steve could draw her."

Wanda let out a squeal. "And the Odinson's home is an estate so they'll definitely be able to find a place to spend quality time together. Steve drawing Nat. I'd kill to be a fly on the wall when that happens."

"Me too." An amicable silence passed between them before Bucky spoke again. "What are you gonna wear to the party?"

"Since when do you care about my wardrobe?" Wanda glanced at him, raising her brow.

"I don't, but you hardly go to parties and I was just wondering if you were gonna dress up or drab down."

"James Buchanan Barnes, I have never drabbed down a single day in my life!"

"Says the woman who throws on a pair of leggings and a baggy t shirt when she gets home."

"The way a person dresses at home doesn't count because no one is there to see them."

"It counts when a member of the opposite sex is present."

"Oh, please. The only person who's seen me dress like a bum has been you and you're my friend, so you don't qualify."

"Tsk. It's because I'm cute, isn't it?"

"Shut up," she replied with a laugh and rolled her eyes. It was always fun to joke around with James like this, especially when they were alone together. He made her relax in ways that no one else could and she valued that aspect of their relationship.

Wanda turned the car into her driveway and parked in front of the garage. When she'd gotten out and Bucky settled into the driver's seat, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you tonight."

"Alright." Bucky felt his cheeks heat up and once she was in the house, he groaned. He should have kissed her back or something! He enjoyed their lighthearted banter as much as she did, but he never made a move. Maybe he could fix that at the party tonight. After all, what kind of guy would he be if he helped Steve get the girl of his dreams and he didn't follow his own advice?