Chapter Text
January 2020
It wasn't all that frequent that the Avengers would humble themselves to dwell amongst the common folk. They all had this somewhat painted facade of perfection. Captain America was national hero, the Winter Soldier was a tortured prisoner of war and Iron Man... if the man himself didn't believe he was a god then over half of the world did.
For whatever the reason, Elizabeth Snow had always felt somewhat uneasy around them. She caught glimpses of who they really were; under the metal, behind the masks and tight spandex, they were still men. They were men who got too frisky with her coworkers, but tipped so well no one ever complained and tonight they sat in her section.
The restaurant could be best described as a high class bar. Although there were technically no poles, there were plenty of beautiful women for anyone who could cover the door fee. Her coworkers joked that it was a brothel that had a food permit. Men, and very seldom women, would come in and have one or a few of the escorts come and join them. Sometimes they bought them dinner, sometimes they even took them on as sugar babies. Elizabeth was at the bottom of the totem pole, merely waitressing. Granted she got paid more than the women who simply sat and talked to these men for hours, but she did a whole hell of a lot more work and had to dress as equally as scandalous.
The restaurant was always dimly lit, giving a relaxing ambiance to her patrons and staff. The room had oak chairs with plush red cushions. A huge golden chandelier hung in the middle of the room. The walls mirrored that of an opera house. Detailed crown molding and an atmosphere that wreaked of privilege and entitlement. She could never relate to this world and yet she were still in it; a mere ant compared to the people who came in to dine on overpriced food and liquor that was older than she was.
It was on tonight's special occasion that the club had been entirely rented out courtesy of Tony Stark. Elizabeth and the other girls guessed that it was something with S•H•I•E•L•D• given that most of the men looked more like secret agents than the usual patrons. Several of the key members seemed to be missing from the group centered in the middle of the room.
At the biggest lounge section sat Thor, Steve Rogers, Bucky Barnes, Tony Stark, and several others she didn't recognize.
In her black cami dress that she bought from some fast fashion website, she straightened herself, kept a good postured and walked over to their table with as much courage as she could muster. "Good evening, Gentlemen." She greeted with a smile and customer service persona on high. "My name is Eliza. What can I get you all started with to drink?"
She could feel their eyes burning on her body. She felt Steve's eyes linger a little bit too long on her bare calves before he answered. "I'll just take a beer, sweetheart." She further asked what kind, having several on tap as well as bottled, both domestic and foreign.
Mr. Stark ordered a Macallan neat and didn't try to hide his ogling as either, but his eyes seemed to venture more north.
"I will have the same as Steve." Thor answered, not being shy to stare blatantly at her chest. It wasn't uncommon for patrons to look. The standard was at long as they looked with their eyes and not their hands.
"And do you have ID?" She asked the boy who appeared to be a bit too young to even be there. He sat there wordlessly, just staring at her. One would have thought the kid never saw a woman before in his life the way he was staring.
Jesus Christ. She thought.
"He's with me," Mr. Stark answered, nonchlantly. "Just get him a Jack and Coke." She was too afraid to confront that the kid was obviously a minor. She would have to give her manager a heads up. It wasn't uncommon for socialites and the occasional trust fund baby to pop in with a bullshit fake, but if they threw enough cash, the higher ups ignored it.
Two others had given their requests and now was the one that made her nervous to walk over to the table. Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier, and the only one out of all of them, who actually scared her. She had seen the news stories. She would be stupid not to be scared of any of the Avengers, but something about Bucky was just terrifying. He seemed unpredictable, deadly.
Bucky looked over the wine & spirits menu before answering "Surprise me" and staring her down. Not at her legs, not at her ass or her chest. His eyes connected directly into her deep green eyes. She swallowed nervously but kept her composure. A sweet smile and a forced ignorance at the obvious stares she was getting.
Be sweet. What she had always been told.
"All right, great." She said penciling down everything, sure to get it right. "Did you want a beer or a hard liquor, perhaps more of a cocktail?" He replied with cocktail. Nothing sweet. Unlike the others, he was the only one who kept consistent eye contact instead of staring down at her body; it made Elizabeth's skin tingle uneasily. "I'll get those right out. Can I put in for any appetizers? We have a chef special tonight, the Grand Plateau which has jumbo lump crab cakes, North Atlantic Lobster, shrimp cocktail and six oysters on the half shell."
