i am once again furthering my delusions of secretly canon samrhodey by choosing to believe that sam is in rhodey's brownstone apartment ranting abt the whole ""new avengers"" situation as we speak
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not me thinking about how sam looked at rhodey in the first episode, like all he wanted to do was hold rhodey's hands and seek his reassurance, and had to jam his hands in his pockets to stop himself. you can't tell me sam didn't have a major thing for rhodey, esp. in armour, since avengers 2, and wanted to at some point ask him out on a date only to have cap and tony's parking lot brawl fuck things up.
SamRhodey: “do you know how suffocating this is?” (hurt/comfort)
Clickclick.
The crack of Sam’s neck as he whips his head towards the sound.
The growing whistle against the patter of rain.
The mechanic hum of his wings pulling him backwards, his ragged breaths–
Riley.
The collision of metal against skin.
Riley’s gasp.
Riley’s body–
The tail of smoke left in its path.
The boom of the explosion.
The horrible squelch of flesh.
Sam’s scream.
Riley’s lone hand.
Falling.
Reaching.
Sam throws himself out of bed before he’s even aware of his conscience, his muscle memory working like clockwork as his feet catch his fall, as his hands grab for the blue roll of plastic bags in his nightstand, as his sweaty fingers scramble to tear one out, to pull it open, as his body curls over.
It leaves him in ugly waves, the sound as horrible as always, the acid burning his throat, each wrack inspiring new ones, horrible and yellow, the smell of death and dying.
He can barely breathe with each inhale, the sensation so familiar but the pain always shocking – the clenching around his lungs, the quiver of his stomach, the throbbing of his head, the shaking of his hands, the memory behind his eyelids.
He stays there, hunched over and shaking and weak and pitiful.
He doesn’t know for how long this time, hasn’t known for a long time. Stopped counting years ago when he realized it wouldn’t stop. Just knows that it was long enough for his knees to hurt, the skin there scratched white under the pressure.
So – long. Longer than the usual.
Didn’t matter anyway.
He stumbles out of his room, bare feet slapping against cold tiles.
He doesn’t know how, but his fingers find the right buttons and he’s mumbling something to JARVIS, doesn’t know what but it’s enough to get the elevator moving.
And he hates the feeling, hates the way it feels like he’s falling, feels his stomach squeezing again, hears the clickclick and the whistle again, so he bites his tongue and grips the handrails. Grips them tight like he wished he gripped Riley, grips them tight like his life depended on it.
And maybe it did.
The ping of the elevator startles him, too soon and too similar to the whistle, too similar to the screeching silence that followed.
And it’s awful, but at least he’s conscious this time. Conscious enough to propel himself out of that hellbox and into the main lounge.
It’s only after he’s poured himself a cold, cold glass of water, only after he’s gulped it all down – the water, the memories, he doesn’t know which, but it’s only after, that he reaches for the alcohol.
And he knows he shouldn’t. Knows how it’s a shot in the dark, the perfect antidote or the devil in disguise.
Knows–
“Sam?”
He stills his hands. James?
He tries again, clearing his throat, pushing his voice out from where it coils deep in his chest, “Rhodes?”
His eyes fly across the room but he doesn’t see, his sight bleary, his eyes stinging, and it’s only then that he realizes he’s been crying. Only then that he feels the wetness across his cheeks, tastes the salt on his lips.
“Sam. Wilson, I’m gonna need you to focus.”
Wilson.
Focus.
And he tries.
Tries again, tries to focus his eyes around the shape in front him, tries to bite his tongue to stop the tears, tries to stop the ringing in his ears, tries, tries, tries. But the world stays foggy, stays grey like a trail of smoke.
“Okay,” it’s soft and whispered under Rhodes’ breath, more for his own ears than Sam’s, but his ears try to chase his voice anyway, try to hear him past the ringing, past the clickclick, past the whistle.
“Okay, Sam. Sam, I’m gonna need you to give me permission to touch you, okay? Will you let me touch you?”
No.
But that’s a lie.
“Yes. Yes.”
And then a pair of arms are reaching around him, and he’s getting pulled into a chest and over a shoulder before he can put up a fight. Rhodes squeezes him, and it’s tight, but it’s not foreboding. Just enough to pull him out of the air, out of his wings, out of the cold rain and away from the clickclick, away from the whistle, away from the smell.
Just enough for him to smell sandalwood and skin instead, to feel the floor beneath his feet. Enough to register the sweet rumble of a soft voice, he doesn’t know what it says, maybe it doesn’t say anything at all, but it engulfs him, grounds him.
A wide palm cradles the back of his head, and...Sam knows this. Has done it for so many soldiers, has held their shaking bodies in his arms, has run his hand down their backs, has soothed them just like this.
But– it was never like this.
Was never him being held. Never him being soothed.
And then he’s crying. Just like them.
He’s crying. And he’s shaking. And the world fades away again and it’s just him and Rhodes.
Rhodes and him.
Rhodes’ clothed shoulder, now-wet but steady, beneath his lips. Rhodes’ hands running circles into his back. Rhodes, Rhodes, Rhodes, James.
“Was so bad,” he grunts into the fabric, into James.
James’ hands still for a moment, his arms briefly squeezing tighter, and Sam is reminded then of how long he’s been silent. How long he’s just been crying in James Rhodes’ arms.
So he pulls away. Tries to, anyway, but James is pulling him back. Keeping him close.
“I– I could smell it, James. His burnt flesh. Could hear it. Heard his flesh, saw his hand, I–” the words get caught in his throat, the acid twisting in his stomach again, the memory slicing his mind anew.
“It’s–” he heaves then because it's too much, too fresh. Heaves into James’ shoulder, dry and painful, “I couldn’t– I– Do you know how suffocating this is?”
The arms around him do not stiffen. The hands do not waver.
But James Rhodes doesn’t speak a word.
And he doesn’t have to. Because no shit he knows.
Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes.
The man who carried ghosts behind his dark eyes, carried pain and memory beneath them.
Carried comrades, and soldiers. Carried Sam Wilson.
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broken pieces (you and me) fit together perfectly | AU-gust Day 5: Post Apocalyptic AU
AU-gust masterlist
i think this is my biggest fill yet, and i actually had so much fun writing this so please give it some love!!
//
Adjusting to life in Wakanda isn't easy. For one thing, everywhere is a constant reminder of what they faced, what they lost. As a country, Wakanda is not terribly big, its not large and looming and filled with large stretches of land the way the US was. There is no car for Sam to get into, no expanse of road that he can lose himself in.
There is just here, and nothing else.
It hadn't take him and Jim long to make it back to the others, one of his arms slung around Jim's shoulders while the other pressed against the wound in his abdomen in some attempt to stop the bleeding. The minute he got back though, he knew.
He didn't know how, or why, or even when. But he knew. Steve was dead.
He doesn't remember how he reacted, the entire thing is a huge blank in his mind. A week after he found out, Jim visits him in the med bay, and tells him in soft, halting tones, how Sam crumpled to the ground - screaming, and how none of them could do anything. Not Natasha, not Bruce, not even Jim.
He listens with a blank tone, and then turns on his side, mindful of all the tubes stuck inside him. Jim hovers around his head, but eventually lets himself out, leaving Sam alone to his thoughts.
All said and done, it takes him an embarrassingly long amount of time to realise that he's not the only one grieving. It feels like something that should be obvious, because Thanos killed half the universe, because the only news that's being reported these days is of the climbing death rate, because the tragedy is impossible to escape, even in his own mind.
Yet somehow, Sam doesn't realise until almost two weeks after he's been released from Medical that Jim is grieving too. It's almost humiliating, the way he finds out.
He's on his way to the kitchen, because Princess Shuri has graciously given them use of the East Wing of the Palace even though he's certain that everytime she looks at them, she thinks about the brother they've taken from her - the brother she lost because they brought war to her doorsteps; when he hears Jim and Natasha's voices.
"Anything?" Natasha asks, and there's a tinge of panic in her voice that makes Sam pause, "You haven't heard anything at all?"
