Chapter Text
One Month Later:
It’s still not a perfect situation -- far from it, really. Tony and Bucky are still stuck in houses Steve would really rather they not be in, but when Steve mentions this on one date or another, Tony snorts and says, “We can’t all have a perfect fairytale ending, Rogers.”
“But-“
Bucky says firmly, “I would rather have you both than not have you. It might not be everything, but it’s enough. Don’t fuckin’ ruin this for me.”
The grim expression on his face is dulled slightly by the whipped cream on his nose, but it still stands. Steve shuts up about it, though he knows they’ll have more conversations like this for a good while.
Plus, Steve gets to watch the smiles on their faces when Tony leans over the red-checkered table and licks the whipped cream off Bucky’s nose. Bucky’s face turns slowly, carefully, bright red, and as they erupt in laughter, Steve feels a part of himself settle.
Shortly after they get together, Rhodey plops down at the lunch table while simultaneously slapping Sam’s back, causing the other boy’s milk to spray out of his mouth. “What’s up, man?” he grins. Sam doesn’t respond, frozen in terror as Bucky, newly milk-soaked glared daggers at him, but Sam’s shoulders bounce helplessly anyway.
Rhodey erupts in laughter, and Bucky almost lunges across the table, hissing bloody murder. Only Steve’s arm around Bucky’s waist kept Sam from getting castrated.
And that sparks the return of the Avengers, much to Nick Fury’s pleasure, and by the time three days had passed the group had to push together three tables at lunchtime. Steve, Tony, Bucky, and the other “original” Avengers - Sam, Natasha, Bruce, and Clint, sit closest to the center. Wanda and Pietro sit beside Clint, often roping the older boy into their plots. Rhodey, Carol and Pepper can be found sitting next to Tony, and Thor sits with his brother, Loki, Peter Quill and Gamora and their wily crew, and sometimes Thor’s crazy sister. Across the aisle sit the foreign exchange students from Wakanda - minus Shuri, who is, of course, still in middle school with Peter.
“ C’mon , c’mon, hurry up,” Bucky hisses.
“I’m sorry, not all of us can be six-foot-tall Russian spies ,” Tony hisses right back, glaring at the long-haired boy from where he was perilously perched on the fence of Stark Manor.
Steve sighs, but he doesn’t say anything about the bickering. “Just jump, Tony, I’ll catch you.”
“Easy for you to say,” Tony near-screeches. “I just got this cast off, and now you want me to go back-”
“ Jump! ”
Tony jumps. Steve makes a small oomph, but other than that, no teenagers have been harmed so far in the production of this date, and Steve is honestly sort of in awe of themselves. Tony is dazed, giggling too hard to support his own weight, and he just sort of crumples to the ground the second Steve lets go of him.
Bucky yanks Tony off the ground impatiently. “C’mon, let’s go,” he says, not at all amused.
Bucky ends up dragging Tony into the car, incapacitated by the force of his laughter. Steve spends a second staring after them. “Why do I like these idiots?” he mutters under his breath, but he’s smiling.
By the time Steve climbs in, Bucky’s head is puddled in Tony’s lap in the backseat, and the genius is combing through it with his fingers. “You too are both unfairly strong, and it’s really hot, and it’s unfair.”
Bucky snorts. “Wouldn’t be a problem if you could get to the gym maybe once a month.” Tony yanks Bucky’s hair. “Hey! Bitch,” the boy growls.
Tony smarms, “Who, me?” Steve isn’t quick enough to stifle his laughter, and fiery blue eyes turn on him.
“Something funny to you, Rogers?”
“No, sir,” Steve responds with only a little cheek. For that, he thinks he deserves some kind of reward.
They’re on their way to the park for a picnic, which Bucky had complained was “stupid” and “cheesy.” Steve had still dragged them all out, regardless.
The picnic is nice, though, so fuck you, Bucky. They lay in the first of the upcoming spring sunrays and Steve eats enough for two people, Bucky eats a slightly big portion, and Tony eats like he hasn’t eaten in years, and considering how hard they had to try to drag him away from his lab, he might not have.
After about an hour of this and talking about whatever topic meaders across their minds, Steve stands up to throw away his plate. “Wait, wait, wait, Steve! Take this with you!”
Steve turns around, disapproving frown already in place. Bucky does this every time. He can throw away his own plate! “No,” he says flatly.
Tony seems to pick up on Bucky’s logic. “But Steeeeeeve ,” he whines. “It’s so faaaaaaaar .”
“And! Why make all three of us go when only one person could go?” Bucky pleads. “It’s so much more efficient, Stevie. Don’t you care about the environment? What about the poor tu-”
“Fine,” Steve snarls, snatching the plate from Bucky’s hand, then grabbing Tony’s. “Don’t ever say I never did anything for you.”
“Wouldn’t dream of it,” Tony drawls, draping his sunglasses across his face.
Half-stomping, Steve approaches the trash cans. But the sight of two small figures stops him.
“Peter?” Steve calls in disbelief. The child in question freezes and swivels slowly. As he does so, Steve catches a good glance at his companion.
“Shuri? What are you guys doing here?”
Peter opens his mouth to speak, but Shuri nudges him into silence.
Steve sighs. “I can see you, standing still won’t make you disappear.”
“You don’t know that,” Peter says quickly. Shuri buries her elbow in his gut.
“What’s going on?”
“Nothing!” Peter blurts, too loudly.
“Tell me, or I’m getting Tony.”
Shuri smacks Peter’s arm. “Nice going, genius! ”
“Don’t get Tony!” Peter’s face floods red.
Steve kneels to the middle schooler’s height. “Now, son,” he says, doing his best I’m-An-Avenger-So-You-Have-To-Listen-To-Me voice. “Keeping secrets isn’t something a future Avenger- ”
Peter cracks under the pressure easily, which is probably a new record for Steve. “Fine! They’re hiding behind there,” he points to a particularly large bush in the forest that surrounds the park.
“Idiot!” Shuri hisses.
“Sorry!”
Striding over to the bush, the sight that welcomes Steve was not one he is inclined to appreciate.
Sam, Rhodey, Pepper, and Natasha all stare up at him with wide eyes. “Uh. Hi?” Sam says weakly.
Steve isn’t impressed. “What the hell is going on here?”
“... Nothing…”
“...Are you spying on us?”
“... Maybe…”
Natasha jumps in. “You guys are just… really cute together!”
“So you spied on our date? ”
Rhodey snorts shamelessly, while Pepper has the grace to look slightly cowed. “Trust me,” he says, “this isn’t even the worst we’ve done for Tony, I promise.”
Steve’s face flushes in annoyance. “Just… go. ”
Sam smirks. “Fine, fine, we’ll leave you three alone. ”
“Out!”
Steve watches them go back to Natasha’s uber-expensive car, then heads back to the picnic blanket. Collapsing on the ground, he complains, “We need new friends.”
Sitting up, Bucky scoffs. “You’re just figuring that out now?” Then he bends and gave Steve a kiss that tasted pleasantly like vanilla.
“Ahem? I think you’ve forgotten something?” Tony says cavalierly, tapping his own mouth. Bucky rolls his eyes, but still leans down to peck Tony’s lips.
“This,” Bucky declares, “is probably one of the best months I’ve ever had.”
Pulling his boyfriend in for another kiss, their other boyfriend lounging sprawled across the blanket underneath them, the first hints of spring emerging in wonderful bloom, this, Steve has to agree, is one of the best days in his life.