You weren't completely sure that making Bucky leave was the best idea. After you'd..., you'd panicked, hoping he didn't notice anything strange, and just needed him to not be there to think about the next step.

You got your orgasm. That was what you wanted.

The whole point of taking him back to your room was to get this out of your system. But, five minutes after he left, you realised that it wasn't out of your system. You wanted more. And that angered you.

You'd have to find another way to get more, because you couldn't go back to Bucky. You couldn't give him that ego boost knowing he was affecting you like this. You mean, regularly fucking Barnes? Absolutely ludacris.

You kept focused on finishing the weapons and comms system for the Peru mission over the couple of days, which the team were now leaving for tomorrow. Tony was finishing the suits in the lab on the worktop next to you, when he suddenly yawned loudly and stretched, his back cracking in a few places and drawing your attention.

"Oh, I'm sorry, am I bothering you?" He teased as you rolled your eyes.

"You even yawn arrogantly." You chuckled back.

"Actually, now that you're paying attention, I was going to invite you to dinner tonight. Make sure you're ready for 7."

You frowned, stopping what you were doing, and just staring at him.

"Dinner? You're...you're allowing me to sit down for dinner with you? Didn't know you socialized with the help, Mr Stark."

"You're a little more important than 'the help', kid. And it's not just me, it's with the whole team." He said, shrugging as he stood and headed over to the side of the room. Your mouth dropped open.

"Hold on," You turned on your seat, holding a finger up as Tony looked back round at you, with a very bored expression on his face. "A month ago, you didn't even want me to get a coffee. Now you're having me in meetings and want me to sit with the whole team and have a meal with them?" Tony nodded. "Who the hell are you, and what have you done with Tony?"

"Funny." He glared, before waving his hand in the air as if dismissing something. "Just think it would be beneficial. They met you last week, and it might be a nice idea to have you as more of a ... direct tech consultant for them."

You stood. This was definitely weird. Incredibly weird.

"Why?" You asked, suspicion lacing your voice, your arms folding over your chest. Tony sighed. He had spent years making it very clear that you were not to be seen, not to speak to anyone, not to leave this room. It was all very odd for him to suddenly change his tone.

"Alright kid, you want the reason? I know you're itching to get out of this ... monotony. I'm tired of trying to keep you in. You know, you have lots of...skills, and I think the team can benefit from coming to you with weapon or suit ideas so that I can focus on other stuff. If you're gonna go anywhere, might as well go to a room of superheroes."

You regarded Tony. Watching his shiftiness, the fact he wouldn't look you in the eye. The words he was using. This wasn't Tony speaking.

"Pepper told you to do this, didn't she?" You mused, trying to hide a smile.

"She...might have mentioned something." He replied, looking at the ceiling and scratching his chin. "There was something about me 'overworking'. Not dividing responsibilities, keeping you in a cage...or some bullcrap like that. I mean she talks a lot, I can't remember everything she says."

"She's right though, otherwise you wouldn't be mentioning it." You pointed out.

"Yeah yeah, just don't tell her that alright?" He laughed, walking over and pulling you into a hug. "So, 7, be ready. I'll get Barnes to pick you up - I have a conference call just before."

Your stomach dropped when he mentioned Bucky, and you were thankful that your face was still buried in Tony's chest, so that he didn't see your expression change.

You hadn't spoken to Bucky since his midnight visit. You weren't entirely sure how he was going to act around you. You hoped it was with indifference, because you had recently decided not to pursue that particularly volatile avenue any longer.

When it got to 7pm, you were dressed and ready. It was only a dinner in the compound, so you wore a dress and your boots, and left your hair to dry naturally after your shower. Your alarm started beeping as you swiped on your mascara.

Bucky.

Your heart immediately started pounding faster, your body probably expecting another round of your weird lust filled activities. But not tonight, you thought, as though trying to chastise yourself. No more of that will happen, ever.

You stood and straightened your spine, trying to convey an air of confidence about you, despite your stomach feeling like a gurgling mess inside you, and headed to the lab door.

When you opened it, Bucky was leaning on the doorframe on the other side, a lopsided smile directed at you as he not so subtly looked you up and down.

"Well, isn't this interesting? A second dinner date together." He mused, the playfulness twinkling in his eyes, but you set your jaw, determined not to let it get to you.

"The first one wasn't a date. You ambushed me. And this certainly isn't a date." You snapped, shutting the door behind you as you walked purposefully down the hall, knowing he was following you closely.

"Sure, not officially, but we do seem to keep finding ourselves having dinner together."

"Not by choice." You huffed, wanting to change the subject completely. But Bucky wasn't having it.

