Work Text:
”To be honest with you”, Bucky said as he placed a cup of coffee in Tony's slightly unsteady hands, ”that's never happened to me before.”
They had relocated to the livingroom, because the bedroom had become a far too loaded environment, but Tony was still only wearing his unbuttoned jeans. The open fly showed a pretty neat treasure trail, leading up his tight lower abdomen to the perfect dip of his bellybutton. His well-muscled shoulders were hunched, his dark eyes lowered to focus on the cup in his hands when Bucky sat next to him on the couch.
”I'm sorry”, he murmured into the coffee, still not looking up.
”Hey, nothing to be sorry about.”
Tony threw him a dubious glance, but didn't say anything.
”I'm just surprised.” Bucky shrugged a shoulder and sipped from his own cup. ”I didn't think that could happen to an incubus.”
Tony pinched his eyes shut, gave a shaky sigh, and then finally raised his head to look straight at Bucky, for the first time since he'd scrambled off the bed in an awkward, shuffling panic. ”I'm not. Or, I am, but... but only half. My father is an incubus, my mom was human.”
”Oh.” After a moment of blinking hesitation, Bucky gave a slow nod. ”So you just had a bit of a... a human moment? I mean, it happens to the best of us, right? We can work with that.”
Huge, liquid, brown eyes stared at him for a beat or two. Then Tony's cup of coffee was abruptly on the table and Tony was out of the couch, buttons being done up, hands reaching for his t-shirt and hoodie.
”You know what? This was a mistake. I shouldn't have taken up your time.” The guy was into his clothes before Bucky had even gotten his own ass off the seat. Like a whirlwind, he tore a bunch of crumpled bills out of a pocket, and slapped them down next to the half-empty cup. ”Keep the change. It's not you. I'm sure you're really good at what you do. I'm just... A mistake. I mean, this was... I'll just...” He hooked a thumb over his shoulder even as he was already backing toward the front door so fast he almost stumbled over his own shoes before bending to shove his feet into them. ”I'm sorry. Thanks for the coffee.”
And then he was gone.
And Bucky was left in his pajama pants, holding his own cup, helplessly staring at the closed door, confused, belatedly murmuring out, ”You're welcome?”
No one had ever left him in such a rush before.
When he bothered to sort out the mess of bills on his coffee table, it counted out to almost two grand. Bucky's fee for a night was five hundred.
That wasn't just ”change”, but still, Tony had said to keep it, so... Bucky shrugged and added the cash to his safe in the bedroom. He had no idea what had just happened, but money was still money.
Nearly three weeks later, Tony was back, and he wasn't looking good. His handsome face was pale and drawn, lips too tight, eyes too big. His hands looked frail as they clutched at each other, hanging between his knees where he was sitting hunched over on the couch again.
”I'm sorry.” This time he was starting out with the apologies. ”I know I treated you like shit last time, and if you want to kick me out, I get that.” Sad puppy eyes found Bucky's from under Tony's long lashes and messy hair. ”But I have nowhere else to go, so I thought, maybe, if you're ok with it, we could try this again?”
”Sure”, Bucky said as he moved to sit next to Tony again. He knew the look of a starved incubus when he saw one, and he hadn't been about to kick him out anyway. Despite what Tony seemed to remember, Bucky didn't think he'd been treated badly last time, so as far as he was concerned there were no hard feelings. ”But maybe we should go a bit slower this time? Ease into it?”
The relief on Tony's face was clear when he realized he wasn't being immediately turned away. He gave a quick nod, and turned to face Bucky more head on. ”Yeah. I think... Yeah, that sounds good.”
”Good.” Bucky shuffled closer on the seat, until he could gently cup Tony's cheeks, much scruffier than last time, and lean in for a soft kiss.
They had basically tumbled head first into bed last time, clothes flying, and Tony had seemed almost frantic for it. Until they had been tangled up and naked and Bucky had been trying to stroke him hard and... nothing had happened. Which could have been worked around, of course, this wasn't Bucky's first time with those kinds of issues in his life – just the first time with an incubus – but before he'd even fully realized that this was an issue, Tony had been shuffling out of bed, hyperventilating, and coffee on the couch had seemed like a better idea than sex.
