"Is Sam seeing anyone, by any chance?" Bethany managed to blurt out in-between firm punches.
The absurd question had obviously caught Steve off guard, as he was suddenly unable to dodge her practice attacks. Her curled fist unintentionally connected with his chiseled jaw, sending his large build toppling to the sweaty sparring mat with a heavy thud.
"Oh God shit sorry-"
"It's okay Beth. It just took me by surprise, that's all." he sighed with a dazed expression, hoisting himself off the damp floor with her outstretched hand.
The tense moment was quickly followed by an awkward silence, as the duo stood in delicate quietness on the training floor. The local gym they resided in was completely empty, making things extremely easier for the infamous pair to spar. But her question had undoubtedly changed the mood completely. Bethany knew it was a bold move to ask Steve for anything involving her potential love life. But, after hours of weeping over a man she couldn't simply be with, this was the only valid option left.
"You don't have to answer. It was my fault, I shouldn't have asked." she said hastily, immediately averting her uncertain gaze to the dirty mat.
"From what he's told me, he's available." he shrugged, ignoring her apologies with abrupt curiousness.
"Oh, that's nice."
This was the biggest mistake I've ever made, and my whole life's a mistake! she thought with rising regret, continuing to try and hide her flushed cheeks from her comrade.
Noticing her sudden evasive attitude begin to reveal itself, Steve seemingly acknowledged her uncomfortable tone and changed the topic, much to Bethany's embarrassed relief. He raised his muscular hands over his smirking face, assuming an defensive position.
"Have you reconsidered Stark's invitation for tonight?" he asked as she raised her hands in unison to his, preparing to continue their sparring lesson.
"Nah. Party's aren't my thing. Also, I have no idea what this century's 'jams' are like anyway. Let's just say, i'm old fashioned like that." she teased, throwing the first punch towards his ear.
He easily dodged her attack this time, swiftly ducking to the right.
"C'mon Summers. This is suppose to be 'your' party after all. I think the party-goers will be a bit disappointed to see the star guest unable to make an appearance. Also, I'm pretty sure Thor will be there."
"Don't you dare use him as bait Rogers. I see through your ploy."
"No ploy's here. Just fun. It's been a while anyways. We definitely deserve it, don't you think?"
The brief memory of a suffocating navy blue dress, gloomy bar lights, and hot lips molding desperately against each-other flashed before her unprepared eyes, stunning Bethany for a split second. She automatically shook the uneasiness out of her clotted mind, and swung at Steve once again, ignoring the distant flashback with steady determination.
"I don't know."
"Listen, I'll come by yours at 8 to pick you up. If you still don't wanna come, then I understand. You'd be missing out though." he sighed, straightening up his stance, placing his hands on his secure hips, and stared at her with bright blue eyes full of growing concern.
She stared back with a slight look of uncertainty, biting her sweaty lip with confliction.
"Fine. I'll think about it."
Bethany stared at her queen-sized bed with hesitation, glaring at the fancy dress Natasha had 'generously' lent her for the delicate occasion. Tony Stark had decided to causally throw a massive party in the Avenger's, and supposedly, Bethany's honor. This required elegant clothing, alcohol, and Bethany's attendance, unfortunately. The clock ticked closer to the intimidating 8 on the wall of her cosy bedroom, signaling her to quickly decided if socializing was the best remedy for the events that had taken place several days before.
"It's just a party. No harm done. People are good. Crying about Bucky is bad." she reminded herself, taking in an large gulp of anticipation.
The dress Nat had chosen was dauntingly extravagant; silky black with a slit down the side to expose her bare leg. Thankfully, the collar reached just above her neck, covering most of her chest. The material glimmered within the gloomy bedroom lighting, exciting her slightly from it's beauty.
"There's nothing wrong with feeling good about yourself. Nothing at all." she murmured, slipping the smooth dress between her quivering fingers.
She held it up against her, quickly inspecting her reflection in the full-length mirror propped against the wall beside her. Her long, bronze hair tumbled past her shoulders, surprisingly matching the exquisite dress. She huffed in impatience, as her conscience slowly convinced her to try it on.
"Okay. Just for a second."
"So, what exactly convinced you to come?" Steve quipped playfully, holding the small of her back as they stepping into the eccentric Stark elevator.
"Would you believe me if I said it was the dress?" she replied with a grin, raising her polished eyebrow in amusement.
He chucked at her snarky reply, gazing down at her with an foreign look in his strong, sky-blue eyes.
"Yeah. As a matter of fact I would."