"Bring us out two," Tony ordered, his eyes darting back to the menu. "And we'll go from there."
"Fantastic. I'll give you minute to look over the menu and if you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer them when I come back." After turning to head toward the kitchen, she felt their eyes glued to her backside. It wasn't uncommon at work since looking attractive was the primary job requirement. But nevertheless, it made her uneasy. Sometimes a patron would get a little too drunk and a little too frisky, they would either pay a fine that was given to the girl or be blacklisted from the establishment.
What scared Elizabeth was that not only that everyone currently at her table powerful beyond inhuman means, but they had the richest man alive buying their dinner tonight. A $5,000 fine was nothing to Tony Stark. The possibilities of the outcomes or what could happen made her want to switch tables. But her boss was insistent that she was the one to take them. Everything needed to be perfect.
What she failed to mention was that she was requested by name and some extra incentive was passed along to make it seem coincidental.
"You should be getting a good tip tonight." Calliope remarked as Elizabeth starting their tab. "Mr. Stark always tips well." Calliope was a bubbly 20-something blonde from Ohio. Since both of them moved to New York and had no connections here, they relied of each other here and there to get by. Often they would switch tables when the other needed to make a little more money.
"Well let's hope that's true for tonight." Elizabeth finished up their tab set up and headed to the kitchen to place their order first before going to the bar. Given the size of the group, the bartenders were a little short staffed working on the back and helping serve.
"What are you making?" Calliope asked following behind Elizabeth like a puppy. "My tables just put in an order for food so I'm just killing time." Time Elizabeth wish she had right now.
"I found online." She dismissed. "One of them said 'surprise me'. Do they not realize how stressful that is? Like I don't know what you like to drink."
"But what is it?"
"I don't know, I didn't make it. Rim the glass with sugar, muddle some cherries, two ounces of bourbon, one ounce orange juice, add some bitters, half an ounce maple syrup, strain over ice."
Like most 20 somethings, Elizabeth spent most of her free time on social media apps, even though she promised herself she would be more productive. She even went as far as buying a few new books that just seem to be collecting dust. When she came across a recipe she liked, she saved it. Her camera roll was more full of screenshots and saved videos than anything else.
"That sounds pretty damn good. Make me one after this shift?" Calliope asked, resting her chin on Elizabeth's shoulder. Calliope was only a little taller than Elizabeth, but she was far more skinny. Elizabeth had thighs that required anti-chub rub powder before every shift or else she would pay for it later.
"If I last that long, I have been cramping literally all day. I almost called out, but Jonathan begged me to come in since the whole place was gonna be packed." Jonathan was their manager and Elizabeth were the first person he always called to come in and cover a shift.
"Are you still not on birth control?" Calliope narrowed her eyes at her. Elizabeth had been complaining of cramps the last couple of months, but never managed the time to get it sorted. She usually just took a Midol and spent the evening cuddle up next to a heating pad.
"No I looked into getting another IUD, but out of pocket is so expensive." With insurance, that she didn't have, she was looking at about $400 for the ultrasound alone. Not to mention she would have to pay for the visit and the implant out of pocket.
"Just go to your gyno and have them write a prescription for the pill." Calliope said, irritated that they two were having this conversation yet again. She never made the time to take care of herself or to just take a day off. Elizabeth was all work, no play and truly dull. Add-in a recent breakup and her social life was, well, pathetic.
"Your first mistake was thinking I had a gynecologist."
"Then go find one." Calliope said. "I have a great one a couple of blocks down."
"With what insurance?" She countered.
"Fair enough." Calliope decided to just drop it. One thing she learned about Elizabeth since the two started working together is that she was sweet, shy and didn't like confrontation. But if there was something Elizabeth didn't want to do, she wasn't going to do it. No arguing. Just a simple 'no, thank you' or 'I'd rather not'.
"It's not like I'm seeing someone anymore." Elizabeth sighed, placing everyone's drinks on her tray before picking it up. "I can't remember the last decent date I went on."
"That's because you won't give anybody a chance."
"I don't like anyone enough to give them a chance. Don't you have food to go check on?"