"Well, if it were a proper date, you'd remember that for sure. The Barnes men are famous for their dates." He said, walking beside you, and putting a hand on the small of your back as you both walked.

You reached behind you and peeled his fingers off.

"What's the matter? It's not like I haven't touched you before." He said. You didn't reply. "You didn't seem to mind it last time, Luka." He added, his voice lowering as he leaned slightly closer to you.

You stopped walking, took a breath, and turned to him.

"That won't be happening again." You spat, your voice steady, but your heart a thumping mess. His eyes glanced down, away from your eyes, and then he wet his bottom lip before smiling.

"Of course not." He said, before he started walking again. The shock of his agreement with you kept you frozen in place for a couple of seconds, then your brain got back into gear and you followed after him.

"And stop using my name outside the lab!" You hissed. You watched him chuckle from beside you.

"Right, just when we are alone then?" He said as he side-eyed you. You narrowed your eyes at him, but chose not to respond. He didn't need the satisfaction of a continued conversation, not when you'd decided you were no longer having anything to do with the man.

There, that was easy enough. No more stuff. And after tonight, they'd all go on their mission, and you won't have to deal with Bucky again.

You both made your way to the dining room in silence, although you were both feeling very different emotions. He held the door open for you, which you walked through without acknowledging him, and headed over to the table.

"Hey, it's the mystery lady." Sam grinned up at you, holding his arms wide as he walked over. Your eyes widened as you realised he was coming in for a hug, and you couldn't stop him before he wrapped his arms around you. So you just stood still, rigid, waiting for him to release you.

"Don't do that again." You said as you moved away from him and took an empty seat at the end of the table so that you only had to suffer sitting next to one of these people.

"Feisty as ever I see." Sam winked, taking the seat directly opposite to you. "So are you gonna be hanging around a bit more?"

"Maybe. Stark mentioned it but I'm not convinced."

"Why not?" Steve asked as he sat next to Sam.

"You haven't needed me until now. I'm not sold that anything's changed to warrant it. Unless you guys suddenly became awful at your jobs overnight."

"Well I didn't, but their performances are definitely up for debate." Nat interrupted, sending you a small wink as she sat on the other side of Steve. You barely noticed Bucky slip into the seat next to you, and once you did notice, you groaned.

"Could you sit anywhere else?" You muttered under your breath, but he just smiled innocently at you.

"Tony is going to be late." Wanda announced as she walked in the room. "Heard him thinking it as I walked past the conference room, so we might as well eat."

Great, you thought. Tony invited you to a dinner he wasn't even turning up to. Fantastic.

Wanda used her powers to float the food over the table, because Vision couldn't carry all the plates at once. It was make-your-own-burrito night apparently, because there were numerous plates and bowls filled with different ingredients, and the team dug in straight away.

You watched them with mixed emotions. You knew each of them like the back of your hand, having spent years helping Tony create their suits, their weapons, even some of their mission strategies by analysing their fight patterns by watching their gym training videos. A lot of research without them knowing. You'd always cut yourself off from becoming too interested back then; they were superheroes, fighting against people like Hydra, and other villains trying to copy the widespread fear that the elite company held. It was a cyclical feat, with the presence of Hydra warranting superheroes, and the presence of superheroes inciting challenge from others. You felt it unnecessary, and distasteful that they acted so high and mighty when they were part of the catalyst for the chaos.

On the other hand, being who you were, you also held jealousy that they had relative freedom to exercise their powers, to work with other people, to be a team in the first place. You didn't have much experience with that. Your life has been mostly spent running, and developing your own self, rather than helping others.

Bucky tried to offer you food, and you either grunted or nodded at him, trying not to give him the satisfaction of a conversation. You barely touched whatever he did put on your plate.

"You need to eat." He whispered in your ear, leaning over so that you couldn't miss it. The smell of his skin hit you after his words, the oaky scent making you feel a little tug in your abdomen.

"I'm not hungry." You replied, taking a sip of your water instead, once you had scrutinised it carefully. Who knows if anyone slipped you something? You wouldn't put it past a team of science experiments and super assassins.

"It wasn't a request." You turned your head to find him staring at you, his eyes darkening as your tongue licked a stray droplet of water from your lip. "Eat."

His voice came out low, raspy, commanding. You felt like your body had been thrown into the fireplace, sudden heat licking its way through you, as the challenge hung tense between your gaze.

Then you thought, what exactly was he going to do? Everything he'd done to you so far, he couldn't exactly do at the table, in front of everyone. What, was he going to bend you over the table right there?

You breathed in, tossing the image out of your brain, flicking your hair out of your eye, and opened your mouth.

"No."