Her heavily applied blush masked her flushing cheeks, as she secretly appreciated his compliment.
"Oh Rogers, don't go soft on me now." she sighed, slapping his brown leather jacket teasingly.
At that moment, the elevator felt uncomfortably small, as the two Super Soldiers stared at each-other in unfamiliar silence. She couldn't help but admire his choice of attire for Stark's function; a clean navy blue shirt visibly revealing his strong figure, with a expensive coal leather jacked fitted over the top. He looked extremely presentable, a change from his usual training outfit and Captain America uniform.
Before the pair could utter another word, the elevator doors opened, quickly presenting the rest of the party decorated around the upscale penthouse. She let out a breath she hand't realized she was holding in, and looked up at Steve, suddenly nauseous from all of the strange faces she couldn't recognize staring back at her.
"Steve, I don't think I can do this-"
"I'm right here Beth. Nothing to worry about." he smiled encouragingly, linking his firm arm around her puny one, and continued to walk into the lively room.
The crowd was full of unfamiliar faces and different personalities, looking extremely fancy in their expensive attire. There was a bar situated on the first floor of the complex, serving exotic drinks Bethany couldn't seem to recognize. The overwhelming atmosphere prevented her from relaxing, as she clenched her arm tighter around Steve's with panic. He quickly looked down at her worryingly, frowning in concern at her gesture.
"You okay-"
"Rogers! My dear Bethany! Glad you could make it." Tony intervened from behind them, flashing a brilliant smile at the couple.
"Very spontaneous, Stark. But thank you for the invitation." Steve acknowledged, shaking his hand firmly.
"Spontaneous is my middle name, Cap. And anyways, The Scooby gang getting back together seems like something to celebrate, right?" Tony chuckled, winking at Bethany with sharp blue eyes.
She smiled at his enthusiasm, relaxing her tightened chest slightly.
"Of course."
"Well, I'll leave you lovebirds to it. Places to go, people to see. Enjoy yourselves." Tony finished with a sneaky smirk, and continued on into the pulsing party with ambition.
"Lovebirds?"
"Stark always has a way with words." Steve sighed.
She playfully laughed at his teasing grievance, and allowed him to resume their exploration to deep within the penthouse party.
"Is that him? The amazing Captain America?" Sam exasperatingly gasped from across the populated room, quickly making his way over to the pair in excitement.
Bethany's shy eyes widened at his attractive appearance; he worse a dressy black shirt that fitted against his built chest perfectly, with matching charcoal pants and an shining pair of designer shoes. His chocolate skin glimmered underneath the fancy lighting as he joined them at the bar, making her subtly blush from admiring his pleasing physique. Steve laughter broke through her reverie, as he pat Sam's shoulder playfully.
"You envy me. Admit it." he quipped with a sly smirk, welcoming their friend into into their presence.
"Please. The spandex is nothing to be jealous about. However...that gorgeous girl on your arm is another story." Sam teased, glancing at Bethany with a subtle, flirtatious smile.
His large brown eyes observed her figure respectively, and in turn she suddenly felt obliged to compliment him back. Something pleasurably warm surged within her chest as she observed him, fluttering her heavy lashes with playful curiousness. Sensing the abrupt tension between the two, Steve awkwardly broke the small silence.
"Nice place Stark has here?" he asked with fake intention, glancing around the room hastily.
"It's very cosy. Just add a couple more billions of dollars into the furniture and we'd be good to go." Sam replied, gradually averting his enticing eyes off of Bethany.
The trio laughed in unison, and continued to joke around as they usually would. The strained sensation in Bethany's throbbing chest eventually began to disappear as the night drew on. Socializing with many different people and conversing with the Avengers seemed to ease her discomfort immensely, as each were friendly in their own unique way. Soon enough, she detached herself from Steve and made her own way around the expansive penthouse, finally feeling comfortable in the unfamiliar surroundings.
The exotic alcohol also helped. To an extent.
"So? When do the Avengers start 'Avenging'?" Bethany asked curiously, tracing her slightly wavering finger around the edge of her empty wine glass.
Bruce Banner smiled shyly at her interest, his grass green eyes glowing humbly. The two sat on the balcony of the Stark building, the high winds gusting gently against their tamed hair. Fancy guests surrounded the pair as they sat causally on the comfortable couches, speaking with words that blurred against Bethany's throbbing ears. Music and conversation mused together, as she couldn't exactly focus on anything in front of her.
"Not sure when, exactly." he replied, scratching his temple in honest confusion.
