Chapter Text
The appeal of a driver didn't take long to figure out. On the way over, Bucky had been too nervous about meeting Lauren, but driving back into Manhattan, Bucky appreciated Happy more and more. New York traffic had always been busy, but now it was crowded to the point of insanity. Bucky appreciated being a passenger, continuing his study of the scenery and the people.
Part of him itched to get behind the driver's seat though. He'd borrowed his uncle's car to learn to drive, but couldn't afford his own. Most of his actual driving experience had been in Europe, in army vehicles, either Allied or stolen from HYDRA.
Tony's Bentley was gorgeous, familiar in the basics but sleek and excitingly futuristic. Hopefully Tony would allow him to drive it, around the parking garage if nothing else, but preferably on roads where he could feel the true speed and power of the vehicle. And maybe Bucky could poke around the engine, even if just to admire it. One comment sent Happy on a pleasing ramble about the car and how engines had improved during his life.
"I took the liberty of ordering basic supplies for your feline companion, Sergeant. They should be delivered shortly," Jarvis suddenly said during a pause in Happy's ramble.
Bucky gave Happy a startled look. "Oh, thank you Jarvis."
"Jarvis is great that way, isn't he?" They were stopped at an intersection, so Happy rummaged in the glove compartment, finding a rag and a bottle of water so that Bucky could wipe off his new cat.
"I haven't even asked Tony if I can keep her. I mean, I may find her owner. I'm gonna try."
As he pulled up to the elevator in Stark Tower, Happy didn't seem concerned at the prospect of Jarvis needlessly buying supplies. "She'll be with you at least a day or two. Cats gotta eat and all that jazz. And Tony would not be happy if she does her business somewhere it's not meant to be, you know."
"Yeah, I know," Bucky agreed. Where would she do her business in a house? Would he have to bring her out of the building? Pets were a luxury in the 40s, and not one that many people around Bucky could have afforded. "Well, thank you." Bucky held out his hand, and Happy took it with a pleased smile.
"Any time, Sergeant. Just go into the elevator, Jarvis'll take you up to the penthouse."
The cat stayed quiet in Bucky's arms as he exited the Bentley and got into the elevator, giving a minor flinch as the car started climbing. "Yeah, you're a beautiful cat, aren't you?" Bucky stroked her fur. "I'll call you Alpine, I think. You're as gorgeous as the Alps."
In no time, the elevator doors opened onto Tony's penthouse, where Tony and a blond man appeared to be kissing. "Buck, Bucky, Buckster." Tony backed away from the man while waving a hand at Bucky before wiping the back of it against his lips.
Tony's tone made Bucky feel that if he were the cat, his fur would be bristling. What the hell was Tony doing, kissing some guy? At least that answered Bucky's curiosity about whether Tony was with Pepper. "Tony, it's good to see you again."
"And this is the cat." Tony was grateful for the distraction, because Bucky seeing some stranger kissing him was agitating him. Just because Bucky seemed fine with same-sex relationships didn't mean he'd accept Tony being queer. "Jarvis said he ordered supplies for her."
"Yeah, he said he had. I'll pay you back when I get myself sorted out, Tony." The other fellow was tall, blond, and blue-eyed, a lot like Steve really, except not quite as good-looking or muscled. Or Pepper too, though her hair had a touch of red.
"Please, not at all necessary. I'm happy to help you."
"If we could continue our conversation in private?" Eric asked with a biting tone in his voice.
"You've said enough. And done enough." Truly, no good deed goes unpunished, yet another reason to avoid getting roped into helping the police, because a man kissing him was the last thing Tony wanted Bucky to see. "You can go now."
"Tony, what do you mean? You came and rescued me. I know that means something. I mean something to you."
"You mean something to me?" Tony's brain blanked, totally confused why some stranger thought that Iron Man rescuing hostages had anything to do with him. "We've met before?"
"Tony—" The fellow hesitated, casting a glance, then soldiered on. "You told me I was great, that you loved—"
Fuck, what the hell was this guy going to say? Tony couldn't remember ever having a conversation with him. "How I sucked your cock," the guy continued, and Tony blanched, not risking a look at Bucky. "I've said that to a lot of people," he responded blithely, like it didn't matter, and why should it? He was a billionaire, even in Bucky's time, they probably expected billionaires to have lots of cheap, meaningless sex. "That doesn't mean they get to show up and start kissing me out of the blue."
"Tony, I can't believe you would just act like I didn't matter, we spent three nights together! You got me that job at the bank and then you came and rescued me!"