Tony felt a lot more hesitant now, his lips soft and yielding under Bucky's, passively letting him in rather than participating in the kiss. But his lashes fluttered prettily, he turned in his seat to accept the attention, chest opening up, so Bucky took it as a sign to go ahead.
Kissing turned to Bucky slowly caressing Tony out of his clothes, before he slid down on his knees on the plush area rug. Maybe a slow, sweet, wet blowjob was just what Tony needed to get the edge off? Just lean back and soak up the worship, kind of thing.
But even with his knees spread wide around Bucky's shoulders, his own arms resting along the back of the couch, Tony was only growing more and more rigid. And not in the good way. His cock was as soft as a marshmallow on Bucky's tongue, while his thigh muscles were rock hard and vibrating with tension.
His breathing was just starting to take on a panicky pitch again, when Bucky leaned back and let go. He reached for Tony's discarded pants and quickly draped them over Tony's lap and crotch, instinctively sensing that it would help to cover him up.
Immediately, Tony's hands flew down to grab the denim, tugging it closer. All of him was shaking, throat all tense sinew where his head was tipped back against the cushion, face twisted up in distress, eyes tightly closed as he focused on evening out his hitching breaths.
”You want to be alone?” Bucky kept his voice low, and didn't move one direction or another until he had an answer. He wasn't sure if he was the problem or not, and what kind of action would help, or just freak Tony out more.
There was a brief moment of consideration, but then Tony shook his head. Then he hesitated again, and then he nodded. He opened his eyes and gave Bucky a miserable look. ”Maybe you could make some coffee again?”
And Bucky knew that meant Tony wanted him out of the room long enough for him to get his clothes back on with some measure of dignity intact. ”Yeah, of course. Back in a minute.”
Just as he had suspected, Tony was fully dressed when he came back with their steaming cups, and he looked even worse off than he had before the attempted blow job. His smile of thanks when he accepted the coffee was thin and brittle, and after a few swallows he was putting the cup down, shifting restlessly.
”I'm sorry I took up your time again”, he mumbled, and patted himself down, apparently on the hunt for money.
”It's fine.” Bucky took a chance, reached out, and stilled one of Tony's hands by placing his own over it, flattening Tony's palm against his thigh. The half-demon froze up at the touch, but didn't seem panicky, just surprised. ”You don't have to keep saying sorry.”
Tony's mouth twisted to the side as he looked down, and nodded. He didn't look convinced, though.
”Anyway. I don't have any other appointments for the night, and I'm not tired, so maybe you'd want to stay for a little bit?”
The way the offer made Tony look at him almost had Bucky wondering if he'd sprouted a second head without noticing.
”Really?”
”Yeah. You're looking a bit shaky, and I don't think you're safe to drive.” Bucky kept his tone light. ”Just stick around, finish your coffee, watch some mindless TV with me, and then you can go home when you feel ready.” He didn't let it turn into a question.
Tony blinked, looked dazed, but in the end he nodded again. ”Sure.”
So they did exactly what Bucky had suggested, with one exception – Tony never left.
They started watching a show on Netflix that Bucky had been saving up for a bored, rainy day, and even though this wasn't that kind of day, it was engaging enough to have them both watching with rapt attention, not noticing the hours slipping by. There was a break long enough for a bathroom visit and for Bucky to make them both a couple of sandwiches, and then they were back to it.
After a dozen episodes they were both wrapped up in the same fluffy blanket, Tony leaning warm and solid into Bucky's side, with Bucky's arm casually draped over his shoulders. And not long after that, Bucky noticed how Tony was getting heavier against him, tousled head tilted down and resting against Bucky's pectoral, and he knew Tony was asleep.
Smiling at the screen, Bucky settled in for a night on the couch, and it wasn't long before he was asleep as well.