"Pepper's been trying him for days," Jim says in a resigned voice, but Sam's been a therapist long enough to detect the undercurrent of despair, "Says she lost all contact with him after he boarded the donut. There's nothing -"
Jim's voice cracks, and Sam wants to reach out and hold him. Dimly, he's aware that he should probably examine those feelings closer but Jim's started talking again so he refocuses his attention on the conversation, "..doesn't die. I got so used to him not dying Nat. I don't, I don't know what it means that we haven't heard from him. Part of me wants to hold on, because this is Tony we're talking about he -"
"beats all the odds," Natasha finishes, and there's a rustle of movement, where Sam imagines that she's reaching out and holding his hand. It stirs something ugly inside of him. "He beats all the odds, and you want to believe that he's beaten these ones too."
"Thing is though," Jim says in a dry voice, "Even if he somehow survived space again, I have no way of knowing if he survived the Snap. Thanos didn't just kill half the population on Earth, he killed half the population everywhere. Who's to say that Tony didn't die somewhere on some godforsaken planet, all alone."
Jim makes a chocking sound then, and Sam realises with rapidly growing horror that he's crying. Without quite thinking it through, his feet start moving of their own accord, and when he enters the room, Jim's head is nestled in the crook of Natasha's shoulders.
Natasha looks up when he enters, and her eyes are wet with unshed tears. She mimes keeping quiet in her left hand, her right hand running down Jim's back in soothing motions; and Sam feels like an outsider looking in on their friendship.
He doesn't know what to say, so he says nothing, simply grabbing something from the fridge and walking out. As he's leaving, he can feel Natasha's eyes bore holes into his back, but he doesn't turn around.
/
Staying in Wakanda gets easier, over time. Sam isn't foolish enough to say that it hurts less, or that he gets used to how he can cover the entire country in a couple of days, but it gets more familiar - starts to feel like some semblance of home.
Jim is a huge part of that.
Once he got his head out of his ass and recognised that Jim had lost his bestfriend the same way Sam had, they started developing, something. Sam doesn't want to label, wouldn't even know what to call it even if he tried - but he's been down this road long enough to recognise familiar haunts.
He’d always been friendly with Jim, since they both joined up to the Avengers roster at the same time, post – Ultron. Steve was caught between missing Tony and furiously throwing himself into saving Barnes - and Sam, Jim and Natasha formed this unlikely but solid bond.
That’s nothing compared to what they have now: quiet conversations in dimly lit rooms in the middle of the nights, cryptic touches in the blearing light of day, comfort under covers that they never talk about again.
Sam has spent so much time being the person that people went to for help, that he’s almost forgotten how to ask for it.
Jim changes that.
“Can’t sleep?” he lifts up his head from where he’s absently blowing at his coffee to see Jim leaning against the doorframe, clad in worn out sweats and an MIT tshirt and stretches around his chest and rises up around his waist; revealing a sliver of finely toned muscle and the hint of defined hips.
Sam firmly tamps down the want that’s growing inside him.
“Me neither,” Jim continues, even though Sam hasn’t spoken, “I don’t think any of us are getting much sleep anymore.”
“Might have something to do with the fact that your clothes don’t fit you,” Sam says, in lieu of an actual response. He doesn’t feel like digging deep and exposing himself.
Jim looks down at his tee like he didn’t even realise that he was wearing it, and when he replies, his voice is thick with an emotion that Sam recognises intimately, “It’s Tony’s. Must’ve got mixed up in the wash.”
Tony isn’t in Wakanda, nor is his laundry, but Sam doesn’t call him out on it. He simply reaches out and pats on the seat next to him, and when Jim sits down – knocks their shoulders together.
Jim leans into the touch briefly, and Sam suddenly remembers how tactile Tony used to be, during the few times he would visit the Compound. He wonders how long it’s been since someone has touched Jim like that.
“I hear that Wakanda has crazy infomercials,” he says, before he does something stupid like offer to cuddle Jim, “want to see what’s on?”
Rhodey looks down at his coffee mug, and then up at Sam with an expression that Sam doesn’t want to touch.
“Sure,” he says eventually, “how bad can it be?”
It’s bad. Even worse that the infomercials that Sam remembers from his first year back on American soil, but he doesn’t watch much of it – because he spends most of the night watching Jim’s face; and resolutely ignoring the growing warmth inside his heart.
It becomes somewhat of a routine between them. Not in the regular, let me pencil you into my diary way, but more in the organic way. One of them will be stewing in silence, and the other will enter; and invariably they'll end up on the couch surfing channels.
Princess Shuri offers to get them access to american cable, but they both decline. Neither of them are ready for that yet.
Some nights Natasha joins them. Others, Bruce. Somewhere along the way, the kitchen gets stocked with popcorn and chips and crisps, and the fridge is filled with cans of various drinks.
Most of the time though, its just him and Jim.
As much and Sam loves Bruce and Natasha, these are the nights he likes the most.
It's on one of these nights that Sam finally decides to make his move. He's resting on Jim's shoulder, because they've long since foregone the illusion of space and personal space, and Jim's hand is lightly tracing patterns from where it's resting on Sam's hip.
Someone is selling a spoon that doesn't spill it's contents no matter which way you twist it on the screen, and Sam twists so that he can look up at Jim. Jim looks back at him instantly, and softly, slowly - telegraphing his every move, Sam leans up to cover the last few inches and bring their lips together.
There are no fireworks, there's no sudden and huge realisation.
Jim kisses him back instantly, the hand on his waist tightening. The kiss is sweet and chaste, and when Sam pulls back, he smiles.
Jim smiles back, and Sam thinks to himself that nothing is going to fix what Thanos broke - but maybe he isn't as broken as he thought after all.
Anon suggested Rhodey/Sam! And of course I had to add codependent friends Rhodey and Tony because I mean. No one loves them as much as they love each other. Except maybe Mama Rhodes. Look out for under the cut!
--
Pepper found Tony face-down on his couch where she’d left him the night before. “Uh. Looks like you never made it to bed, huh? You just… fell asleep here. After you promised not to.”
Tony lifted his head, eyes big and watery as he stared up at her. “You still love me, don’t you? Just because you and Happy are hitting on Hot Aunt May doesn’t mean you’ll cut me out of your life, right?”
“What the fuck,” Pepper sputtered. She took a moment to take a deep breath and compose herself, because he honestly looked distraught. “What are you talking about?” she asked calmly once she’d shaken off the shock.
“Rhodey said he couldn’t hang out with me because he was meeting an old Air Force buddy,” Tony said. “But Steve just posted a picture on his Instagram! Rhodey’s hanging out with him while he’s on a mission! After Steve said I couldn’t go!”
“That’s because you have the most recognizable face in the world and nobody gets past the triangle Steve’s shoulder to waist ratio makes. You’re not good at undercover work,” Pepper pointed out gently. “And you said you wouldn’t go to New Jersey with Steve ever again. And you know that Rhodey just likes to make sure your boyfriend isn’t being an idiot. He stopped Steve from shaving his head after he drank too much of Thor’s mead, remember?”
“It would have served him right for not sharing,” Tony mumbled petulantly. Then he shoved his phone in her face. “But look! He’s not talking to Steve!”
Pepper took his phone to obediently look at the picture, noting that it was the Instagram for Steve’s alias and not his actual Instagram, so he was technically working when he took it. It looked like the hotel the group was staying at in the background. Sam was lounging in one of the chairs by the pool. Bucky was looming up behind him with a bucket of ice.
She examined it for several minutes, trying to see if maybe there was a set of silver armor in the sky behind them or something, but she did not see James Rhodes anywhere in the picture. She finally looked back at Tony, frowning, and wondered if he’d finally gone off the deep end. “I’m not seeing it.”
Tony scoffed at her as if she was an idiot and swiped his phone back, pointing at the left foot just barely visible on the left side of the screen. “There!”
Pepper stared at, uncomprehending. “The foot?”
“That’s Rhodey’s foot!” Tony informed her imperiously.
Pepper jerked her head to give him her best aghast expression. It was what he deserved, honestly. “You can recognize him by a foot?!”