Bucky's facial expression was blank, but his eyes were alive, slowly gazing between Tony and Eric. Tony dearly wanted to believe he wasn't judging him too harshly. "One, I didn't get you any job, because two, I do not remember you, and three, you need to go."
"What do you mean, I'm—"
"Hey." Still cradling Alpine with his right arm, Bucky grabbed the fellow with his left hand, dragging him toward the elevator. "Tony said you need to go, and that means now." He could feel the guy try to resist, attempt to dig his heels in, but Bucky's strength was augmented by Zola's serum, a fact which made Bucky happy at this moment. Not as much as what this scene revealed about Tony though. Tony had sex with men, the back of Bucky's mind warbled happily. Tony liked his dick sucked by men. Any man, or just men who looked like Steve?
Bucky's caveman routine shouldn't be unexpected, not given how he'd taken the SHIELD agent hostage when he woke up, but Tony was thrilled to see it on his behalf. The excitement was quickly followed by shame. Yeah, he could tell himself that rich people had always been as decadent as they could afford, but Bucky wasn't rich, hadn't even been. Even though he was protecting the man who'd taken him in, he'd think less of Tony for having casual sex with almost strangers, there was no way he couldn't.
"Jarvis, take this scum down," Bucky ordered, shoving the guy to the back of the elevator. Alpine found that much motion stressful, digging her claws into Bucky's shoulder. "Make sure he leaves the building." The guy was still protesting about what he meant to Tony even as Jarvis responded, "Yes, sir," and slid the doors shut. Bucky took a moment to detach Alpine's nails and cuddle her soothingly in one arm before brushing his free hand over his head, checking this his hair was in place. He swiveled to face Tony. "You okay?"
"Yes, yes, of course." Belatedly, Tony added, "Thank you."
"My pleasure. People shouldn't start kissing anyone without permission."
"I did apparently know him. At some point." Why the hell was he defending him? Was he asking Bucky to think less of him?
"For three days," Bucky added, not caring about what Tony had done with the fellow, but wanting to know more about his past. His romantic past. And his sexual past, both would be good. He'd thought that maybe Tony was with Pepper, the two seemed like a couple, albeit one where the woman was low-level cranky with her guy. But were they? Pepper hadn't kissed him goodbye, which might mean Tony was available. For a man.
Tony grimaced, but fuck, Bucky might as well know the truth, he'd find out sooner or later. "Undoubtedly, one of my cocaine-fueled binges in my earlier days. I don't do that anymore. The sex tape ruined my interest in not knowing where I was or who I was with. Cocaine is—"
"Cocaine existed when I was growing up, you don't need to explain it. But what is a sex tape?" Bucky asked, not adding that Lauren said Iron Man got more hits. She'd asked for his silence, and he would honor the request.
"Sirs, the delivery person has arrived with the supplies for Alpine and is requesting to be allowed up."
Tony greeted the news with relief. "Yes, Jarvis, let him up. The cat—"
"Alpine."
"Alpine. She probably needs care, um food, or something."
Alpine was still snuggled in Bucky's arm, like it was her right. "Yeah, I should get her settled."
Tony fled, relieved at the interruption.
#
Cats had a fascinating assortment of paraphernalia to make their lives easier in the modern day. Thankfully, most of them had some sort of picture on the label so Bucky could be sure he was understanding their purpose. The cat tree went into a corner of his room, though Alpine was already snuggled in the middle of his bed.
Bucky filled the automated water bowl from the bathroom sink, after figuring out the best place to plug it in. Did Alpine really want to drink her water as it gently swirled? Bucky hoped so. At least outlets looked the same. He poured some kibble into one of the food bowls, sitting the remainder into the plastic container to keep Alpine from scratching the bag, and stacked the canned food and the other bowl on the dresser to take to the kitchen.
"Cats really need two kinds of food?"
"That is the most common recommendation, as well as the most popular types of food."
Huh. The strays that he and Steve used to feed were grateful for any scraps they could get; it was nice to think he could feed Alpine more consistently. Bucky carefully detached the toys and collar from their cardboard backing, having to tear at the various plastic bits that held them on. The future had a lot of packaging. "So a sex tape is like…a recording of people having sex?"
"Yes, Bucky."
It made sense, all this ability that people had to watch anything at any time, they must be able to record too, in ways that were smaller and easier to use than the film crews of his day. He clipped the collar around Alpine's neck as she stretched out and gave him a look that said, 'pet me.' Bucky obliged, giving her luxurious fur a long stroke. "Can you show me someone's sex tape?"
