You noticed Bucky’s sigh as Tony mentioned the party that would be taking place that evening. You could tell that he wasn’t more thrilled to go than you were. And you could understand that very much. You didn’t like parties. Too many people, too much noise. For you, the risk of sensory overload was always lingering during parties or big events. But it would be rude not to attend. However, you didn’t know who to go with. Once Tony left the room, Bucky turned to you.
"So, who are you planning to go with?", he asked.
His eyes avoided yours, instead staring at the floor as he waited for your answer.
"I don’t know", you answered. "No one has asked me to go with them, and I haven’t asked anyone yet either."
Bucky looked up from the floor and took a deep breath, looking back at you.
"Well, I was thinking that maybe, if you want to, that is, maybe we could go together? As… as friends?"
You smiled as your heart skipped a beat. This was the perfect occasion. You had been hiding your feelings for Bucky for quite a while, so going to the party with him would be a perfect excuse to confess your feelings.
"Of course. That would be great", you replied, perhaps sounding a little more enthusiastic than you wanted to show.
Bucky tried to hide the smile on his face, but you saw it.
"Really?", he replied as his cheeks took a light shade of red. "That’d be great. Then it’s set, we’re going to the party together."
You nodded, your heart beating slightly faster at the perspective. You smiled.
"Yeah, it’s set."
Bucky’s smile widened and the blush on his cheeks deepened a little. Your own smile widened as well, as most of your worries about the upcoming party faded away, replaced with the happiness caused by the knowledge that you would be going with Bucky. It almost felt like a date, even though it wasn’t officially one. For the first time since Tony had brought up the party a month before, you were looking forward to it.
"Maybe…"
Bucky’s hesitant voice brought you back to the present.
"What if, I don’t know, we could go shopping together and get our outfits for the party?"
He seemed nervous and looked at you expectantly. It was then that you realised that you didn’t have an outfit for the party, and you only had a few hours left to find one. You blushed a bit, but you kept smiling. The perspective of Bucky helping you chose your outfit was actually appealing.
"That sounds like a great idea. When do you want to go?"
"Whenever you’re free", he said with a smile.
"I’m free all afternoon if you want."
Your heart was beating a bit faster, and you did your best to hide how excited you were.
Bucky grinned at your answer.
"Yeah, that sounds perfect. Let’s get going, then", he said as he blushed again.
You smiled and blushed a bit. The blush on his cheeks was adorable. You got up from your seat, and he followed suit with a smile. He held out his arm for you to take, and you blushed a bit more as you took it. You hoped he wouldn’t hear your heart pounding in your chest. If he did, he didn’t mention it. Instead, he took your hand in his and held it inside of his elbow. The two of you walked out of the Avengers’ compound.
"Alright. Where to first?", Bucky asked.
"Let’s go to the mall", you answered. "I’m sure we’ll find something for the both of us."
He nodded, and you both made your way to the mall. You usually avoided going there, especially alone, since there were so many people and so much noise. The last time you had gone there with Natasha, the two of you had been forced to take a break after you had experienced a sensory overload. Fortunately, that day, the mall wasn’t crowded. Much to your relief, because you didn’t want to end up panicking, and because you didn’t know how Bucky handled crowded places. As you arrived at the mall, you led Bucky to a store that sold outfits for both men and women.
"Should we start with an outfit for you?", you asked.
Bucky gently shook his head, an obvious blush on his face as he looked over at you with a small smile.
"No. I want to start with you first. I want to help you pick out an outfit first."
You blushed and smiled softly, then you gently led him to the women’s section. You both started looking at dresses. As you were getting more excited, you got an idea.
"Alright", you said, "here’s how we should do this. You pick some dresses that you’d like to see me wear, and I’ll select some as well. Then, I’ll try them on. How does that sound?"
You couldn’t stop smiling. You were excited to see what he would pick. Bucky smiled too, as the light blush on his cheeks deepened. He nodded, and you both immediately started looking for dresses. As you were looking at the various lengths and colours, you found yourself wondering what was Bucky’s favourite colour. Maybe he would enjoy seeing you wearing a dress that was his favourite colour. After a few minutes, you selected three dresses. A dark blue one that descended to your knees, a purple one that showed the back, and a light blue one. None of them were particularly revealing. You started looking for Bucky to see what he had selected.
