Chapter Text
Once again, Tony had the idea of a huge extravaganza. What for this time ? Valentine’s Day. Everyone has a date, Steve is here with Sharon, Sam with Nat (and don’t ask me how it happened because I seriously don’t know), Clint with Laura, Scott with Hope, Bruce and Betty and obviously, Tony and Pepper.
To add a point to my misery of being the only single one tonight, Tony decided that the party has to be a costumed one, Disney themed. To be honest, I would have rather stay in my room, but Tony said I must be here, so here I am.
I look at my friends’ costumes. Steve is dressed as Hercules and Sharon as Megara, Clint as Robin Hood, Laura as Maid Marian, Tony and Pepper as Snow White and the Prince, Bruce and Betty as Beauty and the Beast. Everyone looks really fancy. And me you’ll ask, as who am I dressed ? As that prince from The Little Mermaid, Eric. I wasn’t even free to choose, Tony decreed it to me, because he said I looked like him. When he told me, I asked him about what was the point of coming when I didn’t have a date, he said it would be fun. The only reason I accepted to go is because I hope that she will show up.
She ? Yeah, Y/N Y/L/N, she works as Tony’s personal assistant for a few months. She has big Y/E/C eyes, Y/H/C hair, a bright smile and she’s very clumsy but it adds a lot to her natural charm. She’s putting my heart upside down. But she’s not here, I don’t even know if she’s going to come. I asked Tony, and he said that his PA’s life outside of the office wasn’t his business.
I remember the first time I met Y/N, she just arrived and was looking for Tony, not knowing the Tower yet and she got herself lost in the inside swimming pool. I don’t know how, but she walked in, slipped on the floor, hit her head on the tiles and almost drowned in the pool. She’s lucky that FRIDAY has an eye on all the facility and that I was not far. When she opened her eyes, she asked me if she was dead and if I was an angel. It made me laugh. After that incident, from time to time, I started to eat with her at noon, when I wasn’t on a mission. I haven’t dared to ask her out, I’m scared that she says no or maybe worst. I don’t even know if she has a boyfriend or a girlfriend or whatever relationship she could be in.
“So, prince Eric, haven’t find your mermaid yet ?”, Tony laughs, handing me a glass of whiskey.
“Haha, very funny Tony”, I answer, taking the glass from his hand.
“You are very handsome uncle Bucky”, a little voice says next to Tony, reveling a Morgan dressed as Cinderella, “and if you don’t have a princess tonight, I would really love to be your princess.”
“You’re my everyday princess, Morgan”, I tell her, crouching to be at her size. “And I’d be very honored if you’d be my princess tonight.”
She puts her arms around my neck and gives me a big hug. “Will you dance with me ?”
“Of course princess”, I give my glass back to Tony, taking Morgan’s little hand in mine.
I’m almost too busy dancing with Morgan to notice her. Y/N, she’s here. A red wig on her head, she’s dressed in a white sheet, held by ropes, bare legs, bare feet, a starfish in her fake hair, a yellow and blue fish and a red crab hanging on both her sides. A literal apparition.
“Hihi, uncle Bucky, I think you’re in love”, Morgan giggles. “You should go and see your princess because she’s here now. I’m going to ask daddy to dance with me.”
And she instantly disappears, to reappear no even a minute later in her father’s arms. I look back at Y/N, she’s talking and laughing with Sharon and Steve.
“So, how do you find my idea ?”, Pepper materialises herself next to me.
“What ?”
“The party, the theme, your costume”, she calmly says.
All the pieces of the puzzle are putting themselves in their place, they did this on purpose, the party, making me dress as Prince Eric. Everything was planned.
“What are you waiting for ? Go now.” She’s right, it’s now or never.
It’s like everything is going as a slow motion, a scene in a movie, she raises her head, smiles at me and comes to me, meeting me halfway. Once again, her clumsiness works to my benefit. She stumbles over a step, and just like Ariel falls from her roc into Eric’s arms in the movie, she falls right into my arms, her face at only a few inches from mine, her eyes looking directly into mine.
“Hi”, I say.
“Hi”, she answers.