Chapter Text
Before Thanos and possible world-ending catastrophes, when Bucky’s head had gotten clear and his fears had abated, he had begun to notice Tony as more than a victim of The Winter Soldier. He had started to see him as a man. A very attractive man. He had been pretty sure Tony had been looking at him, too. Bucky had known it would take time, probably a lot of time, for he and Tony to settle into friendship before they could even think of pursuing anythingmore. Bucky was sure he didn’t, and would never, deserve someone like Tony. But he hadn’t deserved being able to use something like BARF, or anything Shuri had done for him, or T’Challa taking him in, or a pardon. He’d been gifted those things regardless of whether he deserved them or not. Maybe he’d gotten spoiled because he discovered that he did want to go after this thing for himself. He had known that eventually, he would. He had thought he would be able to do it at his own pace.
He had been happy living in the tower with Tony. Because he didn’t have to worry about trigger words or being arrested, he had gone out to explore the city. He had walked up and down blocks, relearning the city of his youth. He had ridden the subway and delighted in not feeling a sense of panic at the press of strangers. He had visited museums and libraries to catch up on culture and history for the last near-century. He had settled into a new life.
He spent time in the lab with Tony every day. They ate meals together at least once a day. They watched movies and TV shows. Tony was a flurry of activity at all times. Bucky was mesmerized. Tony talked when he worked. He talked about what he was working on for the most part. Bucky listened and tried to learn. Tony seemed surprised and said most people tuned out his science talk. Bucky was actually interested in science and was eager to see all the ways the science fiction of his time was the science reality of today.
Things came to a head for him when the Guardians of the Galaxy showed up. He had been taking it slow but now the threat Tony had warned about and prepared for was imminent. Bucky didn’t want anything to happen to either of them without him having gotten the courage to make a move. He threw moving at his own pace out the window. He decided he would just put himself out there now.
For ten months, Tony had watched Bucky and believed that Bucky was watching him too. They smiled, they glanced away. They flirted and leaned in near to one another. They danced carefully around and never quite made contact. It was a little elegant, a lot frustrating. Because Bucky had a lot of recovery still to do, Tony wasn’t eager to push him into starting a relationship. He was so glad to have Bucky’s friendship all that time, that he was more than happy to wait until he knew Bucky was ready. It took him a while to sort out his feelings anyway. He liked Bucky, he was happy being friends with Bucky, he was attracted to Bucky. But he was nervous about starting a relationship with his parents’ technical killer. Sometimes, when he looked at Bucky from a certain angle, he could still see his parents’ killer. It happened more in the first couple of months or so, less as time went by. Finally, he realized that the reason he saw The Winter Soldier was because those times, Bucky’s face went completely blank. Bucky only went blank when he was at the verge of a panic attack. The longer Bucky was in therapy, the fewer and farther between his panic attacks occurred. By the time they’re gearing up for Thanos arrival, Bucky wasn’t having them at all anymore.
The day after the Guardians made their announcement, Bucky finally kissed Tony. They were sitting on a blanket watching the stars. Bucky made a small noise and Tony turned to face him. Bucky’s hand cupped his face. “Would you let me kiss you, Tony?” Tony tilted into Bucky’s chest and their mouths met. A bare skimming of lips at first, then a gentle pressing, constant contact. It was hours later when they went to their separate rooms, lips numb and swollen, hearts bursting.
The first time they made love was just three days later. They had both begun to worry about Thanos’ arrival and the possibility that this was all the time they would have. A scant few weeks together. The friendship they had built was nothing to dismiss, but having waited so long before furthering that made them nearly desperate. They threw caution to the wind and dived headlong into the romantic relationship they had put off for so long.
In the aftermath of Thanos, when the world was calm and their lives were out of harm’s way, barely a month passed before Bucky proposed. He felt there was no time to delay anymore. The type of lives superheroes led put them in constant danger. He didn’t want to waste the time that he and Tony could have together. The wedding of Tony Stark was a media circus. The small, private ceremony they had with just their friends and family was the one they treasured. The one they used pictures from to fill their photo album.
The day they came home from their honeymoon, Bucky announced to the press that he would not be taking a role with the New Avengers. He had spent the better part of 70 years fighting. He was ready to hang up his weapons and lead a life of peace. He took a position with the Maria Stark Foundation and worked to help others as much as he could.
It was over a year into their marriage before Steve finally agreed to sign the Accords and come home. Bucky had missed him tremendously. The short time they’d spent together in Wakanda was fraught with tension. It hadn’t felt anything like their previous friendship. Things didn’t immediately return to that closeness either, it took a while for them to get back to a semblance of what they had before. They worked at it before eventually finding a balance they could both benefit from. Steve joined the New Avengers, working under Major Danvers. It chafed a bit but he adjusted. Bucky was happy with his life and the way it had become complete.
Tony stuck with the superhero work for ten more years before retiring. Within a year of that, he and Bucky had adopted two children orphaned in a fight between enhanced people. Tony thought it was the best way to fulfill their desire for children while also giving back in some way to victims of the inevitable fallout of battles between the powered.
They moved to Malibu to raise their children beside the ocean. Though their life together had started with a nightmare, they planned to do all they could to make sure it ended like a daydream.