The others were waiting, sitting on the floor in a circle in the living roomone of the living rooms. Tony had even come out of the lab.

Thor beams at the two of them, hugging a couch cushion. "Doctor Banner tells me this game is very ancient."

Bruce nods. "It's been traced back to Ancient Greece and a game called Basilinda."

Steve takes a place beside Thor while Bucky sprawls against one of the couches between Tony and Natasha. She passes him a glass and pours it full of vodkaexpensive stuff by the fancy bottle Tony must have brought out for the occasion. Bucky takes the vodka and tops off Tony's glass on the other side of him. Apparently everyone but Steve and Thor will be getting drunk, or trying to in the case of Bucky.

"Who's going to start?" Clint asks.

Tony holds up his glass. His face is flushed and Steve suspects he's half drunk already. "Last one to join us bows to the privilege of the provider of the booze." He turns to Bucky. "Truth or dare, Barnes?"

Bucky rolls his eyes and takes a sip of his vodka. He's not keen on playing. "Fine. Truth."

"Have you ever eaten any of your victims."

Steve glares at him. Bucky was brainwashed, not a serial killer, and just once couldn't Tony resist picking at a wound?

Bucky must be getting used to him though. He winks at him and says with a straight face, "In what way?"

Clint whistles and Natasha's smirk is so knowing Steve averts his eyes out of decency."Your turn," Tony prompts Bucky.

Bucky takes another drink. "Since it's Thor's fault we're playing this, truth or dare, big guy?"

Thor smiles eagerly. "I shall choose truth. Have at it Soldier of Winter."

Bucky thinks a minute, pursing his lips. The vodka has made them redder. He cocks his head. "Does 'polishing the hammer' always mean polishing the hammer?"

Everyone laughs. Thor is confused for a moment, then his laughter is loudest of all. "Ah ha! We of Asgard have no need to be delicate about such things. The next time I am compelled to do as you imply, I shall not hide it from you, friend."

The look on Bucky's face is priceless. Tony pats him on the back, then admits, "My mind wants to go to the same place every time you say you're 'working the arm'. Kinda humanizes the legend."

Bucky doesn't bother asking which legendthe murderous one or Cap and the Commandoes. He shakes his head and pours Stark more booze. "It's Thor's turn."

Thor has caught on that the questions are supposed to be embarrassing. Clint picks truth and Thor asks, "With which do you please the fairer sex more, your abilities as a lover or your aim?"

The question is so earnest Clint laughs in embarrassment. "I try not to ask. Better that way, right?" He holds up his cup.

The game goes around to Tony, and Clint wants to know whether he's ever gone into battle with nothing under the armor.

"Commando once," Tony answers, "but not totally free spirit free. My turn." He swallows down half his vodka and singles out Steve a little too gleefully. "You're up, Cap. Truth or dare. Pressing questions over here."

Before Steve knows it, he's squared his shoulders. The game hardly feels fair when alcohol doesn't work to mitigate the humiliation or the prying.

"Truth," he chooses warily.

"Super Soldier Serum... standard refractory period?"

Weak laughter erupts around the circle. Steve just marvels yet again at how sex-obsessed the modern world is. He refuses to blush and stammer the way Tony expects him to though.

"There's really not much of one," Steve shrugs.

Natasha eyes Bucky and tops off his glass with more vodka. The gesture is congratulatory and Steve's unsure what to make of that. Maybe his mind's in the gutter as much as anyone else's, because he can't help but wonder with a prickle of guilty heat in the pit of his stomach if it's the same for Bucky now. Natasha would know.

Steve decides on a serious question and asks Bruce what he's angry about now.

Bruce's smile is wolfish, "Right now I'm angry there's things I should be angry about and I'm not."

It's a good answer, and Steve has to smile at the task Bruce sets Natasha when she decides to be different and picks dare. "After the things these guys are asking, I dare you to find us another woman for the team."

She laughs. "I'm not sure these boys can handle another grown-up around."

"Hey," Bucky says, but that only reminds her that it's her turn and she chooses him.

He picks truth again, which she seemed to expect. Natasha smiles at him and asks too sweetly, "How many people in this room do you want to sleep with, James?"

"Ohh," Clint laughs. "Show the man some mercy, Nat."

"Right to the point." Bruce raises his glass, impressed.

Bucky scowls. She's thoroughly pleased with herself and he knows it. Steve has no idea what that's about, but Bucky takes a long drink, tilts his head, and meets her eyes. She winks at him and he winks back. "Just one," he admits, and there's a little more to the way he looks at her then the charm and the promise of a good time that got so many girls into bed, but there's still a promise in it of something she'll get from him later.

If Steve is a little jealous, he tells himself not even a national icon likes the feeling his best friend is sharing something secret with someone else.

The questions continue around the room and they don't get any more mature. Steve chooses truth again when Clint chooses him and apparently he's been dying to know "did the serum make it bigger?"

Steve is pretty sure that isn't what he'd ask someone he called his childhood hero if he ever got the chance, and he answers dryly. "I doubt it, but I don't think anyone took the time to measure."

Bucky's lips quirk up in a half smile that could mean anything and on his next turn he chooses truth yet again.