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Bucky perked up at the sound of large, soft paws padding into the communal kitchen and paused in the middle of making waffle batter. He scented the air, picking up a distinctly feline scent as well as Tony’s natural musk buried beneath his all-spice deodorant and a hint of oil. Bucky rumbled happily as he turned around in time to see Tony in his tiger form stroll into the kitchen. The tiger shifter chuffed and wandered over to Bucky.
Clint let out a groan from the breakfast table and lifted his head. He squeezed his cup of coffee as he rubbed sleep out of his eyes. “He’s in tiger form. Break out the Frosted Flakes.”
Tony swished his tail and hissed at Clint.
Clint feigned a shudder and sipped his coffee. “Yeah, yeah, go back to your weekly patrol of your territory.”
Tony gave a small roar then shook his head and snuffled. He turned his attention to Bucky.
Bucky set down the bowl of batter on the counter and crouched so he was facing Tony. Tony in his tiger form (in any form really) was a thing of beauty. He was all muscles and grace. He was a tad shorter than the average tiger, but that just made him the perfect size to cuddle with when Bucky was in his wolf form. His fur was sleek and a vibrant shade of orange with black stripes.
Bucky opened his arms for Tony to climb into.
Tony happily did so. He rested his large paws on Bucky’s shoulders and nuzzled his face along Bucky’s, covering Bucky with his scent. Bucky burrowed his face in Tony’s neck, scenting his teammate and friend, soaking in that natural musk that was hidden under the layers of artificial scent. He was tempted to move his nose closer to Tony’s cheeks where the sweat glands were stronger, but he could already feel himself growing a little too excited for what Tony had dubbed “Pack Play”.
It was silly, and perhaps Bucky should be a little insulted that Tony’s word choice made pack dynamics seem more like a game and not something that was deeply ingrained in Bucky. However, Bucky loved and appreciated how often Tony tried to mimic wolf pack dynamics with him. Tony was always scenting Bucky, and in return Bucky always scented him. They spent many evenings and afternoons curled up in their animal forms together. It wasn’t always easy for Tony since his instincts tended to make him more solitary, but he always spent time with Bucky.
Tony chuffed and headbutted Bucky with enough force to mess up Bucky’s footing.
Bucky huffed and feinted nipping at Tony’s face–-a playful reprimand.
Tony’s eyes were alight with mischief, and suddenly he was letting all of his weight sink onto Bucky. Normally Bucky could handle Tony’s size, but with his footing a mess, Tony easily pushed Bucky onto the kitchen floor and pinned him in place. Tony licked Bucky’s cheek.
Bucky growled and elongated his teeth.
Tony just lay on top of Bucky, as happy as could be.
Bucky growled, grabbed Tony by the head and tilted it so he could bite one of Tony’s ears and yank on it like a cub.
Tony’s form began to shift and suddenly it wasn’t a furry ear in Bucky’s mouth, but a soft flesh one.
Tony chuckled, his whole body quaking with the sound. “Are you really biting me?”
Bucky rumbled delightedly in his chest. He rearranged his legs in a manner that he hoped wouldn’t reveal his interest in the naked man lying on top of him. He moved his mouth from around the shell of Tony’s ear to Tony’s earlobe and tugged. A thrill shot through him when Tony laughed.
Tony wiggled his head, forcing Bucky to release his ear, and Tony returned the favor by nipping Bucky on the cheek.
Bucky scoffed. “Excuse you? I bit you because you decided to be a jerk and pin me. I did not deserve that.” Even if he had enjoyed it.
Tony rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to speak, only for Clint to ruin the moment with, “Okay, I can handle you two being this sickeningly in love with each other when at least one of you is shifted, but I refuse to deal with it when you are both human and Tony is naked. Just get a room and fuck it out already.”
Tony and Bucky flipped Clint the bird simultaneously.
Clint rolled his eyes. He stood up, taking his coffee with him. “I swear, when you two finally get your heads out of your asses, you owe the whole team presents.”
“I give you presents everyday,” Tony countered as he pushed himself off Bucky.
Bucky shoved down the disappointment in his chest at the loss of Tony sprawled across him. He sat up against the counter and crossed his legs so as to hide that he was tenting. He forced himself not to look at Tony’s ass, but he might as well have been Orpheus and Tony’s ass Eurydice (which was probably the worst comparison Bucky could make, but he was more than a little distracted, and his brain was malfunctioning at the moment).
“Give me the gift of no sexual tension,” Clint hollered over his shoulder as he left the kitchen.
“You’ll have to talk to Sam and Steve about that. They’re the ones pining. Bucky has no interest in me whatsoever.”
Bucky bit the inside of his cheek. He wanted to correct Tony, but he feared what would happen if he did. It wasn’t the first time someone had made a remark about them pining for for each other, nor was it the first time Tony had dismissed it by declaring Bucky wasn’t interested in him. Bucky had wondered in the past why Tony always spoke for Bucky’s feelings but never spoke for his own. Each time he pondered the possible reasons, and each time he ached with hope that maybe it was because Tony did like him in that manner.
He’d just never had the courage to push the issue.
Tony made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat and leaned against Bucky’s side. “Honestly, what is he thinking?” Tony closed his eyes and nuzzled Bucky’s cheek.
The affectionate and possessive act of marking Bucky sent another wave of excitement through Bucky. Before he could think better of it, he asked: “What if I did like you in that way though?”
Tony hummed contently, nose burrowing into the juncture of Bucky’s neck and shoulder. He grazed his teeth–-sharp and elongated–-against the sensitive skin and breathed Bucky in. “But you don’t, so don’t worry about it.”
“But what if I did? Would you be upset?”
Tony ripped his head away from Bucky. His eyes were wide with shock and fright. “Of course not, Buckaroo! You’re my cuddle buddy. So is Rhodey, but you’re special. No one cuddles like you. You also don’t mind wrestling with me when I’m in my tiger form, which even Rhodey is wary about, and you… you’re just always there, even if I’m being a jerk or having one of my solitary days, you’re there, which I appreciate. It’s nice to just have someone, and I’m not going to be mad just cause you find me attractive, especially not when I-”
Tony snapped his mouth shut then quickly opened it to say, “-not when I’m so ridiculously attractive. I mean what chance do you really stand against my good looks?” He grinned.
It was one of his fake press grins, and Bucky knew in his gut what Tony had been about to say.
Without any warning, he grabbed Tony by the back of his head and pulled Tony in for a kiss on the cheek, followed by playful nip to his earlobe. “I’m so fucking gone on you, Tony. No joke. I can barely keep my hands off you most days, and I want to mark you up every time I see you, and I want you to do the same to me.”
Tony inhaled sharply. “No joke?”
“No joke,” Bucky stated.
Suddenly he had a lap full of naked Tony and he was being kissed breathless by an over eager mouth.
Bucky laughed into the sloppy kisses. He cupped Tony’s face and with his mouth he guided Tony into a slower and much more satisfying kiss.
Tony moaned. He wrapped his arms around Bucky’s neck and broke their kiss. He licked his lips and smirked down at Bucky. “So, as you can see, my gorgeous naked body is lacking your marks. You want to add them to me while on the kitchen table, the living room sofa, or should we take this to a bedroom?”
Bucky grinned roguishly. He stood up, hoisting Tony up with him and carrying him to the kitchen table. “If someone walks in then we don’t have to make any formal announcement.”
Tony chortled. “I like the way you think.”