Bucky woke up to a teasing ray of morning sun flickering over his face. With a grunt he rubbed at the warm spot with his hand, as if that could get it off, before he tipped his head forward, out of the too-bright light, and opened his eyes. That gave him a perfect view of his lap, which was now filled with Tony's head.
Apparently he had shuffled down onto his side on the seats during the night, so now he was using Bucky's right thigh as a pillow. His brown hair was messier than Bucky had ever seen it, flattened in places, standing up wildly in others. In sleep his face seemed softer, full lips slightly parted, long lashes sweeping over his cheek.
A smile curved itself around Bucky's lips, and before he knew it, his left hand had found its way into his lap as well, fingers burrowing into Tony's thick hair.
Even in his sleep, Tony arched up into the touch like an affectionate cat, a pleased noise rumbling like a purr in his chest. A dreamy smile quirked the corner of his plush mouth as he started to stretch aganst the cushions, waking up. He turned on his back, and blinked his eyes open. They were almost golden in the daylight, the lingering smile and sleepiness turning them to happy little half moons.
”Mornin', Tony”, Bucky said, voice morning-rough.
”Hey.” Tony's voice was even more gravelly, and muddled with confusion. Then his eyes widened, blinked some more, and fixed properly on Bucky's face. ”Oh”, he breathed out, startled, and jerked out of his lap to sit up straight. Which was too bad. Bucky had kinda liked having him right there. Tony turned on the seat to face him, even as he scooted away to leave more space between them. That's when Bucky realized that it wasn't just sleep that had softened his face, he really was looking better than he had last night. ”I'm... sorry?”
”Are you asking me?” It definitely had sounded like a question.
Tony's lips parted, eyes flitting around the room, but before he could get any words out, Bucky spoke up again.
”Because if you are, the answer should be 'no', Tony.” He offered up a smile when Tony's eyes finally darted to his again. And then he reached a hand out, and carefully settled it on top of Tony's on the couch cushion between them. ”Nothing to be sorry about, here.”
A self-deprecating laugh huffed out of Tony. ”Sure. I just slept all over you. Probably left some drool on your pants.” He tensed up. ”Oh god I hope I didn't.”
”I really don't care”, Bucky assured him, not even looking down to check. People had left way worse things on his pants in the past. He just gripped the hand under his a little tighter.
”Well, you have to say that, right? 'Cause I'm paying you not to care.” Tony's head dropped forward as he seemed to entirely deflate, shoulders hunched and spine curving as if under the weight of the world. ”Fuck, I can't even... I thought I could throw money at this and it would just... not be a problem anymore? But not even that works.” He turned his head enough to aim a bitter little half-smile at Bucky. ”I'm so beyond fucked up, James, you have no idea.”
For a moment it was a little jarring to hear his given name, even though it shouldn't be, because it was the one he always gave to clients. Only friends and family knew him as Bucky. It was just that something about the closeness of waking up with Tony sleeping on him had made him feel like a part of Bucky's life, far beyond a client relationship, and a very new one at that.
”I've seen fucked up, from up close. Trust me, Tony, you're not it.”
”See, that's what I meant by you having no idea.” He tugged his hand from Bucky's, and scrubbed both palms over his face. ”I'm half demon and it's still the human part of me that makes me a monster.” Tony's hands fisted in his hair as he completely folded in on himself. ”Fuck. I should be taken out and shot.”
”Tony, listen...”
”Better that than starving to death”, Tony barrelled on, voice muffled behind his forearms. ”I'm going to fade away and die because I can't have sex and I can't love anyone and I'm a fucking monster, I can't -”
”Hey!” Bucky had to forcibly grab his arm and shake him gently, to get him to snap out of the spiralling anxiety, lower his arms from his face, and finally look up. ”You're not a monster, Tony.”
Eyes dark, liquid and huge, Tony opened his mouth to object, but Bucky just shook his head with enough force to make himself dizzy, and stop Tony in his tracks.