“You can’t?” Tony scoffed.
“I have so many questions,” Pepper murmured, mostly to herself.
“Steve wasn’t even in the Air Force!” Tony exclaimed angrily. “Why would he lie to me like this?!”
Pepper jerked back to face him, eyebrows flying up. “What.”
“Steve’s only flown one plane and he crashed it into the ocean!” Tony continued.
Pepper stared at him, unable to even speak for a moment. She did not understand how someone so brilliant could be such a fucking idiot.
“...What,” Tony asked defensively.
“Tony,” Pepper said, deciding to go for gentle since he was still clearly upset. “Who else was in the picture?”
“Bucky!” Tony exclaimed. “About to get his ass kicked by Sa-! ...Oh.”
“So maybe Rhodey went to go see Sam,” Pepper offered. “And not Steve.”
Tony frowned down at his phone, swiping through the next few photos that Steve had posted under his alias. “Oh,” he said again, and then looked up at her with wide, wet eyes again. “Why wouldn’t Rhodey tell me he was dating Sam?”
“He literally just sat next to him,” Pepper said, and then frowned. “...Are you sure?”
Tony scoffed and showed him the picture again. “Of course!”
“...Okay,” Pepper said, and then pulled out her phone.
.-.-.-.
Steve frowned at his phone. “Colonel Rhodes…”
“I have told you a hundred times to call me Jim,” Jim said, not looking up from his StarkPad.
“I think I’m already in trouble with Tony, so I don’t care,” Steve admitted.
Jim looked up at him, confused. “Tony isn’t even here. How could he possibly know you dropped the watch he bought you in the pool? Did you tell him?”
“I’m not allowed to talk to him as part of the rules for going undercover because I get a sappy face whenever I read his texts and my alias is single,” Steve mumbled mulishly.
Jim’s expression went from confused to disbelieving, and then disgusted when Bucky said, “It’s true, even the dirty ones, I didn’t believe a man could have a sappy face after being sent a dick pic until I saw it from Steve.”
“Why do you know it was a dick pic?” Jim asked, scandalized.
“Because he was makin’ that stupid sappy face and I took his phone to make fun of him and it wasn’t a sappy message, it was a dick pic. Looks nice in red lace though,” Bucky added, scratching his chin awkwardly.
Jim wanted to be surprised, but deep down, he knew he never would be. Not about Tony. “So how do you know that Tony’s mad at you?”
“Pepper sent me a link to her Instagram,” Steve answered.
Jim was always down to see Tony being mad at Steve, so he opened Instagram on his StarkPad. “Oh no,” he said when he was immediately met with Pepper’s stern expression. “The face of mild disapproval. Tony is sad-going-on-maudlin.”
“For real?” Sam asked, leaning over to look over his shoulder. “She just looks pissed to me.”
“No, this is mild disapproval,” Jim corrected. “When she’s mad she doesn’t look mad. It’s why she’s so dangerous.”
“How do you not just constantly piss yourself in terror around her,” Sam asked, awed.
Jim shrugged, scrolling up on the page so he could read her description under the photo. “Because her rage is typically on Tony’s behalf and I’m either just as mad or I deserve it. That’s how we bonded, really, because Tony wa―Fucking shit!” he yelped.
Tony knows, was all it said.
“What?!” Sam asked, concerned. “What is it?!”
“He knows about you and me I wanted to tell him in person fuck!” Jim exclaimed, then covered his face. “Oh no. No wonder he’s sad. He probably thought I was hiding it from him.”
“How did he even find out?!” Sam sputtered, then frowned, narrowing his eyes suspiciously as he turned back to Steve. “Steve, how did Pepper know to text you on your mission phone?”
Steve crossed his arms defensively. “Pepper is always able to get a hold of me in the event of an emergency because I never, ever make a sappy face around her unless Tony is nearby to quell her wrath.”
“That doesn’t explain how he found out if you didn’t text him!” Sam glared at him.
“I didn’t text him! I didn’t make the sappy face!” Steve exclaimed.
“Uh,” Bucky said, and then winced as they all whipped to glare at him. “I mean. He’s always so goddamn sad and worried when Steve leaves,” he sighed finally, shrugging. “So sometimes if our aliases have social media I… give him the screen names so he can know Steve’s okay.”
“Aw, Buck,” Steve began, touched.
“GIVE ME THAT,” Jim snarled, lunging for him. He felt quite a bit of unholy glee when Steve screamed in terror and threw the phone at him to scramble behind Bucky. He scrolled through the photos frantically. Upon finding nothing, he scrolled through them more carefully. “Steve,” he said through gritted teeth.
“I didn’t take any pictures of you I don’t understand what’s happening,” Steve wailed, hiding behind Bucky. Bucky looked ready to chuck him in Jim’s direction before disappearing into the distance.
“You got my foot!” Jim exclaimed angrily.
Everyone was silent for a few minutes, staring at him, stupefied. Finally, Steve repeated, “Your foot.”
“Right here!” Jim confirmed, stabbing at the photo with one finger for emphasis. “Right next to Sam’s!”
“And… Tony recognized you… just from that,” Sam asked slowly.
Jim was already tapping frantically at his tablet. A phone call would have been better, but a message would have to do until he could go grab his phone. “If I’m lucky he hasn’t figured out we’re dating yet―”
“You guys are dating!?” Steve and Bucky sputtered.
“And I can get in a quick text to―no,” Jim whispered, and then added a mournful, “Fuck!” as he sank onto the ground.
Sam watched him lie face-down, bewildered, and hurried over to him. “What’s going on? What’s happening? Jim?”
Jim said nothing, just tried to become one with the cement.
Sam frowned at him for a moment longer before carefully picking up his tablet.
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
This is it. This is the day I have felt the deepest betrayal.
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
First my BFF doesn’t want to visit me and now he’s visiting his secret boyfriend. Why wouldn’t he tell me he had a boyfriend?
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
Is it me? Am I a bad friend?
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
I gave him a suit. I let him call it the Iron Patriot.
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
Iron Patriot is a stupid name. I’m glad he saw the error of his ways and changed it back to War Machine.
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
But I let him call it that because I love him why doesn’t he love me back :((((
“Am… Am I the other woman?” Sam asked after a moment. “Because I feel like the other woman.”
“That’s normal,” Steve assured him. “Sometimes I walk in and Tony and Jim are cuddling and I feel like I’ve intruded.”
“You are intruding,” Jim said, voice muffled by the ground.
Bucky looked appalled, whispering, “What the fuck none of what any of you just said is normal.”
Sam watched as more tweets quickly filled the screen.
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
Will we ever overcome this betrayal? What have I done to betray his trust?
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
Is this the end of the Rhodey and Tony show? Is it the Rhodey and Sam show now?
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
They’ve even got a better ship name than we had why did I think we ever had a chance
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
@warmachinerox We used to be Iron Husbands and now you’re War Falcon how am I supposed to compete
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
Oh no I’m spiraling
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
My dramatics are actually giving me feelings this was just supposed to make you feel guilty
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
God I wish I could be a normal person
Blint Carton
@therealhawkguy
@youknowwhoiam Hey man you okay
Blint Carton
@therealhawkguy
@youknowwhoiam Wtf did you change my screen name again change it back
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
@therealhawkguy No
Blint Carton
@therealhawkguy
@virginiapotts Miss Potts Tony’s being mean to me again
Blint Carton
@therealhawkguy
I’m gonna file a complaint with HR
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
@therealhawkguy Blint Rhodey’s abandoned me so you get to be my new best friend
Blint Carton
@therealhawkguy
@youknowwhoiam Does that mean I get a suit?!
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
@therealhawkguy ¯\_( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_/¯
Blint Carton
@therealhawkguy
How do I change my handle to @IronHawk
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
*gasp* @therealhawkguy our ship name!
Blint Carton
@therealhawkguy
@youknowwhoiam I accept the role of your new best friend and our ship name
Blint Carton
@therealhawkguy
Ship stands for friendship right
Natasha Romanov
@therealblackwidow
Nobody tell him
“Tony’s giving Clint a suit,” Sam said.