Calliope rolled her eyes and headed back into the kitchen.
"Alright, gentlemen," She set the tray down at the edge of the table and distributed the drinks. She set the beverages in front of their intended. "Here you go." She was about to put the final one down, when Bucky reached out for his drink instead of letting her just place it on the table. Instantly, her face felt prickly, almost as if she had pre-workout that was a little bit too intense.
The look on his face, she wouldn't call it smiling exactly, but there was definitely a look. Nothing sinister or mischievous. It was just... nice. "Is there anything else I can get before I check on the food?" They said they still needed time looking over the menu, she nodded, gave a meek 'okay' in response and scurried off into the kitchen.
"See something you like, Barnes?" Tony asked, noticing the Winter Soldier still kept his eyes glued to her as she disappeared behind the doors leading into the kitchen.
"Pretty little thing, isn't she?" Steve remarked. "Told you this one was perfect." Steve had took the liberty in paying to make sure that Elizabeth was the one catering to their needs tonight. He had come several weeks back with just Sam and he knew he would be perfect for her. Unfortunately, he had a different waitress tending to him that evening, so he was left looking at her from a far.
But once he saw her, he knew she would be perfect for him. "You got that right. I can't believe how much she favors Connie" Bucky agreed and took a sip of his cocktail. Bucky ran his tongue along his top lip. "That's pretty good."
"A girl who knows how to make you a drink after a long day." Steve raised his eyebrows, a playful smile on his face. "It'll be nice, Buck. Just what you need."
Once the appetizers were ready, Elizabeth brought them out. Back straight, stomach pulled in and hips swaying. Who would have thought confidence was so easily faked.
"What did you give him?" Tony asked pointing to Bucky.
"Oh it's something I just whipped up behind the bar. Just bourbon, orange juice, some bitters."
"Yeah, but what is it called? In case he wants to order another." Tony pressed and she felt like he was talking to her like a child.
"Nothing. It's just something I made behind the bar." She tried to explain. "Why? Did you not like it?" She her brow furrowed. The concern was written on her face.
"No," Bucky assured, but enjoying that she was worried about whether or not she did something wrong. "It's great, keep 'em coming, doll."A chill ran up her spine at the pet name.
"I'll take one too. Hell," Stark waved her off. "Just make it a round."
She smiled, happy that it wasn't a flop. "Sure thing." She said before shuffling back to the bar, leaving them to peck at the food. More drinks meant more money spent, more money spent meant a bigger tip.
"If you stare any harder at her, you're gonna burn a hole through the back of her head, Bucky." Steve laughed as he sipped his drink. "I told you she wasn't bad on the eyes."
"Nope." Bucky said watching her intently. She was oblivious to his stare; too focused on making him and his friends drinks. "She's something."
"Followed her for a few weeks. Makes a b-line from work to her apartment. Takes her dog on a walk in the morning at 7 am, lunch and 6 pm. I don't think I've seen her actually go anywhere else. Practically a recluse and perfect for snatching." Steve was always proud when it came to that sort of thing. He almost perfected Pepper's behavior. Tony preferred someone that fought back a little, but didn't like things to get physical. And Steve was more than eager to help.
"I want to take it slow." He said. "Ease her into it."
"That's no fun."
"Some of us have patience, Tony." He Bucky finished off his second drink. "Besides, I would be worried if she was eager to jump into it. I like a bit of a chase." That's how things were back in the day. Bucky was still unaccustomed to this new era of 'dating'. Women, men, everyone took things too quickly. There was no build up. Quick satisfaction and very little substance.
She returned with the drinks and hoping for everyone's approval. "Everything come out okay?" She stood, waiting for them to say whether the appetizer or drinks weren't to their liking.
Tony was the first to take a sip of the concoction. "That is good." Tony said sitting back in his chair. "Do you bartend on the side?" His held tilted to the side. It was nice that their gaze had some what changed. Granted, she wasn't oblivious. She knew how she looked, especially in that attire and it didn't make her any less comfortable.
"Oh, no." She replied bashfully. "I just do it sometimes here. Short on staff tonight and it's honestly not that hard."
"Well what's in it?" Steve asked swirling his glass before taking a sip himself. "May have to order me another one."
