BUCKY'S POV
I don't like parties. They're always full of stupid drunk people doing stupid drunk things. There's been five or six since I started living here, and I'd managed to avoid most of them. My personality doesn't mix with them too well. So when Tony told me that I had to go to the company holiday party, I was less than thrilled. Add my whole situation with his sister on top of that, and this party was looking like hell on earth. But Steve forced me into going, so there I was. We were standing near the bar, and Steve was talking to a bunch of people while I stood there silently drinking my beer. Drinking isn't nearly as good when you can't get drunk. No matter how many drinks I had, my memory stayed clear and I couldn't get Cara out of my head. I was searching for a way to sneak out when I saw her. She was standing with Wanda and Natasha, a large glass of wine in her hand. Wanda and Natasha laughed about something, but Cara barely smiled.

At the few parties I'd been to at Stark tower, she'd been stunning. And I don't mean just physically, she's always beautiful. It was just her. She was charismatic, magnetic. Electric. Everyone knew it. Every man wanted her and every woman wanted to be her. When she walked by, every head turned, heart rates spiked, marriages got weaker. If Cara was telling a story, more than half the party was listening, hanging onto every word that dropped from her perfectly painted lips. They laughed, cried, made sentimental remarks, anything that might make her look their way. Everyone wanted a piece of Cara Stark.

Myself included.

But she could never know that, of course.

This night she was different. She had been different since the night she yelled at me. Regular attendees walked by her eagerly, ready for another famous story or witty remark, but were greeted with nothing. She stood there drinking glass after glass of wine, ignoring the men who hounded her for her phone number and sending them away licking their bruised egos.

After I'd been looking at her for several moments, her gaze finally landed on me. She did nothing but raise her glass and down the rest of the liquid inside before looking away. It wasn't easy, pretending I didn't care. Especially tonight. She looked as stunning as ever, wearing a black dress that hugged every part of her body in the best way possible. Her dark hair was pulled back in some sort of braided up-do, making me think of her comment in the game room over a week ago. I smiled softly to myself and went to take another sip of beer, only to be met with an empty bottle. I asked Steve if he wanted anything, then headed for the bar to get myself another.

A couple of guys I'd never seen stood there, drinking scotch and talking too loudly like the assholes I assumed they were. I noticed one of them with enough hair gel on his head to keep it slicked back for an eternity eyeing Cara with a disgusting look in his eye, and planted myself on a stool a few feet away from them. The bartender slid me a bottle and I thanked him quietly before beginning to eavesdrop on the group dickheads next to me.

"So are we gonna acknowledge the fact that none of us are getting laid tonight or not?" One with cropped blonde hair whined. "No chicks here are putting out."

Mr. Gel clicked his tongue and shook his head, "I wouldn't jump to conclusions."

"Who are you looking at?" The shortest of the three asked, then followed his gaze before landing on Cara and bursting into laughter. "Stark? Good luck with that. She's been shutting you down for five years now, Beau."

"Look at her," he spat, "She's more drunk than I've ever seen. Come on, she won't even be able to say no, and her friends just left her."

It took every ounce of self control I had to not grab the son of a bitch by his bow tie and throw him off the balcony. But I knew that would make her even more pissed at me than she already was. I had at least give her a chance to stand up for herself. I watched as they approached her.

Beau immediately put his arm around her waist and my blood boiled. Cara tried to brush him off, but was clearly not in her strongest state of mind. Finally, I'd had enough.

"Hey, baby, why don't we go somewhere a little more," Beau paused and licked his lips, "Private."

"I told you to leave me alone," Cara snapped as he pulled her closer to him.

"Oh come on, sweetie," the short one smirked, "Don't be like that."

"I think that's enough," I said loudly, standing close to Cara.

Beau stepped back slightly and looked at me with an angry look on his face. "Who the fuck are you to tell me what's enough?"

"Just back off, man," I said sharply.

He laughed loudly and glanced at his friends, who smirked as well. "Oh, okay. What are you gonna do about it, buddy?"

Then I did what I had hoped I wouldn't have to do. I lifted my arm and pushed the sleeve down, revealing the piece of machinery attached to me. I reached forward and grabbed his empty scotch glass. His face paled as I crushed the glass and dropped the dust back into his open palm.

I smirked and leaned forward slightly. "And I can do much worse than that. Buddy."

Cara stepped between us suddenly, facing me. At the same time, Steve approached us.

"Is everything alright over here?" He asked, eyeing the douche crew.

"Yeah, everything's fine. They're leaving," Cara said quickly.

Beau and his friends muttered something and turned away, heading to the elevator. Steve started to say something but I gave him a look and he walked away. Cara looked up at me, and I was slightly scared of what she would say.

"Sorry," I muttered, "That got a little out of hand."

"Thank you," she said. "I think I'm going to go lay down. I've had too much to drink."

But I didn't want her to leave.

"I'll walk you up," I said before I could stop myself.

"I'd like that, Buck," she smiled, and we began walking upstairs.

The further upstairs we went, the quieter it got and the faster my heart went. She stumbled slightly every now and then, grabbing onto me to catch her balance. When we reached her bedroom door she turned to face me and smiled.

"I've been wanting to apologize," she said. "I was a real bitch the last time we talked."

"No, don't say that," I shook my head. "It was completely justified."

Cara was silent for several moments, staring right at me. I felt like she was staring straight into my soul. And it was terrifying.

Suddenly, she scratched her shoulder and started laughing. "I'm such an idiot."

"What?"

"No matter what I do, I can't stop thinking about you, Bucky," she sighed. "And this doesn't happen to me, and I don't know what to do because you clearly don't feel the same-"

"My god, just shut up," I muttered. I pulled her into my chest and pressed my mouth against hers.

She put her hands on my face and kissed me right back. I ignored the sirens going off in my brain and pressed her up against the door. After a few minutes, she stopped and put her hands in my face.

"Stay," she breathed, reaching back and opening her bedroom door.

I nodded, and followed her inside.