Halloween weekend. Ella's favorite holiday and the morning after her first date with Bucky. She woke up alone, much to her disappointment. This time the week before Bucky had been in her bed but after her dad's warning last night, things hadn't unfolded in quite the same way. Bucky and Ella had decided it was best if he didn't take her parents up on the offer of the spare room, Ella thought it was best to spare Bucky from having to sit through breakfast with her family who were sure to ask probing questions.
Instead, after not one but two movies, the second of which Ella had mostly missed after falling asleep on Bucky's shoulder, Bucky had given Ella a quick kiss and said goodbye before heading home. Ella had stood with her eyes closed, leaning back against the front door after he'd left, just wanting to savor the happiness before she went to sleep. However, when she woke the next morning, none of it had disappeared. Her family all seemed to notice.
"You look especially happy this morning," her mom commented. Ella looked shyly down at her feet.
"I'm guessing your date was good?" Steve added.
Ella nodded, trying to contain her smile, "yeah it was good." What an understatement.
"I'm glad to hear it, sweetheart," her mom said, giving her a quick peck on the temple.
The three of them were soon joined by Joseph who cooked them a batch of pancakes. Ella drizzled hers with maple syrup and dug in as her mom asked Steve about their Halloween plans. That conversation caught her attention.
"You guys still haven't told me what you're going as," she complained to Steve.
"That's because you already know," he replied. Ella rolled her eyes.
"You're doing army guys again?" She groaned. This would be the third year in a row. She had to admit, the first time they'd done it she'd done a bit of a double-take at Sam, he did look good in that costume. She could see why they were sticking with it but she was still hoping for a little creativity.
"Just me and Sam, Buck said he's doing his own thing"
There's still hope. She wondered what he could be doing, having expected him to just join in with Sam and Steve she assumed his idea must be pretty good.
When they'd finished up breakfast she and Steve headed to the gym. It had been a while since they'd worked out in the garage, they usually opted to use the school gym during the week instead. Before they got on with their workouts Ella plugged her phone into the speaker, putting on a 2000s pop playlist she loved but knew Steve would hate. Just as she expected, it was met with a groan.
"Really?" He complained. Ella didn't grace him with an answer, instead, she walked over to the weights and wasted no time getting started.
She was halfway through her workout when Steve came over and tapped her on the shoulder.
"Can I ask you something?" He said, reaching over to the speaker to turn the music down. He gestured at her to take a seat, and they both dropped down onto the floor. Ella welcomed the break in her workout, she was already sweaty and out of breath.
"Sure," Ella replied.
"It's about Nat," he started. He was fiddling with his fingers, his eyes cast straight down at the floor. Ella's eyes widened, she was already grinning.
"I knew it!" She laughed, "it's finally happening!"
Steve looked at her with confusion, "what do you mean?"
Ella shook her head, he was oblivious. She'd always known that but right then it was glaringly obvious.
"Sorry," she said, reigning in her excitement. "Ask away."
"Well, I was going to ask what you'd think about me asking her out"
Ella looked over at her brother, he sounded serious, this definitely wasn't a new thing. She had thought that over the years they'd become more and more well-suited. When they were younger Steve was too reserved for Natasha's outgoing and confident personality, but over the last year or so, Steve had really come out of his shell. The increase in their playful banter hadn't gone unnoticed by Ella. However, up until now, she assumed that's all it was to Steve, despite there always being a flirtatious element from her friend.
Ella knew she owed Steve a serious answer, so rather than getting over-excited she thought back to the conversations she'd had with Natasha over the years.
Her friend's stance had been unwavering, she was of the opinion it had to be all or nothing. She was unwilling to risk their almost decade of friendship for anything less, and as they'd crept towards and made it past the halfway point of high school, her optimism about something happening with Steve had dwindled. The countdown to college was on, and like every potential high school relationship, it was a huge obstacle that couldn't be ignored. Nat had dreams of moving to a big city, maybe even going abroad, something that didn't resonate with Steve and the closer to senior year they got, the less likely it would become that either of them would be willing to compromise.
Ella sighed, it would be unfair to unload all of this onto Steve, it was something Nat would need to tell him herself if they ever made it as far as having the conversation. Although she'd had more conversations than she could count, she couldn't help but think Nat's opinion might be swayed if Steve actually made a move.