“Oh my God they’re gonna destroy the tower,” Jim gasped, lifting his head. “And then Pepper’s gonna blame me even though it’s all Steve’s fault.”
“How was I supposed to know he’d recognize your foot?! ” Steve exclaimed, offended.
Jim scoffed at him. “Oh, like you wouldn’t recognize Bucky’s foot in a picture.”
Steve and Bucky looked at each other and did that thing with their eyebrows where they talked without opening their mouths. Finally, they looked back at Jim, and Steve said, “I wouldn’t. That’s weird. It’s weird that you and Tony can do that.”
“Is not,” Jim said.
“It’s actually really weird, honey,” Sam told him gently.
“And hey! What’s this dating thing?” Steve added, putting his hands on his hips and scowling at them. “After all the razzing you gave me and Tony?”
“You got gooey-eyed over a dick pic, Steve, shut the fuck up,” Jim snapped.
“Hey!” Steve exclaimed again.
Bucky raised his hand. “Okay so we’re just not going to acknowledge the fact that Tony’s giving Clint some armor?”
“Fuck!” Jim sighed, and then reached out to grab Sam’s shoulder. “Sorry. I was gonna take you out tonight but I really should make sure―”
“God, hurry up and go before we don’t have a tower to actually go back to,” Sam replied.
“I probably won’t be back because I’ve gotta remind Tony that just because I wasn’t ready to tell him about us it doesn’t mean he stopped being my best friend,” Jim added. “Also please don’t agree to any double dates unless I okay them Tony has some really weird tastes.”
“Uh, no, I’m going to go on exactly all of the double dates with Steve and Tony,” Sam scoffed. “They went to a cheese festival. In France.”
Jim rolled his eyes to cover up the fact that he was amused. “Ugh fine as long as Steve gets Tony to promise not to use the stripper pole while we’re flying places.”
“The stripper pole is real?!” Sam exclaimed, at the same time as Steve cried, “It’s a good workout, you don’t have to look at him!”
“I want to go home this mission is already fucked,” Bucky declared as the War Machine armor wrapped around Jim.
Sam and Steve worked together to throw Bucky into the pool. Jim wondered if they thought it was worth it, because Bucky dragged them in with them.
.-.-.-.
Sam came back to the tower to find Jim and Tony cuddled up on the couch. “I really do feel like I’m intruding,” he said, surprised.
“It’s something you get used to,” Steve assured him as he walked past him to approach the couch and press a kiss to Tony’s head.
Jim growled at him and held Tony closer. “No. It’s Tones and Rhodey time.”
Steve held his hands up obediently and backed off. “I’ll make dinner.”
“We want chicken and dumplings,” Tony informed him imperiously, and snuggled closer to Jim, head carefully tucked under his chin.
“Okay,” Steve said, and went for the kitchen instead.
“What the fuck, how is this normal?” Bucky burst out.
“It was never going to be normal the day Tony showed up in my dorm room and said he was fourteen,” Jim scoffed at him. “Sam get over here. I will allow you to cuddle with us just this once now that I’ve affirmed Tony’s place as my best friend.”
“This is so weird,” Sam said, but went over to cuddle them anyway. Jim had warned him when he’d asked him out that he and Tony had had a very serious (and somewhat codependent) friendship and it had ended several budding relationships for both of them. Sam had figured that it couldn’t possibly be as weird as fighting aliens.
Tony threw his legs over Sam’s lap smugly, like an overgrown cat.
Maybe Tony was an alien, Sam mused, and reached out to idly rub one of his feet.
Tony made a very happy sound. “Oh! A gentleman! Platypus, I approve. You may continue to date Sam.”
“Was gonna keep dating him anyway, but okay,” Jim said, rolling his eyes fondly. He glanced over at Sam, smiling, then turned a glare in Steve’s direction. “You’ve never rubbed my feet.”
“You literally just growled at me a few minutes ago and I’m making you guys dinner,” Steve said, not turning away from chopping celery and carrots. “Do you want foot rubs or food?”
It looked like it physically pained Jim to reluctantly answer, “Food.” Sam bit back a laugh; he’d point in his face and laugh at him later.
“This is the fucking weirdest thing I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot of weird shit,” Bucky complained, holding his phone up. He turned so that he was in the foreground and they were in the background. “Natasha, what the fuck. Snapchat maps says you’re here in the tower come here so we can commiserate over how fucking weird these guys are.”
A moment later he got a return video. “Sorry,” Natasha shouted over the wind. “Clint’s dumbassery is taking precedence.” The video flipped so they could see an Iron Man suit hanging half in and half out a broken window.
“Is that Stark Tower?!” Steve exclaimed, leaning over Bucky’s shoulder.
“Yeah, he crashed into the thirtieth floor but Rhodey came back to hug me so I left him there,” Tony explained, shrugging.
“YOU GAVE HIM THE SUIT KNOWING HE’S GOT NO SELF-PRESERVATION SKILLS GO GET HIM OUT,” Steve bellowed, grabbing Tony by the scruff and forcing him to his feet.
“But Rhodey cuddles!” Tony whined.
“Jim can go help you get him out since it’s his fault this happened in the first place,” Sam declared. “I wanted to tell you after the third date and Jim didn’t because he wanted some time to enjoy our new relationship instead of immediately having to share it with everyone.”
“It physically pains me to say that you’re one of the most normal people here,” Bucky admitted to Sam as Jim rolled his eyes but obediently stood up. He turned to face them as they tromped for the elevator. “Do you guys understand what you’ve done? You’d made me like Sam the most. I can’t believe this.”
“Steve, you keep cooking, I’m gonna drag Barnes to the gym and throw him across it,” Sam said.
“Glad you’re dating Jim, Sam, you’re already fitting in with his and Tony’s dynamic,” Steve replied, back in the kitchen to chop up veggies again.
“God I hate everyone here,” Bucky said, just before Sam tackled him.
.-.-.-.
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
False alarm everyone! Sugar muffin still loves me the most. uwu
James Rhodes
@warmachinerox
In before anyone says “did a grown man actually uwu” he literally made that face at me I hate this
James Rhodes
@warmachinerox
I have photographic evidence.
James Rhodes
@warmachinerox
Also thanks for outing me to Mama asshole @youknowwhoiam I was gonna tell her after the holidays
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
Oh no
Roberta Rhodes
@mamabearrhodes
@warmachinerox @ youknowwhoiam I expect both you boys to bring your SOs to Thanksgiving :)
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
@mamabearrhodes But Steve already bought a goose :(
Roberta Rhodes
@mamabearrhodes
@youknowwhoiam Excellent! I’ll bring the sides :) I’ve always wanted to see the parade in person :)
James Rhodes
@warmachinerox
At all of you saying my mama is so sweet: First of all you are right and second of all she’s coming to kill me specifically
Roberta Rhodes
@mamabearrhodes
@warmachinerox Don’t be silly :) Tony didn’t tell me about his boyfriend either :)
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
Steve should just roast me instead of the bird because I was a silly goose to ever believe I could keep him a secret from Mama Rhodes unu
James Rhodes
@warmachinerox
I have a photo evidence of @youknowwhoiam going ‘unu’ as well I just want everyone to know that
Steve Rogers
@thefirstcaptainamerica
Hey Google can smiley faces be threatening asking for a friend
Steve Rogers
@thefirstcaptainamerica
AJHGSKJSDG @youknowwhoiam SHE FOLLOWED ME HOW DO I MASS DELETE TWEETS SHE’S GONNA KNOW I’M AN ASSHOLE NOW
Roberta Rhodes
@mamabearrhodes
@thefirstcaptainamerica Honey the most egregious thing on your Twitter is that you hate the Phillies.
Roberta Rhodes
@mamabearrhodes
@thefirstcaptainaemerica Also you could probably stand to swear less but I can’t see how it’s any worse than Tony uwuing.
Tony Stark
@youknowwhoiam
@mamabearrhodes came for my fucking throat with no remorse
Roberta Rhodes
@mamabearrhodes
@youknowwhoiam ;) See you at Thanksgiving! I’ll bring the pies!
