“Do I really have to go with you?” Bucky complained once again, as their cab drove down the streets of Harlem. “You went alone to talk to Matt.”
“You’re my partner. And maybe I just wanna spend time with you.” Sam rolled his eyes. “It’s gonna be fun.”
“We’re literally going there to talk to him. You know how I feel about talking.” he grumbled.
“Trust me, I know.” Sam chuckled. “But it’s a club. We can have some fun.” he grinned and Bucky just leveled him with an unimpressed look. Sam knew that for Bucky crowded places were as much fun as talking. “Come on, we’re here.” he added as the cab stopped in front of the building. Harlem’s Paradise . Bucky’s heard a lot about it, and he wasn’t sure how he felt about their possible recruit running the place now. And he certainly wasn’t looking forward to going to this crowded, loud club.
When they entered, Sam talked to one of the security guards, who then led them upstairs to the office. As they walked through the club, Bucky thought that at least the music wasn’t as bad as in most clubs nowadays. It was actually nice. Aside from the loudness and the crowds, of course.
On their way, Sam leaned into Bucky’s space and said into his ear:
“We should go dancing sometimes.”
“What?” Bucky asked, not because he didn’t hear, but because what the hell was Sam talking about.
“I’m just saying, you never take me dancing.” Sam finished, as they walked into the office.
“Are you serious?” Bucky raised his eyebrows. Was Sam really talking about this now?
“Well, from what I hear, you used to take your dates dancing. And we never go.” Sam was half teasing, but Bucky wasn’t in the mood, specifically because they weren’t alone.
“I haven’t danced since the 1940s, Sam.” Bucky murmured. The guy who brought them to the office left, and they were alone with a man in a suit sitting behind the desk. Bucky’s seen pictures and videos on the internet, he immediately recognized him, even without a hoodie full of holes.
“All the more reason to finally do it again.” Sam grinned, then turned towards the man. “But we didn’t come here to talk about that. Sorry about that. Hi.”
“That’s fine.” he waved his hand dismissively. “Captain Wilson. Sergeant Barnes.” he stood up with a smile. “Welcome to Harlem’s Paradise .” he walked around the desk to shake their hands. “I’m Luke Cage.”
“Nice to meet you, mr. Cage.” Sam smiled his charming smile, and Bucky could barely contain one of his own.
“Just Luke. Please, sit down. Anything to drink?” he asked, and they decided to have a drink, which Luke told some person who was in the room to bring. Then he sat back down behind the desk, and Sam and Bucky took their places on the chairs opposite him. “So, from that conversation you were having it sounds like you need to take your guy dancing, Sergeant Barnes.” he chuckled.
“If he’s nice to me, maybe.” Bucky said grumpily, but Sam knew he was teasing. Sam always knew what he meant and what mood he was in, no matter how it looked like to third parties. “But we’re not here to dance tonight.”
“Maybe.” Sam added, and Bucky glared at him. “What? The night is young.” he shrugged. “But anyway, sorry. I'm sidetracking again. Let’s get to the point.” he said, and then some guy brought them their drinks, left them on the desk without a word and left.
“Right, of course.” Luke said. “I gotta say, I was surprised when I heard that Captain America wanted to meet with me. What is this about?”
“So, I know you’re probably very busy running this place.” Sam started. “But we’re putting together a new team…” he kept talking, and gave a whole speech that was probably the same or similar to what he said to Matt Murdock. Bucky tuned it out, because he went through that conversation once, with Jessica Jones, and he had enough. He truly didn’t know why Sam insisted on Bucky coming with him. If it was to force him to go dancing… Bucky would like to be pissed, but who could be when Sam would just smile charmingly and give him that one specific look. Bucky was so in love, he was sure Sam could convince him to do anything.
“Uh, I’m honored that you want me on the team, really.” Bucky heard Luke say, as he started paying attention to the conversation once more. “But I’m not sure- I protect Harlem.”
“I know.” Sam said. “I get it. But the thing is, if something world-ending goes down, nine out of ten times it’s in New York anyway. Unfortunately.” he added, and he had a point. What was it about New York that drew in so many villains? “So I just wanna know that if a threat arises, we can call some people who are here anyway. I already talked to people you’ve teamed up with before-”
“Aside from one.” Bucky supplied.
“People I’ve teamed up with?” Luke repeated. “And they agreed?” he looked skeptical.
“Not exactly.” Sam responded. “But like I told them, whether you join us or not, we’re always there to help.” he said, and Bucky was pretty sure he must’ve mentioned it while he wasn’t listening, because Luke was already holding a card with their numbers.
“I think I need to sleep on it.” Luke finally said.
“Take all the time you need. There is a meeting, like I mentioned, but it’s not a deadline. Whenever you decide or change your mind, just let us know.”
“Okay.” he threw the card in a drawer, then looked at them with a grin. “So, are you guys staying for drinks and dancing?”
“Buck?” Sam looked at him with those eyes and smile, and fuck, how could Bucky say no?
“Fine.” he relented. “But you’re not allowed to make fun of me. I haven’t danced in eighty years.”
“When have I ever made fun of you?” Sam asked innocently and Bucky leveled him with a glare. “I promise I won’t.” he chuckled.
“If you are staying, drinks are on the house tonight.”
“Thanks.” Sam stood up and extended his hand to Bucky. He took it as he stood up too. “And thank you for your time. We’ll see you around.”
“You’re always welcome to the club.” Luke said.
Then they said their goodbyes, as Luke said he had some business to do in the office, and Sam and Bucky went downstairs to have something to drink and dance. Bucky didn’t hate it. The music was cool, and Sam was with him, and that’s all he needed. And he actually had fun, which he did not expect, honestly. He thought that maybe this particular club would be fun to go to once in a while. And it wouldn’t hurt to keep an eye on the owner, either, since he knew the club’s history, and he really wouldn’t like Harlem’s Hero to follow in the footsteps of previous owners.
“Hey.” he said to Sam when they were in a cab driving back to Brooklyn. “I’m glad you dragged me with you tonight.”
“I know, Buck.” Sam smiled and leaned in to give him a quick kiss. “So we’re gonna go back there, right?”
“We’ll see.” Bucky answered, even though both of them knew the answer. Even if they didn’t manage to recruit Luke Cage to the team, they did end up having a fun date night.