the tables have turned | steve/bucky

chapter twenty five (part one)

Nightfall

"Hey, Buck? Are you almost ready? We have to go soon--" my words came to an all too sudden halt. Standing there grooming himself in front of the mirror stretched over the entire bathroom wall was a rather dapper looking Bucky. My brain disconnected, my mouth malfunctioned. And it was all because, well...

He looked beautiful.

"Does my hair look okay?" he asked me, wiping the top of his head to one side. His eyes were concerned, but I didn't understand why. He looked beyond amazing. Hell, Bucky could walk out in a t-shirt and sweats, and he'd still outshine everyone, even if the people were all dolled up.

Grabbing his chin delicately, I peered into his eyes. "You look fine. Better than fine. You look..." I paused, searching for the right word. "Breathtaking."

Bucky blushed. "You always know how to make me smile, Steve. Okay then... I'm ready."

He gave himself one final glance in the mirror. For a fraction of a second, when his permanently sad eyes met his reflections', I could see why Bucky felt so insecure. His cheeks were hollowed out, his skin was dull, his eyes shadowed an awful pinkish-purple color...With the dramatic weight loss and the lack of his other arm, Bucky looked like a walking corpse.

And yet, somehow, he still managed to give me butterflies. 

Maybe that was just the Bucky Effect. Once you love him, you can't stop. Trust me, I tried. Or perhaps normal human beings just latch onto people that way. Normal. What an odd word. It's a foreign term to me now. I stopped being a normal person such a long time ago. I guess I forgot how to behave like one, how to love like one... And since everything else about me was artificial, I sort of figured my feelings were too.  

And then Bucky came back into my life. 

Take it from me, love is not all fun and games. It's not cuddling and kisses. It isn't golden rings and vows that are meant to be broken. It's a sick, unconditional curse to be in love with someone. And Bucky was the living proof.

"You better hold my hand as you escort me out," Bucky commanded me, gripping my fingers as hard as he could (which wasn't hard at all). "I'm... I'm your arm candy... right?" His eyes were looking for an honest answer, one that would put his mind at ease for the rest of the night. I smiled at him. 

"You're a diamond among rocks," I whispered, delivering him a sweet kiss on the cheek. He beamed. God, did he have to look so handsome when he smiled?  "Come on, let's go. Tony will be pissed if we're late."

--

It wouldn't be a Stark party if there weren't strippers, right? 

So this definitely wasn't something Tony planned. There was a colossal pyramid of crystal champagne glasses just past the entrance, and even though Bucky and I were well past it, we just couldn't stop looking back to ogle at it's timelessness. It looked like a bubbly fountain that just never stopped flowing. I wondered if Tony had anything to do with the science behind it.

Of course, once we weaved through the immense crowd of expensive looking people, Bucky and I spotted Tony at his usual spot: the bar. He was joined with a slim, skinny redhead, who was leaning forward against his chest, laughing at whatever he was saying to her. The last time I saw Pepper Potts, she was in tears over Tony. I brought me great joy to see that they were happy again.

The snickering couple spotted us when we were only feet away. "Ah, yes! Winter has arrived!" Tony sang. He opened his arms and engulfed Bucky in a bear hug. I was surprised he went for him first, considering the fact that they didn't really get along up until recent days.