"I think you need to talk to her about it, it probably won't be as simple as a yes or no answer. Just maybe hold off tonight, don't do it drunk," she answered him.
Steve nodded at her words, he seemed to be expecting an answer along those lines. Although he rarely engaged in conversations about himself and Nat, always finding them far too awkward, he was aware of what had been said from Nat's side over the years.
"I will just add this though, you hurt her, I will kill you. I don't care if you're my brother," she warned.
Steve laughed and then looked up to see the stern look on his sister's face.
"Right, yeah. I won't hurt her," he said when he realized Ella wasn't joking.
Ella used that as her cue to carry on with her workout, half an hour later she finished up, leaving Steve alone in the gym. After heading upstairs and showering she dropped down onto her bed, when she rolled over to reach for her phone she saw a text from Bucky.
Looking forward to seeing you later x
Ella smiled at her phone. God, he's cute. She sent a text back, asking to see if he was free for the day, although she'd spent last night with him, and would see him again tonight, she just wanted more of him. Unfortunately, he wasn't free, so she needed to find another way to occupy herself.
She looked over at her desk, the mountain of books she'd brought home over the course of the week needed her attention. As much as she wanted a fun Saturday, she knew she had homework to do and doing it now was better than the prospect of doing it hungover the following day. She groaned to herself, grabbing a couple of the books and her laptop before laying back down on her bed, getting comfy.
She spent the next few hours there, only breaking to eat lunch and make the occasional coffee. Nat and Wanda were due round at 5 to start getting ready and it quickly crept up on her. Her work was interrupted by the doorbell ringing downstairs. When she checked her watch she couldn't believe she'd used up a whole day.
Ella collected the girls from downstairs and helped Wanda drag her bags up to her bedroom, it seemed she'd brought about half her wardrobe for them all to pick from. Once they were upstairs they wasted no time picking their outfits, they laid all the clothes out on the bed and took turns trying on options. To say Ella felt out of her comfort zone was an understatement, most of her wardrobe was neutral and simple, extremely different from the mountains of pink she was faced with.
Eventually, she pieced together an outfit she liked, a pink floral mini dress and a pair of her platform heels. She also grabbed a denim jacket from her wardrobe to wear on the drive. The dress was a little too short for her given she was a few inches taller than Wanda, but she didn't mind, she looked good. Next up was Nat, she'd chosen a white bralet, pink jeans and one of her friend's pink jackets. Wanda had gone all out for her outfit, she'd bought Regina George's iconic 'a little bit dramatic t-shirt' and had paired it with a pink plaid mini skirt and matching baby pink cardigan.
The three of them took turns in front of Ella's mirror to do their makeup, helping each other out with their hair. When they were done they gathered downstairs and posed for a few photos. Sarah was happy to be the photographer, and supply them with a drink each. Steve had gone to Sam's with Bucky for pre-drinks so it was just the girls, for now, they'd meet the boys at the party.
After having something to eat, at Sarah's insistence, they all climbed into Ella's dad's car. The party wasn't too far away but it was cold and they were all in heels. When they pulled up outside the house Ella smiled at the decorations. The boy hosting was someone she didn't know too well, but it looked like most of their year was there.
Nat and Wanda jumped out of the car with a chorus of "thanks for the lift, Joe."
"Call if you need a lift home, won't you?" He asked Ella before she ran off with her friends.
She nodded, "of course." She knew how serious his offer was, although she'd never pushed the limit, she knew if she or Steve ever needed a lift their parents would come at any hour of the night. She gave her dad a quick hug before making her way into the house.
Once they were inside the party, the girls poured themselves drinks. Ella got a text from Steve saying the boys were en route. The three of them stood and chatted among the crowds of students, as they did, Ella noticed Christian on the other side of the room. He looked up as she was looking towards him, but he didn't acknowledge her. Her heart panged in her chest a little. Although she knew they weren't going to have any kind of friendship she'd hoped they could at least act as though they weren't strangers.
Luckily, the arrival of Steve, Sam, and most importantly, Bucky distracted her from her thoughts. The boys made a bee-line for the three of them, all of them quick to compliment the girls' costumes. Bucky leant over to Ella and gave her a quick kiss before Ella looked over his costume, he was wearing a plaid shirt, denim jacket, red gilet and jeans.
