affliction

nineteen

longest chapter yet, thank you for 8k <3

Beth's POV

It's only 11 am and I'm already planning my funeral. Tony is beyond freaked out about this party, whether it's the decorations not looking right, or there's not enough food, or Steve isn't hanging shit fast enough, he's off the walls. He also had a freak out because he remembered that I'm going to be there and was worried people would find out who I was. Once Nat reminded him that like 100 people were going to be here and I don't have to have much of a correlation, he calmed down.

I did make Tony give me a copy of the guest list. He mainly invited higher-ups, which is who I would work around. I didn't recognize any of the names, though. Not that it would really matter, I would usually do some sort of disguise when I was working. Sometimes it was wigs or heavier makeup, others I would use special effects makeup and put different markings on my body (scars, moles, tattoos, etc.), and sometimes my life was easy and it was a masquerade. No one has noticed me yet and I did it for years, so it's really not that big of a concern.

2 pm rolls around and everything is starting to look put together, but I'm once again beyond ready to throw Tony into a wood chipper. I think everyone here would agree, too.

My last task is to hang up lights above the bar, but even standing on top of counter, I can't reach it. I look around for something else to stand on.

Tony apparently sees me struggling and decided to make my life so much harder. "Hello? Miss Raccoon, hate to bother you, but could you not attempt a suicide mission on my bar-top right now? You're going to fall off of there and I really don't have time to clean up the blood from your cracked skull."

I grit my teeth. "Call me raccoon again and it's your blood we're going to be cleaning up."

He smiles sarcastically. "I'm so scared. Barnes, you're not doing anything important, get over here."

Of course.

Bucky jogs over to us and raises his eyebrows, signaling Tony to continue.

"Help the trash lady hang up these lights. I forgot she's like 3 whole feet tall."

Just as I'm about to strangle him, he walks right out of my grasp. I mumble under my breath, "I'm gonna kill him."

Bucky laughs. "I know you are. Now what do you need me to do?"

I look at Bucky compared to the bar top and the awning above it. My knees come to right above his head. I sigh. "Can I trust you to let me stand on your shoulders without dropping me?"

He rolls his eyes. "I'm not going to drop you. Not that I'd be opposed, though, if you want to get out of the rest of decorating. I'd get a good laugh out of it."

I squint my eyes at him. "As much as I'd love to get out of decorating, I don't look good with stitches in my head."

He shrugs. "I don't know, might give you your edge back."

I raise an eyebrow. "Do you want to be next on my list behind Tony?"

He smirks at me. "Depends what kind of list?"

I groan. "Shut up and help me." I grab the awning above me and turn around. I step backwards onto his right shoulder and he grabs my calf. I do the same with the other foot and pull myself up. I expect him to shake at least a little bit, but he's pretty solid. I basically feel like I'm standing on the ground.

"Hand me the lights off the bar."

He takes one hand off of my leg and I transfer my weight into the other one. He lifts the lights up and I bend slightly to grab them. As soon as I start weaving the lights through the outside of the awning, Tony speaks again.