MCU | Seven Minutes in Heaven

3. Bucky

Why did you even submit to this game? It was so stupid, and you knew nothing good could come of it. Nothing good ever came out of Tony's parties. They were fun while they lasted, but the aftermath was usually served with a good deal of emotions and a couple romantic highs. That's what you've observed from everyone else. This was your first party, but from what Natasha had told you, in very great detail, there were countless others held before you became the newest Avenger. And they never turned out well. Especially when you're playing Seven Minutes in Heaven with superhumans who don't know how to control their feelings.

And when one of them is a deadly assassin.

You look up from the small slip of paper in your trembling hands. Bucky Barnes was leaning against the opposite wall, one knee up, with his arm and metal arm crossed. Something about his expression gave you chills, and your stomach dropped. His eyes were piercingly cold. But they weren't looking at you. They were staring off into space.

"James?" You murmured his name, gazing at him. His head snaps towards you, his eyes looking hollow, but full of density. He shifts his weight and straightens up, putting down his foot and keeping his arms crossed.

"Yep." He responds, bouncing a little on his feet, looking professional and dark as he always did. His expression softened suddenly, like he only had just realized something. Like gears were shifting in his head. You could see thoughts run through his mind through his eyes. You couldn't read his emotion. He was a master at keeping those to himself.

Tony Stark glanced between you and Bucky, his eyebrows high. He looked at you both questioningly, then bluntly stated: "Are you two going to do something or what?"

Bucky takes a sharp inhale of breath. "-Yeah, yeah." He murmurs quietly, looking away from you. He shoves his hands in his pockets, almost dramatically, and looks up at Tony.

"Closet is down the hall, first door to the right," Tony said with an air of laziness.

Bucky turns on his heel and walks out, the automatic sliding door closing with a soft noise behind him. Everyone stares at you, as does Tony, as you are glued to your spot.

"Are you okay?" Steve asks warmly from your left, his astonishingly blue eyes pale and soft. He seems to understand what you're thinking.

You trusted Bucky Barnes. But you didn't feel safe around him. You wanted more than anything to see the obvious good in him, to appreciate and respect him the way he is. To admire his talents and what he brought to the table in his profession, now fighting for the Avengers. But you'd seen recordings of him. You'd seen the files. You knew what the man was capable of. And being in a dark closet with a murder was not exactly your ideal location to feel comfortable. You didn't want to doubt him, but your gut tightened as Steve looked at you understandingly.

"You don't have to do it if you don't want to." Steve murmured softly, to you specifically. "But James is different now. I've seen his change." He straightened up slightly, seeing the darkness in your expression. "...If you want, we can stand right outside the door."

You bite the inside of your lip. "No." You say finally. "That's alright. I can take him if he tries anything." You respond. Thinking about it later, it might not have been the right thing to say to Steve. Steve liked James. You doubted James would try anything with you. He would never do anything like that, most unlikely to you. And from an assassin's point of view, it would be the worst time to commit murder, because everybody knew that if you died in that closet, Barnes would be the culprit. But just thinking about it made you feel ill.

"Alright, have fun." Tony said finally, and the room started buzzing with chatter again. Tony had a way of almost turning the chatter on and off at his will. Master of ceremonies, playboy, Tony "Fuck you" Stark. He looked a little disgruntled and very interested in his drink, his dark eyes avoiding your own.