It's honestly the softest kiss he's ever received and it feels more like a benediction than anything arousing and that's strange, considering the party roaring around them. She reaches down and touches his hand and Bucky thinks, just for a moment, that he might even be able to trust Karen with his secret and not have to pretend that he's just got poor circulation or whatever the lie of the week is.

He squeezes her hand and gives her a soft smile. It's the most relaxed he's been in a long time even if the circumstances are strange and he wonders what the hell was in that drink that would cause him to just...let it all go like this. It isn't something he's been able to do since he broke free of the Winter Soldier but one drink and his troubles seem to be melting away.

I don't care if it's the drink. It makes me happy. I'm never happy.