”What do you mean, you can't love anyone?” Bucky felt a theory forming, but he needed more to work with.
”I just...” Tony slumped with a deep sigh. ”I never have. And I had this girlfriend, for a while? And she was just perfect, and I knew this had to be it, I had to feel something for her because how could I not? But I couldn't sleep with her, either, and I couldn't fall in love, and this is it, I'm fucked, I'm going to starve to death. And it's no more than I deserve, you know? But I'm... I'm fucking terrified.” His eyes were starting to show too much white, tears escaped to run down the sides of his nose, and he didn't even seem to notice.
”Hey, no, come here.” Bucky shuffled right up to Tony on the couch, wrapped his arms all around him, and drew his trembling body snug against his chest. He hushed him softly, felt Tony hitch out a proper sob, and gently cupped a hand around the back of his head, smoothing down his hair.
For a long while he just held him like that, until he felt Tony's breathing slow and even out, his body uncoiling just a little.
”You're not going to starve to death, Tony”, he said, quietly, but with conviction.
Tony gave a bitter huff into the curve between his shoulder and neck.”How do you know that?”
With a smile, Bucky buried his fingers in Tony's hair again, scratching carefully at his warm scalp. ”Glad you asked. A couple reasons, actually.” When all he got was a little humming noise, he took it for encouragement to go on. ”You were with this girlfriend for a while, yeah?”
Another hum. ”Almost a year”, Tony muttered. ”Couldn't make myself let her go. I'm not good at that.”
”You know, it takes a full-blooded incubus about three months to starve himself into torpor.” Demons, the real ones, didn't die. But Tony definitely could. Though Bucky knew he wouldn't, not the way Tony seemed so convinced he was about to. ”Takes longer for someone who's half human, of course, since you get part of your nourishment from food. But without anything at all fed into your demonic self, you would have been dead within less than six months.” He kept his tone light and conversational, despite the way Tony tensed more and more in his arms.
”What?” It was mostly a raspy breath into Bucky's neck. Then Tony planted his palms against Bucky's chest and pushed away, although just enough to stare at his face. His own was blotchy with tears, eyes red-rimmed and puffy. ”But I didn't sleep with her. Not once! That's not possible.”
”I'm sure that's not true, Tony.” When the half-demon scowled, Bucky quickly carried on. ”Yeah, you didn't have sex, but you spent a year with her. Of course you slept with her. Like we did just now, right?”
Tony opened his mouth as if to launch into an objection. Then he stopped, and closed it again with an audible click of teeth. His eyes were staring right through Bucky's forehead, far away in thought.
That was all the confirmation Bucky needed. ”Even if you don't fall in love and don't have sex”, he said, and carefully didn't use the words can't, because it wasn't some skill Tony had failed to learn, or some flaw in how he was made, ”you got what you needed from her. Just like you did from me last night.” He raised a hand, slowly, and cupped Tony's face to caress a thumb down the hollow of it, where he had been all drawn shadow when he showed up on Bucky's doorstep.
”That's not possible”, Tony repeated with a frown, gaze returning to here and now. ”Sex is how -”
”How most incubi feed. Yeah, trust me, I know. But Tony, sex isn't nourishment in itself. It's not what you need. It's just a practical means to an end for most people.”
The frown on Tony's face deepened, confusion clear in his eyes.
”What you really feed on is intimacy, when it's freely given. You got that from your girl, and you got it from me last night. You don't need sex. You don't need to be in love, either. Just some closeness and care and attention.” Bucky smiled. ”I'm more than happy to give you that.”
”But...” Tony's eyes flitted all over his face, his mouth twisted in uncertainty. ”But people expect sex. From me. Because I'm this... thing.”
”Yeah, they probably do”, Bucky admitted, and dropped his hand back to clutch at Tony's in his lap. ”But that's because people are also short-sighted idiots.”
A startled laugh punched its way out of Tony, before he smothered it behind his free hand.
”It's kind of funny”, Bucky agreed with a sharp grin. ”Because if it wasn't, it would be really goddamn sad.”