" It's just muddled cherry, bourbon, orange juice, bitters and maple syrup over ice." She answered, somewhat proud of Steve's compliment. "So what are we feeling food wise?" They all rattled off their orders, except Bucky, who just replied with "surprise me" again.
"Beef, chicken or seafood?" Again with the option. Although he preferred to be in control, he wanted her to be self-ensured on making certain decisions.
"Let's go beef." He said and gave her a soft smile. Again, the unsettling feeling trickled down her spine.
She wrote down an order for a Wagyu medium rare, sided with lobster Mac & cheese and creamed spinach with garlic confit. When she went to turn away, her heel weirdly turned on the floor causing her to lose her balance and stumble. Bucky's hands quickly shot out to make sure she didn't fall.
"Oh goodness, I-I'm sorry." She apologized, his hands still on her hips. Bucky loved how she seemed so frazzled. She looked cute when she was embarrassed.
"Don't worry about it, Doll." He said slowly letting his hands slip off of her. Her skin felt like it was on fire where his touched lingered a bit too long.
She thanked him again before going to the kitchen to collect herself.
Calliope saw sweat beginning to collect at Elizabeth's forehead. "You good?" She asked.
"Yeah," she reassured. "It's just a busy night."
"Well if you need any help, just let me know." She said before picking up two dishes in the kitchen window. Elizabeth promised to just try and steer clear from the table until their meals were ready.
She carefully set down Bucky's meal last. "I guessed you for a medium rare kind of guy."
"You guessed correctly." He said. "This looks amazing."
"Is there anything else I can get you?"
"Just another round of drinks, but perhaps a surprise shot this time?" Tony ordered.
"Yes, sir."
She made quick work behind the bar. 1 ounce of grenadine, 1/2 ounce of whipped cream vodka, 1 ounces of vanilla schnapps, shaken with ice, poured into an empty shot glass and topped with a small thing of whip cream.
She never liked to taste the alcohol in her drinks. She prefered anything sweet and fruity and would trade beer for a cosmopolitan with heavy cranberry juice any day.
She brought the red shots over and placed them around, having to lean a bit to get them to everyone, being sure to be mindful of her feet this time.
"This is a little bit more sweet than the last one so if you don't like it I can just make another one no problem." She offered.
"I like sweet." Bucky smiled and she gave a smile back, just to be courteous.
Everyone seemed pleased with their drinks and service. They ordered another round of the bourbon drink she made earlier and Elizabeth began to clear plates and empty platters when Steve spoke up.
"What are you doing later?" Steve asked boldly. "After dinner we were going to go to Stark Towers and have a little get together." She was surprised at the offer and felt it would affect her tip if she just flat out said no. The murderous look Bucky flashed Steve went unnoticed.
"Oh, I'm scheduled to close." She lied. "I probably won't be getting off until 4 or so."
"Well no reason why we can't wait up." Tony tilted his head, almost as if he were challenging her.
"Oh you don't need to do that." Elizabeth urged. "Plus, I have to work tomorrow so I really need to go home and rest up." Something in her gut was telling her even those the were the same people who saved the world, protected Earth, and were regarded as unequivocally being the 'good guys', she needed to get the fuck out of there. "Anything else I can bring you? Dessert? Another round?"
"We're fine for now." Tony said. She gave a swift nod and a smile before retreating into the kitchen.
Elizabeth pulled Calliope away from the conversation she was having with the cook. "Hey! What's the deal?" She asked. "I'm trying to cop a free meal."
"I'm not feeling well and Jonathan said I could clock out at 12 since I came in to cover a shift and it's already 1:46. Do you think you can handle my table for the rest of the night?"
"We close in literally another hour, can you not just push through it?"
"Whatever they tip, I'll give you half." Her tone instantly shifted.
"Go home and get some rest, Birdie." She urged pushing Elizabeth toward the back room.
"Thank you, thank you," She said going to the computer in the back room and clocking out. She made haste getting her shit together while Calliope took care of New York's heroes.
"Hi, I'm Calliope and I'll be taking care of you for the rest of the evening."
"What happened to the other girl?" Steve asked pointing to the direction their previous waitress just fled.