"There are hundreds available online, do you wish me to select one at random?"
Wow. Some of the guys he'd grown up with—no, strike that, most of the guys he'd grown up with, as well as the guys in his unit and the Howlies—would be ecstatic at this future, just ask the ceiling to show you dirty movies and it offered you multiple options. It was so much better than a few pictures in a dirty mag. "Would you show me Tony's?"
"Mr. Stark has never authorized the release of that video."
Now that was interesting. Jarvis could have simply said no, but he'd been wordy, letting Bucky know that Tony's sex tape was available against his wishes. And from what Tony had said, he hadn't authorized the filming of it either. Bucky felt sick at the thought of Tony being taken advantage of. He'd known guys who thought pranks were funny, drop something in the mouth of someone who was exhausted and laugh when they woke up coughing, but Bucky had never found ridicule entertaining. And to display Tony—a naked, vulnerable Tony—to the whole world? Whatever woman had done that was no lady.
Or had it been a guy?
#
Tony was an idiot, a fucking idiot, who had gotten too comfortable with Bucky. He could make a crack about his sex tape to Rhodey, who knew the whole sordid history. Rhodey knew and understood and didn't hold his stupidity against him.
Bucky probably thought he was a slut who lacked morals. Maybe that he'd burn in hell.
Burying himself in the Iron Man specs, Tony contemplated how best to improve his designs, pushing all thoughts of Bucky to the back of his brain. After all, if Bucky was horrified at him, he could always go to Lauren and sleep on her couch or even back to SHIELD. Either one would be grateful to have him.
"Sir, Bucky requests to be allowed access to visit you."
Setting up the cat hadn't taken long. "Sure, whatever. Bring him down." Tony paced around the new design floating in the air above his work table, ending up with his back to the elevator doors as they opened. He wasn't ready to see Bucky's look of condemnation.
"Wow."
Surprised at the tone of interest, Tony looked over his shoulder. "Wow?"
"This is how you design?" Coming to stand next to Tony, Bucky gestured to the floating image of the Iron Man armor. It wasn't even being projected against a TV screen, just into the air. "It's amazing."
So at least he wasn't going to yell at Tony about being a sinner. "I'm trying to increase my control over the repulsor blasts, they caused more damage to the bank walls than I wanted."
"It's amazing what you do, Tony, just—this. Helping people, putting your life on the line when you don't have to."
"Stark Industries has an investment in that bank," Tony deflected, feeling uncomfortable at Bucky's good opinion.
"You think any bank owners would have risked their own lives against bank robbers in my day?"
Well, no, but few bankers had made their money selling weapons to terrorists. Though banks had certainly committed a number of financial crimes, and Tony had never seen any of their CEOs trying to make amends. "Did you need something?"
"I guess I just wanted to understand better. Since you seem willing to explain so much to me." Bucky casually circled the floating image of the Iron Man armor, wanting to position himself to look Tony in the eye. "That fellow, he said you guys had sex."
What the hell was Bucky leading up to? "Even from a 1940s perspective, that doesn't seem hard to understand."
"Growing up in Brooklyn, Steve and I knew a lot of queer people, guys that liked guys and gals that liked gals. And during the war, well, all the guys helped each other with a bit of relief, it was about the only thing that helped us keep our sanity. Mostly just hand jobs, but sometimes blowjobs."
Tony's mind fritzed a bit at Bucky's casual admission of knowing queer people and sex between presumably heterosexual soldiers. "What?"
Bucky was tempted to laugh at the shell-shocked look on Tony's face. "Did you think we didn't?"
"Honestly, yes. Dad always talked like people barely kissed before marriage when he was a young man."
"Really?" Bucky tilted his head, trying to imagine Howard pretending that he was a puritan. "I wouldn't have expected that from Howard, he was the greatest ladies' man I ever met. I never knew him to jerk off a guy though, but he wasn't on the front lines either."
Tony didn't want to think about his dad and sex, because ew. Also, Howard being a hypocrite wasn't near as interesting as Bucky's activities. "Historians have tried to prove that you and Steve were lovers. That you had a romantic relationship."
"Me and Steve? Nah." Bucky couldn't miss the expressions of disbelief and then relief that crossed Tony's face. "Steve was always like my brother, I loved him like I loved my sisters. He was sick a lot growing up, and I always wanted to help him, but I wasn't attracted to him."