Title: In My Dreams I Turn You On - Chapter 3
Collaborator Name: ceealaina
Card Number: 3088
Link: AO3
Square Filled: A3 - Free
Ship: WinterIron
Rating: Explicit
Major Tags: Alternate Universe - No Powers
Summary: Tony’s crushing hard on his new massage therapist, but doesn’t want to be a sleazy businessman. Bucky’s crushing hard on his latest client, but doesn’t want to take advantage of him in a vulnerable position. So they handle it like any sane adults - pretend it’s not happening and refuse to discuss it. At least they both have terrible friends to help them through it.
Word Count: 17,235
Chapter One | Chapter Two | Chapter Three
It had taken some doing, but with a quick rundown to Rhodey — who had fallen off the couch he’d laughed so hard — Sam had managed to talk Bucky into joining them at the gala. Tony was busy making the CEO rounds, hadn’t made his way over to them, or even spotted them, but they’d seen him once or twice. Bucky had sounded like he’d been punched in the gut the first time, eyes focusing in on Tony’s ass like they were laser targeted.
“Oh man,” Rhodey laughed, shaking his head as he sipped on his champagne. He patted Bucky on the back consolingly. “You’ve got it bad, huh?”
Bucky just whined, raking his hands through his hair. “He’s just so handsome,” he sighed, watching as Tony walked across the room.
Sam shook his head, pulling the champagne flute out of Bucky’s hand and knocking the rest of it back himself. “Okay, you’re cut off. Can’t go talk to him if you’re fall-down drunk.”
Bucky stared at him with wide eyes. “I can’t go talk to him!” he hissed.
Sam just shook his head, leaning into the arm Rhodey had around his waist and resting his head on his shoulder. “Jesus Christ,” he muttered. “I can’t believe this is the guy that Tony’s so in love with,” he added, body shaking when Rhodey burst out into loud laughter.
And that made Tony look over, eyes crinkling happily at the familiar sound of Rhodey’s laughter. And then he did a double take, eyes going absolutely enormous as he realized who they were standing with. Rhodey was still snickering as they watched Tony stammer out an excuse to the group of executives and practically stumble his way over to them.
“Hey,” he said, waving vaguely at Sam and Rhodey, sounding breathless. His eyes were trained on Bucky a small smile playing over his lips like he couldn’t believe he was there. “Hi,” he added before staring back and forth between the three of them. “You know each other?”
“Wait…” Bucky’s eyes shot over to where Sam and Rhodey were snickering loudly. “You know each other?”
They both looked utterly lost, and Rhodey took pity on them, elbowing Sam when he was laughing too hard to speak. “Tones, Tones, this--” He gestured dramatically at Bucky. “Is Sam’s best friend, Bucky.”
Rhodey choked on another snort of laughter. “And Bucky, this is my best friend, Tony. Stark.”
“See?” Tony yelped, turning on Rhodey because his brain couldn’t focus on the real issue at hand right now. “See, I told you to let me throw your wedding. This is what happens when you elope! I would have met him two years ago if you’d just had an actual wedding instead of eloping to Niagara like a couple tacky tourists.”
Bucky looked like he was maybe having a heart attack, it was hard to say for sure. “You said he was a mechanic,” he said, voice sounding strangled. “And then Sam started laughing, but I thought that meant he was a bad mechanic, not, you know… Not a mechanic.”
“Hey!” Tony protested. “I’m a mechanic! Wait, what do you mean, you thought I was a bad mechanic?”
“Oh no!” Bucky’s eyes went wide, mouth twisting into a grimace. “I’m sorry, I mean… I didn’t mean like that, I’m sure you’re a great mechanic.” He scrubbed a hand over his face and groaned. “You can’t be a worse mechanic than I am massage therapist,” he added.
Tony frowned at him. “What do you mean? You’re a great massage therapist! You’re amazing!”
“Yeah, so amazing that I’m spending half our sessions thinking about how bad I wanna fuck you,” he grumbled, before promptly choking on air as he realized exactly what he’d said. “I mean… Oh god.”
Standing forgotten beside them, Sam snorted again before leaning in close to Rhodey. “I think it’s gonna take awhile,” he told him. “We could probably come back.” He made a show of looking Rhodey up and down, licking his lips as his eyes lingered on Rhodey’s throat. “Wanna go… Refresh our drinks?” he offered, grinning when Rhodey nodded enthusiastically.
Tony was staring at Bucky in shock, still not fully processing what was happening right now, and Bucky immediately went into panic mode.
“I’m so sorry,” he said, not even noticing as Sam and Rhodey snuck off. “I… I’ll hand in my resignation immediately, that’s so inappropriate, oh my god.”
“No!” Tony said quickly, finally snapping back into focus. “No, it’s okay. You don’t have to quit. It’s fine!”
“It’s not fine! That’s such a breach of trust. You’re in a position of vulnerability, and… I mean, I know I didn’t do anything, but that’s still such an abuse of power, and --,”
He cut himself off abruptly as Tony suddenly started laughing, the sound closer to a giggle. Even in the midst of his panic, Bucky had the stray thought that the sound was absolutely adorable. He blinked at him.
“Are you… Are you laughing at me?”
Tony immediately clapped his hand over his mouth, shaking his head. “No!” he insisted, reaching out to grab Bucky’s wrist, like he thought he might try and leave. His hand was warm, fingers calloused, and Bucky nearly shivered at the contact. “I’m not… I’m not laughing at you. I’m just laughing because I was literally thinking the exact same thing. That it would be an abuse of power because, well… Technically I’m your employer.”
His eyes were trained on Bucky’s, but his thumb was tracing a delicate line over Bucky’s wrist, distracting him, and Bucky shook his head. “No, it’s different. You’re not my direct supervisor, and…” He trailed off as he realized exactly what Tony had said. “Wait, what?”
Tony shrugged, a soft smile playing over his lips. “Uh, surprise? Apparently we’re both a couple of clueless idiots.”
“Holy shit,” Bucky breathed. He twisted his wrist to catch Tony’s hand. “Okay,” he said, taking a deep breath and rubbing his prosthetic hand over his mouth. “Okay. Tony, I’m afraid that, effective immediately, I can no longer be your massage therapist. I’ll be transferring your file back over to Louise on Monday morning.” Then he grinned wide. “Now, can I please buy you a drink?”
Tony grinned, looking absolutely delighted. “You know the drinks are free, right?” he couldn’t resist teasing.
Bucky rolled his eyes. “I’ll make it up to you later.”
***
When Rhodey and Sam returned half an hour later, Bucky and Tony were sitting side-by-side at a table, barely-touched glasses between them, talking animatedly about something or other.
“Oh my god,” Sam groaned exaggeratedly, still a little giddy. “You two are still here? You didn’t immediately run off to ravish each other?”
Tony turned to give him a dirty look, and his eyes caught on their mussed clothing, Sam’s tie shoddily tied and crooked, the hickey on Rhodey’s neck. “Oh my god. Really?”
Rhodey just arched his eyebrows back at him. “Not the thing to focus on, Tones,” he returned, giving a pointed glance between the two of them as he curled an arm around Sam’s waist. “Are you two gonna kiss, or should we go... ‘refresh our drinks’ again?”
“God, I hate you,” Tony muttered. But then he looked over at Bucky, his eyes catching on his lips, delighting in the way that Bucky flushed a little and bit at his lower lip. Grinning, Tony shifted forward and curled his hand around Bucky’s neck, leaning in to kiss him gently. The gentleness lasted only a minute before Bucky was making a soft, desperate noise, tongue coming out to trace over the seam of his lips, and then Tony was kicking his chair away to stand up and move closer, tipping Bucky’s head back as his other hand threaded through his hair. Bucky moaned, and his hands moved to grip Tony’s hips, pulling him in close between his legs, neither of them seeming to notice that they were still in the middle of a party.
“There we go,” Rhodey said.
“Annnnd that’s our queue to leave,” Sam added, hauling Rhodey away. “Get a room!” he added over his shoulder.
