The Rules of Living with the Avengers

11. Don't spend a night in a room with Bucky and Steve.

"So, I'm Ellie Potts, a...friend of Steve's," I say and Bucky gives me a blank look. "Steve's the blonde man. From the bridge. Your mission. Old buddy? Soldier?"

"Captain America," he says in a hoarse voice and I nod happily.

"Yes, Captain America," I enthuse and then hear the door open. Steve walks in to the guest bedroom, eyes tired but he smiles at us both.

"We're going to have to stay up with him, Ellie. He needs guarding. And no-one else wants to do it."

"Assholes."

"Language."

"English."

Steve glares at me and then grins slightly. "That was pretty funny but also annoying," he says.

"Noted," I say with a hint of flirtation. He shakes his head at me but he's still smiling. "Cap-"

"Stop calling me that. Call me Steve." He sounds even more annoyed. "Ellie, we need to talk about your birthday party."

"Do we have to?" I groan.

"Yes. About what happened between us," he continues.

"What happened between you?" Bucky asks and I sigh. Now even the assassin with memory problems wants to get involved in my love life. "Did you kiss?"

"We had a dance," Steve says. Bucky looks like he's in pain for a second then he pats Steve's arm.

"I thought you were saving your dance for Peggy," Bucky says. Steve blinks at him. "Steve?" He frowns. "Where are we? The last thing I remember is falling off a..."

"Bucks?" I prod the man but he just looks blankly at us both. Back to normal then. "Who's Peggy?" I ask Steve.

He looks sad. "Just a girl."

"Obviously not just a girl if you look so sad when you think about her," I say casually but my heart's hammering. Who the hell is Peggy? For a man who supposedly doesn't date, he has a lot of women who like him.

Peggy, Sharon, me, Lilian with the lip piercing...

"She's dead now," he says quietly. I can tell he's lying but don't mention it. She's from the wartime, I realise.

"Oh. Okay." I say. "Anyway, Bucky..where have you been?"

"Disneyland," he says and Steve's face lights up.

"Disney? I love Disney! Have you seen the recent film Frozen?" Steve says cheerfully. "I like Elsa best."

"So do I!"

"Wonder why, Icicle, Frostbite," I mutter. Steve looks at me and I curse his super-hearing. "Never mind."

"I don't get the nicknames," Bucky says. "Frostbite? I haven't ever bitten anyone." Then he smirks. "Out of the bedroom."

"Huh?" Steve looks confused.

I sigh. "Shut up, Bucky. And are you back to normal now?"

"Who's Bucky?" He says and Steve looks sad.

I groan. This will be a long night.

***
I wake up, my head resting against something warm and moving...agh! I shoot up and see that I've fallen asleep on Steve's chest. Bucky is curled up on a chair, sleeping and I guess Steve is asleep.

I see Natasha stood by the door and blush. "Nice sleepover?" She says with a grin and my cheeks go even redder. "Wake them up. Fury's here to take Barnes in."

I turn to wake Steve but he's already up. "What do you mean take him in?" He frowns.

Natasha shrugs. "Custody probably. He's killed a lot of people over the last fifty years."

"No. Tell Fury he escaped," he replies and my heart swoops as his blue eyes almost burn with patriotism. "No America citizen deserves to be in prison for crimes he wasn't aware of. We will keep Bucky here. Alert the troops! We shall fight for his freedom! We will win this war!"

"Your troops are asleep," Natasha says then salutes him and wanders out. I look at him as he deflates slightly.

"Let's go hide Bucky in-case Fury decides to search the tower," I say, "captain."

He kisses me gently on the cheek. "Don't call me captain, ma'am," he says. "And thank you."