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It’s not a thing for them, because that would make it weird. It’s just that every once in a while one of them will pretend that they don’t know the other one and flirt mercilessly. In any case Natalia apparently decides, much to Bucky’s amusement, that Stark’s annual Avengers Christmas Ball is the perfect place for another round of it.
They arrived together, but a few hours into the party Bucky has ended up at the bar, watching her mingle. She spots him at the bar, with his scotch in hand, and sends him a look so hilariously, innocently coquettish she could have been a high schooler meeting her prom date.
The game is on and he’s playing to win.
When he catches her eyes again, he gives her a thorough elevator look and finishes off with a wink. In return Natalia slaps a hand over her mouth and hides behind a suddenly very confused looking Jane.
This goes on for a while. But eventually her glass is empty and she has to go to the bar to get it refilled. And there just happens to be an empty space next to Bucky. Not at all because he asked the previous occupant to scram when he saw her making her way to him.
When Natalia climbs onto the bar stool she bumps into him, all innocent-like, and uses her hard-earned training to blush like a schoolgirl. Her eyes dart down briefly, but they snap right up to his face. “Is that a gun in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?”
Bucky almost laughs, she’s been working the innocent little girl schtick so hard, yet she decides to go with that line? Only thing for it is to over-do her. “Why don’t you check and see.”
Actually managing to deepen her blush, Natalia hits his shoulder, open-handed and without any of her real strength behind it. “What kind of a girl you take me for?”
“I don’t know, miss,” he drawls and downs the last gulp of scotch. “Let’s blow this joint and find out.”
“Mister Barnes!” Her shocked outcry attracts the attention of the nearby guests, but they both ignore them.
He leans forward, putting his lips near her ear, and whispers, “I never told you my name.”
She drops the pretense, the blush fading promptly, and looks at him with a disgruntled expression. “Well, fuck.”
“Yup.”
“Pancakes or straight home?”
“How about pancakes and then straight home?”
Natalia slides off the stool with a sigh. “Fine, but could we please pick some place other than Pancake House this time?”
Bucky makes a noncommittal sound and slips his arm around her waist, leading her towards the exit. He won, he got to pick what they did. Besides he would make it up to her later, at home.