Neither Bucky nor Tony seemed to actually hear him, but Tony did pull back, grinning down at Bucky while he stared up at him with wide eyes. He scratched his fingers over Bucky’s scalp, and Bucky shivered at the touch. He hands clenched around Tony’s hips again, sliding slightly lower and stopping just shy of squeezing his ass. Tony drew in a shivering breath, and dropped back into his chair only to pull it close and lean into Bucky’s space.
“Does it make me a complete cockhound if I wanna leave with you, like… Right now?” he asked, voice rough. His hand settled high on Bucky’s thigh, thumb tracing over the seam of his pants.
“Oh god,” Bucky muttered, swallowing hard. He huffed out slightly stupid laugh. “Do I look like the kinda guy who cares, Tony? Also, I kinda figured that’s what I was getting into. Your reputation does proceed you, ya know?”
“True, fair, valid, all good points,” Tony was nodding enthusiastically, his thumb moving closer and closer to Bucky’s cock, half hard in his dress pants. “But, uh…” He ducked his head a little. “Don’t believe everything you read,” he added softly, giving Bucky a crooked smile. “I do have a squishy, candy centre.”
Bucky arched a brow, smirking at him. “Now that I know you’re the mechanic that Sam and Rhodey are always talking about, I have a suspicion.” He narrowed his eyes then, tilting his head as he considered Tony. “And what’s the back half of the joke, there?”
Tony smiled serenely back at him, looking ridiculously pleased with himself. “Wanna get out of here and see how many licks it takes to get to said squishy, candy centre?”
Bucky made an involuntary, punched out noise. “Yes. Yes, please.”
Tony beamed back at him, and then seemed to realize there was still a party going on around them. “Shit, okay. I just gotta…” He leaned in and gave Bucky a quick kiss, lingering just a second longer than he’d obviously intended. “Wait right here,” he said, still grinning a little stupidly. “I’ll be right back.”
He was gone before Bucky could say a word, and he took advantage of the moment to take a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. He had a glass of ice water on the table, sweating in the warmth of the room, and Bucky sipped at it, his eyes automatically tracking Tony as he maneuvered around people and tables. He watched as Tony tracked down a gorgeous red-headed woman, pulling her in close and murmuring something in her ear. He had half a second to feel jealous before her eyes went wide, and then her gaze landed on Bucky on return, and she smiled wide. Shaking her head, she leaned back to say something to Tony in return and then kissed his cheek. Tony beamed and then he was darting back over to Bucky, bypassing a group of important looking men and fiddling on his cell phone at the same time.
“Okay!” he said, grabbing Bucky’s hand and pulling him out of the chair with surprising strength. “Follow me, quickly, before anybody else decides to try and network.” He gave an exaggerated shudder at the thought and grinned before hauling Bucky around the outside of the room and then out an unnoticed side door, leading him down a back staircase. Bucky couldn’t help laughing, reeling with the excitement of sneaking around.
“You do this often?” he asked, light and teasing.
Tony cast a look at him over his shoulder. “Less often than you might think.” He turned back completely to give him a quick kiss, humming when Bucky’s hands grabbed his hips, pulling him in for a longer one before he could pull away. “But,” he added. “It doesn’t hurt to have an escape route for when those rich old octogenarians start getting a little too handsy.”
He grinned when Bucky barked out a surprised laugh, then gave his hand another tug.
“Come on, baby. I promise I’ve got somewhere much more comfortable than a dingy stairwell to make out in.”
Bucky grinned right back at him and then they were hurrying back down the stairs, coming out into a side street where there was a limo waiting. Tony shooed him into the backseat first, climbing in so close behind that he was practically on top of him.
“Home please,” he called, eyes locked on Bucky’s. “And, uh, Happy? Don’t mean to be rude, but I’m going to be closing the partition.”
“I’d prefer it, boss!” the driver tossed back cheerfully.
The second they were underway, Tony turned to face Bucky expectantly, waiting less than a second before he was leaning in to kiss him. He pressed in so close he was half on him, and in the relative privacy of the car, Bucky didn’t hesitate to grab his ass, gripping tight and hauling him in closer. He felt Tony’s lips curl into a smile against his own, and then he shifted so he was on top of Bucky, straddling his thighs. He rocked down against him, half hard cocks grinding together, and Bucky had to break away from the kiss to tip his head back against the seat, trying to catch his breath. This didn’t deter Tony at all, who took advantage of the new position to leave little nipping bites on Bucky’s throat.
“Good Christ,” Bucky breathed, shivering when Tony’s teeth dragged over his adam’s apple.
Tony did pull back then, looking entirely too smug. “Everything you thought it would be?” he asked, batting his eyelashes a little ridiculously and fuck, Bucky was maybe in love with him.
“Better,” he promised fervently. His voice was little more than a hoarse growl, and he didn’t miss the way that Tony’s eyes darkened with interest at the sound.
“Well.” Tony’s eyes were caught on his lips again, tongue flicking out like all he could think about was tasting them. “I do my best.”
“Fuck, come here,” Bucky groaned, squeezing his ass again and pulling at him until they were pressed together, chest to chest. He wrapped his arms tight around him, using his strength to rock Tony in his lap, and the other man seemed to melt against him.
“Oh fuck,” Tony moaned. “I’ve been dreaming about you doing that for months.”
“Yeah?” Bucky moved him again, this time grinding his hips up against Tony in the process. “Like that?”
Tony keened, loud enough that Bucky legitimately worried that the driver — Happy — might have heard. “Fuck. Your goddamn arms, James.”
“Oh god,” It was less sexy, this time, and Bucky pulled back, shaking his head with a grin around his lips. “Don’t call me James. Please don’t call me James. Nobody calls me James, not even my ma.”
Tony leaned back too, grinning when Bucky’s hands held his weight so he didn’t tip off his lap completely. He gave him a perplexed look. “What else am I supposed to call you?” Then he made an exaggerated face. “Oh. Oh no. Tell me I’m not supposed to call you Bucky.”
Bucky just gave him a half shrug and a crooked smile. “‘S my name, sweetheart. James just feels weird.”
“It’s how you introduced yourself to me!”
“I was being professional! Nobody’s gonna take me seriously in my job if I’m going by Bucky.”
“But they’ll take you seriously in bed? Your logic is flawed, Barnes.” Tony was laughing though, a twinkle in his eyes, and he gave a heavy sigh. “Fine. But I can’t be held responsible for any slip ups. I’ve been imagining calling your name in bed for quite some time now.”
“God, you’re a menace.”
Bucky wasn’t even sure how he made it back to Stark Tower without him completely losing it in the back seat, but the next thing he knew, the car was pulling to a stop in the garage. Tony pulled away from him with dazed eyes, blinking like he’d forgotten where they were entirely. It was a good look on him.
“Right,” Tony said. “We’re here.” He shook his head then, trying to get his bearings. “God, you make me stupid,” he said, laughing. “Come on, let’s go.”
He pulled Bucky out of the car. There was no sign of Happy, and Bucky had a brief moment to wonder if he’d run away that quickly, or was just hiding out in the driver’s seat until the coast was clear, before Tony was practically shoving him into a small elevator.
“Private elevator,” he explained when it started to move without any buttons or voice commands. “Goes straight to the penthouse.” He was blatantly looking Bucky up and down, practically vibrating, like he was itching to touch but knew if he did he wouldn’t be able to stop himself again.
Bucky could relate.
The elevator shot to the top of the building in what was probably record time, and Bucky stepped out into a living room area. He’d known who Tony was, obviously, but he still couldn’t help the way his jaw dropped at the wall of glass looking out over the city.
“Holy shit,” he breathed. “What an incredible view.”
“Yeah,” Tony said from just behind him, and Bucky could hear the smirk in his voice. “View’s incredible.”
Bucky glanced over to find Tony blatantly checking out his ass. He lifted his eyes, arching a brow at Bucky with a wicked grin on his lips, and Bucky shook his head.
“Menace,” he repeated, moving closer to back Tony against the wall. He shoved a thick thigh between Tony’s legs, rocking it against his hard cock and smirking at the way his eyes rolled black, breath escaping in a shuddering exhale. “You got a bedroom in this fancy-ass joint?” he asked, leaning in close enough that his lips were almost pressing against Tony’s with every word.