"You're Marty McFly!" She exclaimed, proud of herself for figuring it out.
"Yeah, you like it?" He asked, showing off his outfit.
"I do, I really do," she nodded, it wasn't so much the outfit that she loved but the fact he'd thought outside the box. It was much better than her brother's generic army costume. Plus, it was absolutely perfect for him.
"They were my favorite movies growing up. Flying cars, time machines, what's not to love?" He grinned.
"You really are a nerd," she said playfully.
"Yeah," he said, "your nerd."
Ella laughed at his comment but it made her blush.
Once their little exchange was over, Ella noticed how uncomfortable Steve looked standing next to Nat. No one else seemed to have noticed so she assumed he hadn't had a conversation with the boys about it. There was only one way to remedy the situation: get him drunk. Or at least, drunker. He already seemed a little tipsy. The six of them set off in search of more drinks and once they were acquired, stood in the kitchen chatting and laughing. They passed the first hour of the party like this, occasionally being joined by other people. However, once Wanda was pulled away by Vision, the rest of them dispersed, leaving Ella and Bucky alone.
Bucky took her hand and weaved through the crowd, seeking out a quieter room. The house they were in was huge, and a little like a maze, but eventually they found themselves in a small living room with only a handful of other people. They dropped themselves down on a couch and Ella sprawled across Bucky's lap and they stayed there for the next hour or so. Eventually, their friends came looking for them, Sam was propping up a very drunk Wanda who was insisting Ella joined her to dance.
She did as she was asked, giving Bucky a quick kiss on the cheek before disappearing out of the room, Nat and Wanda in tow. Back in the main living room, the music was so loud Ella couldn't hear herself think and the vibrations of it hummed in her chest. She laughed as she looked over at Wanda, unsure if she could really class her friend's movements as dancing. Ella felt as though she could really let her hair down for the first time in a long time, so she downed her drink and grabbed her friends' hands and they danced, not caring how drunk or silly they looked. She didn't know how long they kept that up before she spotted Sam walking towards them with a smirk on his face.
"Come with me," Sam shouted over the music, "we found a pool table."
The three of them followed him, somehow not getting lost. They found Steve and Bucky playing a game of pool, being watched by a number of people.
Ella looked around the room, all the girls had their eyes trained on the two of them but neither of them seemed to notice, or at least they didn't care. Bucky pulled Ella towards him as Steve took his shot, he pressed a kiss onto her lips, lingering a little longer than normal. A few of the other girls' faces turned to frowns when they saw this, realizing Bucky was being taken off the market, just as the rumours circulating school for the last week had suggested.
"Did I tell you, you look really fucking good?" Bucky spoke in a low voice that made Ella weak at the knees. She felt his hand stroke up the back of her thigh, reaching the hem of her dress before stopping at the small of her back. However, before she could settle into his touch, he stepped away to take his turn at the pool table. He took the final shot of the game, convincingly beating Steve.
"Who's up next?" he asked, holding the cue out towards the group for someone to take.
Ella reached out and took it from him, as Sam claimed the one Steve had been holding.
"Oh it's on Rogers," he laughed.
Ella wasn't particularly skilled at pool, but luckily for her neither was Sam. They spent most of the game laughing at each other's poor attempts to pot the balls. However, a few turns later Ella leant over the table to take her shot, her denim jacket had long ago been discarded on a nearby chair, so her figure-hugging dress was giving Bucky a great view of her ass. When she'd taken her turn, Bucky pulled her back into his chest and wrapped his arms around her.
"What are you doing to me?" he groaned into her ear.
"Nothing," she laughed, sounding as innocent as she could.
Bucky shook his head and leant down to kiss Ella's neck.
"Don't do that," she breathed, feeling immensely turned on. "I have a game to play, I'm never going to win if you distract me."
"I hate to break it to you, Ella, but I don't think you're going to win anyway," he laughed, gesturing at the table as Sam potted the 8 ball. Ella handed her pool cue back to Steve who had challenged Sam to a game. Bucky was more than happy to sit out, instead preferring to take a seat with Ella back on his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, tiredness setting in. They stayed like that until it was time to leave.
A/N - just a little FYI, the time gaps between chapters are going to start to get a little longer from now on I think, not necessarily every time but I'm very aware that if I don't think could end up being about 100 chapters long and no one needs that.
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