Tony wanted desperately to believe that Bucky was being honest, but had to ask, "Even after the serum?"
Bucky took a moment to consider Tony's question. Taller Steve with the gorgeous muscles to die for had been very physically attractive, but that hadn't changed Bucky's feelings for him. He'd still wanted to protect Steve, even after he could protect himself. "It might have been different after the serum, I can't say what would have happened, but he was wildly in love with Peggy Carter. She was it for him. Above all else, I wanted him to be happy. He deserved it." Yeah, Tony was absolutely thrilled at that news, and Bucky felt a rush of pleasure watching the sparkle in his dark eyes. He prowled around the floating Iron Man image toward Tony, letting himself feel like he did before the war, when he'd see a beautiful woman and want her to go dancing with him.
"Wait, so you might have been with Steve, if he hadn't loved Aunt Peggy? As lovers?" Bucky was gay? Bisexual? That possibility was beyond any of Tony's childhood fantasies, which had involved a lot of warm, platonic hugs from his idol. "Dad said you were the ladies' man, not him."
"I like women, sure. Their perfume smells so sweet, and they're so soft and feel so good in my arms." Bucky paused, fighting the shame of what he was going to admit next, because this shame was worth conquering, if it brought the possibility of Tony to him. "Only I like men too, the way they're strong and firm, like it's more of a battle to kiss them. I like when I jerk them off, that I know what they're feeling, because it's what I feel too. Eric said you liked having your dick sucked by him. Was that true?"
Bucky liked men. Bucky was bisexual. "Who doesn't like having their dick sucked?"
"Tony." Bucky raised a hand, ran a thumb down the smooth curve of Tony's jaw to the edge of his goatee, noting the little shiver that crossed through Tony's body. "Do you like having your dick sucked by men?"
In for a penny, in for a pound. Tony could deflect, but he couldn't lie to Bucky. "I like having sex with men. Really, I like sex, in general. With men or women. Consenting adults, that's what we say now."
"Yeah, me too," Bucky admitted, giddy at Tony's admission. "If I'd come home from the war, I would have married a woman because I wanted a family and it was illegal to love a man." Bucky stroked his thumb upwards, let his fingers rest on Tony's neck. "But you, Tony. You would have been worth the risk."
"Oh, Jesus," Tony muttered, before curving one hand around Bucky's neck, bringing their lips together, trying to give Bucky the sweetest, most toe-curling kiss he'd ever known. His own dick stiffened as Bucky took over the kiss, somehow smooth but forceful, like Bucky had never tasted anything better than Tony's lips and craved as much as he could get.
"Okay, that's—that makes me very happy, Tony."
"Wait, what? Why are you backing away?" Tony leaned forward, lips open, ready for more kissing. Lots and lots of kissing.
"I'm dependent on you, Tony. And I want to do this right by you. Which means taking it slow until I'm standing on my own feet and knowing what I'm doing in this century."
"Are you kidding me?" Tony exploded, but Bucky's eyes were resolute, his jaw firm. And then his expression relaxed as he smiled, that killer smile that was so dangerous to Tony's heart.
"Maybe it's an old-fashioned attitude and no one feels like that anymore, but I do, Tony." Tony had whisked him away from SHIELD, fed him, educated him, opened his home to him and his cat without blinking. And now Bucky had confirmation that Tony liked men, liked him. Would clearly be willing to fool around with him.
"You just said you jerked off soldiers! Total strangers!"
"It was war, Tony, and they didn't matter. You do." Bucky's ma instilled him with certain values, including the belief that if you cared for someone, you treated them right, which meant taking time to get to know them, respecting them, and showering them with affection and attention. Of course, Bucky's ma always assumed he'd be treating a woman that way, but he couldn't do less for Tony. Bucky smiled again before heading to the elevator. "See you at lunch soon?" he suggested.
Tony stared as the doors slid shut, wondering why the hell he hadn't dropped to his knees and unbuckled Bucky's pants. Could the other man have resisted direct action? "Jarvis, what just happened?"
"I'm not sure I understand the question, sir. You appear to have been in the room."
Sometimes Tony could swear Jarvis was deliberately obtuse, another trait not in his programming. "What does that even mean, do right by me?"
"I believe Mr. Barnes may be planning on wooing you, sir."
"Wooing me?"
"That would seem an appropriate term for attitudes of the Sergeant's time."
Tony grinned, liking that answer very much. He'd been teaching Bucky about the modern day; maybe it was time to let Bucky teach him about the past.