Tony shivered, but then he was grinning right back. “You sure you don’t want a drink or something first?”
Bucky groaned, dropping his forehead to rest against Tony’s shoulder. “You make me wait much longer and I might start to cry.”
“Well that certainly wouldn’t be sexy,” he agreed with a stupid little giggle, even though that barely qualified as a joke.
Bucky adored him.
“Follow me, handsome,” he said, catching Bucky’s hand and pulling him down a hall and through a doorway.
The view from the bedroom was no less spectacular, but Bucky was more stuck on Tony’s ass as he moved down the hall in front of him, and then the frankly ridiculously enormous bed sitting in front of them.
He felt a little thrill go through his stomach, the idea that they were actually doing this, after months of pining and thinking that it would never happen. “Jesus, okay,” he said, feeling just the slightest hint of overwhelmed. “How, uh. How do you want to do this?”
Tony smiled at him, like he could tell how Bucky was feeling. “Well I, for one, have been itching to see you naked, hot stuff. Seems only fair, really, after all the times you’ve seen me in nothing but my skivvies.”
Bucky flushed a little, thinking of the time that Tony’s ‘skivvies’ had consisted of nothing but a bright red thong. “That’s different,” he protested. ‘I was working.”
“Uh huh.” Tony sat on the end of the bed, legs spread wide, and Bucky’s mouth went dry as his eyes were drawn to the bulge of his cock, marring the line of his dress pants. “Except you already told me about all the dirty thoughts you were having while ‘working,’ so you want to try that excuse again?” He shifted his hips a little, moving a hand to stroke himself through the fabric. “Come on, handsome. Give me a little show?”
Bucky felt flushed and hot all over, but Tony was looking at him so hungrily that he couldn’t help the surge of confidence that went through him. He took a couple steps back until he was just out Tony’s reach and then met his gaze steadily, slipping out of his suit jacket. It came off easily, despite his tendency to get stuck in the arm even when he wasn’t nervous as all hell, and he couldn’t help being relieved. Dropping the fabric to pool on the ground, he dragged his hands up his sides before moving to undo the buttons of his shirt. He could feel his nipples peaked against the silky fabric, and he made a point of dragging his thumbs over them, choking off a moan at the sensation that spiked through him.
“Oh yeah,” Tony breathed, his voice rough. “You like that, huh?”
Bucky nodded, pinched until his eyes rolled back. “Yeah,” he admitted, voice breathier than he’d intended. “A lot.”
“Oh, sweetheart. I’m going to have fun with you.” is
Bucky felt a jolt of desire go through him at that thought, his cock jerking in his boxers, and he moved back to the buttons, unfastening them quickly now, until he was shrugging off his shirt and left in just his tank top and dress pants. Tony looked him over, leaning back a little on the bed, right hand rubbing over his clothed cock.
“I like this,” he told him. “It’s a good look on you. Like you’re right out of the thirties, or something.”
Bucky couldn’t help grinning at that, let his hand slide over his hip and tease the bottom of his shirt up. He liked working out, he knew how nice the cut of his hips looked. Sure enough, Tony’s tongue flicked out of his lip before he chewed at it, swallowing hard.
“Come on. Don’t be a tease.”
Bucky snorted, but his dick was aching and he just wanted Tony to touch him. He tugged the shirt up hastily over his head, shaking out his hair as he was left bare chested. Before Tony could say another word, he was moving to undo his pants with slightly fumbling fingers. He kicked them off quickly, toeing off his socks in the process. Then, when he was left in nothing more than his boxer briefs, he finally looked back up at Tony with a crooked grin.
He was expecting more teasing, another snarky comment, but the look on Tony’s face sent a shiver up his spine. Tony was staring at him, slack jawed, eyes running up and down Bucky’s body like he couldn’t figure out where he should look first. His hand squeezed around his dick and he gave a low moan, hips jerking up at the touch.
“Oh fuck,” he muttered, swallowing hard. “Sweetheart, come here.” Then he was reaching out, making grabby hands in Bucky’s direction, and Bucky was helpless to resist.
He moved towards him, letting his hips swagger just a little, and his grin grew wider when he saw Tony’s eyes zero in the on the movement. But the second he was close enough, Tony’s hands were closing tight over his hips, yanking him in between his spread legs. Tony moaned softly, leaning in and scraping his teeth over Bucky’s lower abdomen, and Bucky groaned, felt his abs clench as he tipped his back and scrubbed a hand through his hair.
“Gotta…” Tony’s voice cracked, and he cleared it, tried again. “Gotta let me blow you, honey, please. You have any idea how badly I… Every time you were giving me a massage, when you came up around the head of the table, all I could think was how easily I could suck you off, how much I wanted to.”
“Jesus Christ,” Bucky swore. “Good thing I already fired you as my client. I’d never be able to get through another session, now that I know that.”
Tony grinned up at him, eyes crinkling in delight, and then his smile turned wicked and he mouthed his way lower down Bucky’s stomach, until his chin was bumping the tip of his cock.
“Come on, Bucky,” he purred, teasing over his skin. “Tell me I can.”
“Yes,” Bucky said quickly. “Yes, fuck, ‘course you can.”
Tony positively beamed, and then Bucky was whining as he pulled away entirely, tipping forward without Tony’s grip keeping himself upright. He caught himself on the edge of the bed, watching as Tony turned around to crawl up the length of the mattress and dig through the bedside table. Bucky’s gaze caught on his ass, perfectly framed in his dress pants, and he groaned again.
“Oh my god,” he muttered, moving to sit on the side of the bed before his legs gave out entirely. “I’m gonna die.”
Tony huffed out a laugh, and then he came back over, condoms in one hand, lube in the other. “Well,” he said, stepping off the bed to loom over him, tossing the items on the mattress beside Bucky. “At least try and hold out for the fun stuff.”
Then he was dropping to his knees, shoving his way between Bucky’s spread thighs, and leaning forward to mouth at him through his boxers. His mouth was warm and wet, the sensation dampened through the material, and Bucky cursed again. Something about Tony on his knees, still fully dressed was especially appealing to some primal part of Bucky, and his cock jerked. He could feel a drop of pre-come sliding down his length and then further, following the seam of his balls. Tony leaned back again, looking extremely pleased with himself, and then he was tugging at the waistband of his shorts, poking at Bucky until he lifted his hips so Tony could pull them down his legs.
For just a minute Tony sat back on his heels, staring. “God, look at you,” he breathed. Normally Bucky would have felt self conscious under the heat of his gaze, but instead he found himself almost preening, body heating deliciously under the weight of Tony’s stare. His cock twitched again, and he could tell Tony had noticed by the way his lips curled at the corners. “Eager are we?” he teased, but there was a soft tone to his voice, and an instant later he was reaching for one of the condoms on the bed, opening it and then sliding it down Bucky’s length with efficient, practiced movements.
God, Bucky couldn’t wait until they could do this without anything at all.
The moment Tony’s mouth was closing around the tip of his cock, Bucky was practically wailing. Fuck, he was so good at this, all hot pressure and perfect suction. The muscles in his thighs tightened as he fought the urge to thrust up into Tony’s mouth, his fingers twisting into the sheets so he’d remember to keep his hands to himself. He couldn’t help the way his eyes rolled back, falling shut as Tony pulled back a little, flicking his tongue out to tease at his frenulum, but a second later he was snapping them open again, not wanting to miss this.
Tony was looking up at him, eyes dark and heavy and a hint of a smile playing around the corners of them. He pulled off again with an obscene sound. “God, you’re big,” he hummed, half to himself, and Bucky felt his cock twitch again. Then Tony was smirking up at him. “It’s okay, you know,” he said, voice hoarse and rough already.
Bucky blinked back at him, uncomprehending, and Tony’s grin grew a little more self-satisfied. He picked up Bucky’s hands in each of his, prying them free of the sheets and then moving them to the back of his head, biting down on his lip when the cool metal brushed against the back of his neck. Bucky swallowed hard.