"Have you found anything you like?" you asked as you found him.
He smiled and showed you five dresses. A dark red one that seemed a bit tight, a black one with a long skirt and a slit on the side, a navy blue one that showed the back and with a fluid skirt, a dark pink one that looked a bit short, and a dark green dress with spaghetti straps. You noticed that all of them were dark-coloured, which resonated with your own choices, although some of them were slightly shorter than the ones you had selected.
"What do you think?", Bucky asked.
"I’ll try them all", you answered with a smile.
That made him smile and nod.
"Yeah, can’t really tell if they’re good or not until you try them on."
You gently grabbed Bucky’s hand and led him towards the changing room. You wanted him to see you in each of those dresses and tell you what his favourite was. You tried them all on, showing the result to Bucky each time. He seemed to like them all, although the shorter ones made you slightly uncomfortable. Yet, Bucky seemed to like them all, his blush never leaving his cheeks as you showed him how you looked in the dresses he had selected. You had saved one for last, because you had a feeling it would be the right one: the navy blue dress with no back and a fluid skirt. As soon as you put it on, you felt comfortable in it. It enhanced your chest and curves in just the right way, and the knee-length skirt was light. As you showed it to Bucky, his eyes widened and his blush deepened as well. He stared at you, as if mesmerised.
"You look amazing…" he said.
"I guess this one is your favourite, then?"
He nodded.
"Y-yeah, it is… It looks so perfect on you. You’re going to blow everyone away at the party."
You couldn’t stop smiling, a light blush covering your cheeks. You could see that Bucky was blushing as well, which you found adorable.
"Alright, this one it is, then."
You went back to the changing room, took off the dress and put your casual clothes back on. Then, after putting the other dresses away, you joined Bucky.
"Now, how about we find something for you?"
He smiled and nodded, and you both made your way to the men’s section. There, you started picturing Bucky in a white of black shirt, with a suit. Even though a tie would look good on him, you discarded the idea. Given Bucky’s past, you weren’t sure he would enjoy wearing one. You looked for a shirt that would perfectly frame his broad shoulder and chest, but without being too tight. Finding the perfect shirt turned out to be hard, given how Bucky was built. Either the sleeves were too short, or the shirt was tight somewhere and too loose somewhere else. But you didn’t give up and eventually found the perfect fit. After trying on multiple suits and shirts, Bucky was eventually satisfied with a black suit and a white shirt that made him look incredible. Just the way you had imagined. Then, to your surprise, he started looking for a tie that would fit with the rest. As you were both looking for one, you found a tie that perfectly matched the colour of the dress he had selected for you. As you showed it to him, he smiled.
"You have good taste with these", he said, which made you blush and feel like your heart was doing backflips in your chest.
That marked the end of the shopping trip. You paid for your clothes, and were grateful that Tony had given you a great budget. You couldn’t stop smiling as you and Bucky made your way back to the compound. The whole experience had been very exciting and you had found something cute in picking outfits for each other. Especially since you had selected clothes that matched in colour. The thought that it would make you look like a couple crossed your mind, and it made you blush again. Neither of you spoke much on the walk back to the Avengers’ compound. You were too busy picturing Bucky in his suit. You knew he would look absolutely stunning at the party. As you finally arrived, Sam and Steve welcomed you, and Sam almost teased the two of you, but a hard gaze from Bucky prevented him from saying anything.
"Buck, Tony needs our help to finish preparing", Steve said.
"Alright, coming", Bucky answered, before looking at you.
"I guess I’ll see you at the party tonight", you said with a smile.
He smiled and nodded.
"See you later, doll."
You couldn’t help but blush as you waved and made your way to your room.
****************************************************************************************************************************
A few hours had passed since Bucky and you had gone to the mall. The party was about to start. You checked yourself in the mirror one last time. Your makeup and your hair was done, you were wearing the navy blue dress that Bucky had chosen, and a thin bracelet on your right wrist. Since the dress showed your back, it was tied on your neck, leaving no room for a necklace. You hoped Bucky would like it. After checking your outfit one last time, you heard a gentle knock on your door. You opened it and saw Bucky standing on the other side. Your eyes met, and you were both in awe. Bucky looked amazing in his suit, even more so than at the store. He smiled widely and blushed.