She giggled at his answer, abruptly finding the genuine reply extremely hilarious. He blinked at her with befuddlement, but began to uneasily laugh beside her, obviously puzzled with her attitude.
"Wow! You're so funny Brucy! Tell me another one!"
"Another what?"
"You're so cute and fluffy, I just wanna squeeze you..."
"Uh, how much of that Wakandan Cocktail have you had?" he asked cautiously, flashing his seemingly worried eyes from Bethany to the empty glass in her wavering hand.
The slight motion sent her head rocketing skywards, as she quickly shut her eyes to try and concentrate on the random question.
"Something along the lines of 6. Or 7. Maybe 8." she mumbled with a cheeky grin, leaning against the sofa to slightly relieve the abrupt dizziness washing over her relaxed body.
"What the hell do they put in these things?" she blurted, staring into her glass with fluctuating concentration, and continued to laugh joyously at nothing in particular.
It was nice, not having a care in the world. Even if there was something to worry about, she had completely forgotten it after the 5th beveridge. Bruce once again laughed with her, much to her delight, even though his expression suggested he was deeply disturbed.
"Woah there Summers. I think you're scaring the poor man." Clint's voice soothed over her shoulder, prompting her to turn her dazed head around.
He was leaning against the back of the couch with a sly smirk, shaking his head with a sigh.
"Clint! Brucy was just telling me a joke-"
"Brucy? Jesus, how much has this girl had to drink?"
"Enough." Steve's calm voice broke through the blurriness, briefly snapping Bethany out of her disoriented state.
He suddenly appeared in front of her, crouching at her knees with a look of playful worry. She tried to focus on his stern eyes, but the overbearing vertigo flowed through her tired senses extensively.
"I thought you Super Soldier's couldn't get drunk?"
"She wasn't implanted the same serum that I was administrated."
"Rogersssss. Everyone's tellin' me I've had too much to drink? Can you believe that?" she smirked, rising to her wavering feet only to fall back into the soft cushion.
She giggled, smiling broadly with growing happiness. He sighed as Clint joined his side, as both the men gazed down at her with sudden worriedness.
"I think we should take her home. The night's practically over anyways." Clint suggested in the distance as her thoughts gradually began to cloud over.
"I can take her home." a warmly familiar voice chimed from somewhere around her, as she slowly recognized the pleasing tone.
"Oh Sam, you can take me anywhere you want to-"
"Alright that's enough from you." Steve interrupted hastily, immediately scooping her sluggish figure from the couch beside the unnerved Bruce.
"I'll see you later Beth." Bruce called after them, causing Bethany to drowsily wave over Steve's broad shoulder.
"I'll miss you Brucey!"
"Brucey? I'm never letting go of that." Sam quipped, chucking softly beside them with a introverted smirk.
Lights and blurred faces brushed past her as Steve cradled her out of Stark's extravagant party, sending nauseous waves of discomfort towards her groggy perception. Sam and Steve conversed briskly in her throbbing ear, as she was unable to understand a word they were saying over her fading consciousness. Colors flashed before her unprepared eyes as Steve lowered her into Sam's purring car, planting something delicately warm against her pulsating forehead.
"I'll check on her tomorrow morning. Thanks again Sam." she managed to make out Steve's calm voice over the roar of the engine.
She tried to reply, but her mouth stayed shut, unable to conjure enough energy to speak aloud. Sam sat patiently still beside her as he drove them through the bustling New York City, occasionally flashing her glances of worry or admiration. Time seemed to blink instantaneously before her drifting consciousness, as her thoughts continued to sway back and forth during the ride home.
The care eventually stopped, jolting Bethany instantaneously awake. To her drunken annoyance, the world was still tilted from her dazed point of view, blinking sloppily against the blinding street lights. Sam turned off the engine and got out of the car, quickly making his way to her side and hoisted her to her uneven feet.
"I think this would be a little more comfortable..." he suggested with a brief sigh, and scooped her off of her feet, and carried her to his front door surprising ease.
Her drooping head dipped into his exposed neck, as the pleasant smell of cologne quickly suffocated her overwhelmed senses. She couldn't help but drunkenly smile against his skin, instantaneously feeling his small goosebumps against her tingling lips.
"Mmmm..." she murmured, snuggling her face deeper into the crook of his neck.
He was unusually silent as he unlocked the front door. He automatically took her to his familiar bedroom, and gently placed her on the bed with a confusing look of concern.
"I'll go get some water, okay?" he uttered lightly, and exited the quiet room hurriedly.
But Bethany couldn't reply, as her thoughts slowly merged into the looming darkness overtaking her perception.