“I like it,” Tony told him. He leaned back in, licked a line down the length of Bucky’s cock, showy and a bit desperate. “Pull my hair, a little. Whatever you want.”
Before Bucky could say another word, he was sucking him down again, steadily, methodically working his way to taking all of Bucky. The tip of his head slid into Tony’s throat and he swallowed around him, and Bucky gasped, twining his fingers in Tony’s hair and tugging reflexively. He had half a second to feel guilty before Tony was groaning around him, sounding so obviously hungry for it even with his mouth full of cock.
“Christ,” Bucky bit out. His hips hitched up despite his best efforts, pushing himself just the slightest bit deeper, and Tony groaned around him again. He had one hand curled around the base of Bucky’s cock, but the other he used to grip at his thigh, pawing needily at the sensitive skin until Bucky rocked up into him again. “Oh fuck me,” Bucky moaned as they settled into a steady rhythm, Tony swallowing greedily around him. “You’re so fucking good, Tony. ‘m not gonna last long.”
Tony hummed encouragingly around him, and Bucky thought he was going to pass out at the rush of pleasure that shot through him. Then Tony’s free hand was slipping off his thigh, sliding between his legs to rub at his own dick, like he was so turned on by sucking Bucky off that he couldn’t wait, and Bucky was gone.
With a slew of curses, he was coming, fingers tangling further in Tony’s hair as the other man teased him through it. Bucky shivered his way through the aftershocks, breath coming in sharp, heavy gasps, until he was oversensitive and twitching and Tony was pulling back, looking ridiculously pleased with himself.
“Holy shit,” Bucky gasped, flopping back on the mattress to stare dazedly up at the ceiling. “That was… Holy shit.”
There was a soft, delighted laugh from Tony, before he crawled up beside him, nuzzling into Bucky’s neck. “Good?” he asked.
“Good doesn’t begin to cover it,” Bucky assured him. “Jus… Jus give me a minute. ‘M all about reciprocation, I swear.”
Tony giggled into his skin, leaning further into him. He shifted so his cock was pressed against Bucky’s hip, rocking into him shamelessly. “Won’t take long,” he admitted, panting against Bucky’s skin. “Christ, you’re gorgeous when you come.” He sucked a mark into the underside of Bucky’s neck. “Want you so bad.”
Bucky grinned at that, and with a carefully placed shove he had Tony on his back, looming over him. Tony went wide eyed at that particular move, and Bucky smirked down at him. A second later though, his face turned distraught. “Good Christ, how are you still dressed?” he asked, not even caring how plaintive he sounded.
Tony just groaned, arching his hips up against him. “Later, baby,” he groaned. “I promise, later I will strip naked, and lay on the bed, and you can stare at me for six hours straight, if you want. But honey, I’ve gotta come like five hours ago.”
Bucky rolled his eyes at him, like Tony being so desperate wasn’t making his own cock give a valiant attempt at getting hard again. “Yeah, alright,” he purred, sliding his hand down Tony’s body to work his pants open. The second he got his hand around him, Tony was melting into the mattress. “Oh fuck,” Bucky murmured. “Look at you, sweetheart.” He closed his hand firmly around him, mouth watering at how thick he was, and the desperate noise Tony made as he started jerking him off with quick, steady motions. “Can’t wait to take my time with you. Lay you out, spread you out on the bed…” He dipped his head, kissing over Tony’s neck. “Take my time with you, drag it out, tease you until you’re screaming for it, can’t remember your own name.”
Tony’s hands grabbed at Bucky’s sides, gripping tight enough to bruise as his back arched in pleasure, head tipping back. “Yes,” he choked out. “Yes, fuck, Bucky please. All of that, I want… I want…”
His words trailed off with a low groan, and when Bucky shifted his weight so he could tease metal fingers up his length, Tony came. He clung tight to Bucky’s body as he did, back arching, eyes squeezing shut, breath coming in thick heavy gasps for air, mixing in with a desperate whine. Bucky stroked him through it, kissing him sweetly in the process.
“Oh fuck,” Tony moaned as the aftershocks finally stopped going through him. Bucky pulled away enough to flop down beside him, and Tony turned his head to beam at him, giving him a slow, lazy kiss. Then he shifted, and his nose wrinkled up in distaste. “Oh fuck,” he said again. “Well, these pants are ruined.”
Bucky burst out laughing at that, and Tony’s smile turned soft and sweet again.
“So, I definitely need a shower. But, uh… Maybe you wanna join me? And uh… I know it’s not usually the done thing after a first date — Does this even count as a first date? I mean, it was more of a right place right time kind of thing, not something that was actually planned. Although, knowing Rhodey and Sam, it actually was completely, totally planned, because they’re assholes like that. Which, hi. You already know that, obviously, because you’re friends with them, and that’s kind of a trip, really. Now I’m trying to think of everything I may have said about you and how embarrassing it was on a scale of one to that time at MIT I was simultaneously drunk and sleep deprived and kind of accidentally robbed the bookstore in nothing but a red thong and the permanent moustache marker that Rhodey drew on my face.” He suddenly clapped both hands over his eyes.”Oh God. I have this thing, when I get nervous, I kind of talk incessantly… Please, why aren’t you saying something? Save me from myself.”
Bucky had been watching his diatribe with a bigger and bigger smile on his face, but at Tony’s desperate plea he leaned in and kissed him quiet, not stopping until they were both out of breath and Tony was giving him that wide-eyed, dazed stare again.
“I would love to stay the night,” he told him, just a little shy. “Uh. That is what you were asking, right?”
Tony’s gave him a bright, open grin. “Yeah, it was. And the fact that you followed that through that entire fucking monologue I gave? I think I lo… like you. A lot.”
“Yeah?” Bucky bit his lip and grinned back. “I think I like you a lot too.” He leaned in, kissing Tony one last time before hauling himself off the bed and pulling Tony along after him. “Come on. I’m looking forward to seeing what fancy rich people’s showers look like. And by the way?” he added, blatantly ogling Tony as he finally stripped out of his clothes. “You’re going to have to tell me how you managed to accidentally rob the bookstore, I kind of insist on it.”
“Aw come on, handsome,” Tony teased, waggling his eyebrows as he sauntered off to the bathroom, blatantly wiggling his hips as he went. “Gotta keep the mystery alive!”
***
A week later, Tony was heading into his favourite open air cafe for a lunchtime date with Bucky when he spotted a familiar blond head.
“Oh hey!” he chirped, sliding easily into the seat opposite to Steve. “I forgot. Thursdays are your day to awkwardly flirt with the waitress, right?”
Steve rolled his eyes. “Eat my entire ass,” he returned, just as cheerfully. “We can’t all hook up with our massage therapists.” He gave Tony a fond smile then. “How’s it going with your new boytoy, anyway?”
Tony couldn’t help grinning at just the thought of Bucky; he knew he looked sappy, and he didn’t even care. “Amazing,” he sighed. “He’s meeting me here for lunch, actually, if you want me to introduce you.”
Right on cue -- because they were in sync like that -- Tony spotted said boyfriend walking up the sidewalk toward him.
“Hey baby!” he called, hopping up and waving Bucky over. “Come meet my friend Steve.”
Because he couldn’t resist, he met Bucky halfway, giving him a soft kiss hello before practically dragging him over to Steve’s table.
“Steve, this is --,”
Steve looked up at them and grinned. “Oh! Hey, Buck!”
Tony stared back and forth between the two of them, Steve smiling obliviously and Bucky looking more and more pained.
“You two know each other?” Tony asked faintly.
“Yeah!” Steve told him. “It’s Bucky. You know, my paintball friend? I know I’ve told you about him before. We grew up together? And now we meet up every couple months? Go paintballing or axe throwing or whatever, and -- Ow!” He ducked and winced as both Tony and Bucky simultaneously whacked him on the shoulder.
“What the fuck, Rogers?” Tony demanded. He gestured wildly at Bucky. “This is James, my hot massage therapist! You knew him the entire time?”
Steve offered up his most innocent smile. “Whoops?”