"You look incredible, doll", he said, causing you to blush.
"Thanks, Bucky. You look very good yourself."
He chuckled softly, and held out his arm for you to take, just like he had earlier. You closed your door and took his arm. Then, he let you to the common area, where Tony’s party was held. You could already hear the music and the noise of people chatting. As soon as you arrived, Tony spotted you the two of you, and greeted you with a warm smile and complimented your attire. You blushed and Bucky’s smile widened. You were glad he had chosen that dress for you.
At first, things were going smoothly. But after a while, you started feeling nauseous. Even though you wanted to confess your feelings to Bucky, you still hadn’t figured out how to do it, and you were getting nervous. In addition, the music was getting loud and soon, you were having a massive headache in addition to the nausea. Bucky seemed to notice it, because as the two of you were dancing, he looked at you, concern clear in his eyes.
"Doll, are you alright?"
You barely heard his words. It felt like your ears were stuffed with cotton, and the headache was getting worse. It felt like your brain was buzzing. You looked at him, but you felt dizzy.
"I’m sorry…", you said in a weak voice. "I need some fresh air…"
And with that, you practically ran to the balcony. As soon as you stepped out, the dizziness eased a bit. You breathed slowly and deeply. Since you were far away from the noises of the party, you were already starting to feel better. You heard footsteps behind you, and turned around. Bucky had followed you, concern etched on his face.
"Hey, what’s wrong, doll?"
You felt embarrassed for having left so quickly. You were still trying to calm down from the sensory overload and the nervousness.
"I’m sorry, Bucky… I just… It was too much…"
You looked away in embarrassment. You had only told Natasha about your sensory overloads, and you had done your best to avoid them. Bucky walked up to you.
"Did I say or do something wrong?"
"Of course not, Bucky, it’s not your fault."
"Then what is it?"
You took a deep breath, trying to find the right words to explain what you had just experienced. Bucky was still looking at you, his eyes searching yours. After taking another deep breath, you spoke again.
"I usually don't go to parties... I get uncomfortable easily... What I've just experienced was sensory overload..."
You stood in silence, waiting for Bucky's reaction. He gently took one of your hands in his right one.
"Why didn't you tell me that earlier, doll? You could have told me when I asked you to go to the party with me. I would have understood."
"But I wanted to go with you, Bucky...", you said as you looked into his blue eyes.
His concerned expression showed hints of surprise.
"I wanted to go with you, because it was the perfect occasion for me to tell you something..."
You had to say it. The thought that maybe he didn't share your feelings crossed your mind, but if he didn't, then surely, he wouldn't have asked you to go with him, right? He wouldn't have acted in this sweet way all day if he didn't have some form of attraction for you, right? You took a deep breath. You needed to get the words out.
"Bucky... I'm in love with you..."
You saw his eyes widening, and suddenly, you anxiety hit again. You looked away, a heavy blush covering your cheeks.
"Y-you don't have to share my feelings... I just... I wanted to tell you... B-but it's okay if you don't feel the same-"
You were interrupted when Bucky's hand gently gripped your chin and turned your head toward him, and pressed his lips against yours. Your heart skipped a beat, but after a brief hesitation, you closed your eyes and kissed him back. The kiss was gentle, and Bucky's lips were soft against yours. After a few seconds, he pulled back and you opened your eyes to see that he was blushing too.
"I feel the same, doll. I love you. And that's why I wanted to go to this party with you. I was just... scared to tell you."
A huge wave of happiness and relief washed over you. You smiled and wrapped your arms around Bucky's shoulders as you claimed his lips with yours. Bucky smiled into the kiss and gently wrapped an arm around your waist, and the other around your back. The kiss ended when you started lacking air. Both you and Bucky were slightly panting and smiling. He pressed his forehead against yours before speaking again.
"Let's stay out here for a moment, shall we, doll?"
You smiled and nodded, before kissing Bucky again. When your lips parted again, the two of you stayed there, standing outside, away from the loud noises of the party. You felt happy in Bucky's arms, and judging by the way he smiled and held you, he didn't want to let go. You knew it was definitely a party worth remembering.