"Oh, she wasn't feeling too well so I'll be taking care of you for the rest of the night. Is there anything I can get you? Maybe some more drinks or are we thinking a dessert?"
Steve shot Bucky a look. "I think we're good." He answered. Tony pulled a couple of hundreds from his wallet.
"Here is your tip, my dear." He handed her the money. "I'll be sure to give our waitress her tip when we come in next time. What was her name again?" Calliope told them. Bucky repeated her name, liking the way it felt coming from his mouth. Instantly he imagined him moaning it as he buried himself inside her.
To say Elizabeth ran to her apartment is accurate. She didn't know why but she had the feeling she was being followed, but she always did. Elizabeth always felt afraid of every shadow and strange noise in the darkness. Like something would reach out and grab her.
She finally relaxed when she locked the apartment door behind her. Mia, her 80 pound Rottweiler was ready and greeting her at the door. As intimidating as she was, she didn't growl, much less bark. She initially kept her with the intent of being a guard dog, but turns out she was a social butterfly.
She put on Mia's harness and took her outside to potty before the two of them went to bed. Pulling out her phone, she sent Calliope a text to check-in.
*So how did it go?*
*ok. Stark gave me a $300 tip.
Said that you would get your tip next time they came in*
*youre fucking joking*
*i swear . They acted really weird when
I told them you left because you weren't feeling well.*
*shit you told them I wasn't feeling good?*
*yeah whats the big deal?*
*they asked me did I want to go back to Stark Towers after they finished*
*holy shit why didn't you go?*
*I just got a really weird feeling. I don't exactly feel comfortable with them.*
*why? They were so nice.*
*idk it's just like a gut feeling. Did they stay long after I left?*
*no they actually didn't order anything else and headed out.*
Mia finished her business and Elizabeth began to panic. Did she make them mad by refusing their offer? What's going to happen next time they come in? She was so caught up in being worried about having pissed off the strongest people in the world, she didn't even notice a set of eyes watching her, from a car parked across the street.
Stark Towers was dimly lit with they returned. The Avengers had quickly turned Stark Towers into their own home and headquarters after the battle in Wakanda. Tony resided in the penthouse. The floor below him was Steve, then Bucky followed by Sam, Bruce, Natasha and Wanda. Peter still lived with his aunt May and Strange resided... well no one really knew where Strange lived.
Everyone retired to the floor below Wanda's which served as the common area. There was a well stocked kitchen and walk-in pantry, a couple of couches and a pool table.
"So, that made for an interesting dinner." Steve said throwing his coat on a bar stool. "What do you think, Buck?"
"I think you were right, Steve." Bucky remarked taking off his own leather coat. "She's exactly what I had in mind."
"Well I suppose asking her out the old fashioned way isn't the route your taking." Tony remarked.
"I'll try to woo her a bit, but I'm not into a chase if that's what your asking."
"A chase worked for me and Pepper." He defended.
"Where is Pepper?" Peter asked.
"Oh, Pepper," he said. "That's right." His expression was of feigned surprise. "I suppose we forgot to invite her along before we left, Cap."
"I suppose we did." Steve sinfully smirked. "Let's go see if she's still busy."
Tony and Steve walked to the elevator, leaving the others in the common area. "So are you going to help Bucky train this one?"
"If he needs it." Steve offered. "I don't think she'll be much of a fighter. She was so scared she took off before we were even done eating. Not one for confrontation."
"I told Bucky he could borrow the mansion upstate when he was ready. It's hard disciplining them while in the city. You get too worried that they'll try and escape."
"Tell me about it." He said walking into Tony's penthouse. It was nothing short of state of the art. Everything was sharp and clean. They walked into a hallway, where at the end led into Tony's office. On the wall, there was a shelf. Steve rolled up his sleeves as Tony pulled a book, causing the bookcase to move to the side, revealing a hidden door.
Steve and Tony entered the room where Pepper's body hung from the ceiling. Her once perky and neat ponytail now sagged, stray baby hairs flying in different direction. Her arms and legs hogtied together, letting her hang in the air. Her head hung limply down, strings of drool pooling around her gag and falling on her chest. The sounds of her deep breathing and the low hum of the vibrator filled the room.
"So," Steve asked wrapping a hand around Pepper's throat. "Did we learn our lesson?"