And that made Tony break down in semi-hysterical giggles, something slightly unhinged that was edging far too close to sobs for comfort. But Bucky still chuckled along with him, and tucked Tony under his arm so he could hide his face by Bucky's pectoral again, where he didn't have to worry about the tears showing.
Once he had calmed down, Tony wiped his face, sat upright on the couch again, and gave Bucky a long, softly thoughtful look.
Considering his face, Bucky raised his hands to cradle both sides of his jaw in his palms, stroked his still a little sunken cheeks, studied the paler but still present shadows under his eyes, the complete mess that was his slightly dirty hair, and then let his eyes drop to take in Tony's rumpled appearance after sleeping in his clothes.
”I have a suggestion”, he finally said.
Tony nodded into his hands, for him to go on.
”How about a shower?”
”Sounds good.”
”Together.”
A line formed over Tony's nose as his brows drew together. ”But you just said -”
”Yeah, and I mean a shower. To get clean. Nothing else.” Well, Bucky did have a bit of an ulterior motive, so nothing else was sort of a lie, but sex definitely wasn't it.
There was a long moment of hesitation while Tony thought this over, and then he finally nodded again. ”Okay. Sure. Let's try that.”
With a smile he was sure was a bit too wide and heartfelt, Bucky grabbed Tony's hand, got off the couch, and gently urged him along into his bathroom. It was big for the otherwise kind of small apartment, and the shower was one of the things that had sold him on the place. He was pretty sure that shower head was a gift from some benevolent god, and it generously offered settings that ranged from a soft mist, to a massage jet that almost peeled the skin off and could unravel any knotted muscle.
Once the door was closed behind them and the shower turned on at a regular spray to start warming the space up, Bucky tugged his own henley off, and turned to Tony, who was fidgeting nervously. Bucky could remember that Tony hadn't seemed to have an issue with being undressed, though, and so he moved in to grasp the hem of Tony's t-shirt and pulled it up his chest, and off his obediently raised arms.
Then, deciding that it was probably better to lead by example, he unzipped his jeans and dropped them, along with his underwear, before he went to do the same for Tony. Who didn't seem completely relaxed, but also wasn't panicking, or offering any objections.
When they were naked, Bucky just took his hand again, and led Tony into the shower, sliding the glass door closed. There, he shuffled them both in under the steady, wide spray of water to get warm and wet. It meant they had to stand more or less pressed together, even with the generous drizzle from above, and Bucky took practical advantage by running his hands first through his own long hair, and then Tony's much shorter half-curls, to make sure it was soaked all the way through before he reached for a bottle of almond and honey scented shampoo that was his personal favourite.
Bucky let himself fall into the ritualistic feel of washing up, and felt himself smile around a tuneless hum at the back of his throat while he worked up a thick, creamy lather in his own hair, and then did the same for Tony. He spent much longer on him, though, rubbing the shampoo carefully into every single strand of hair, down behind his ears, at the nape of his neck, steadily massaging circles over his scalp with the pads of all his fingers at once. After just a moment, Tony's eyes dropped closed under the gentle attention, his face smoothing out in serene calm, and after a little while more his own hands shyly moved up to settle around Bucky's waist, maybe for balance.
With a deeper, approving hum, Bucky just kept washing his hair.
After he had rinsed the shampoo off, Bucky shifted them slightly out from the spray of water so he could apply some conditioner without it washing away at once. It was better if it got to stay in for a while. Then he picked up a bottle of body wash and gave himself a quick, cursory rub with it, before he squeezed out a bigger dollop of the sweetly scented soap and went to work on Tony.
He started at Tony's neck, clavicles and shoulders. Bucky pressed his fingers a bit into the tense muscles and thought that he was going to offer Tony a proper massage next time.
At least, he hoped there would be a next time. If he did this right, there might be.
With long, soothing strokes he continued down Tony's surprisingly deeply muscled arms, before he motioned for him to raise them. This time, Tony didn't hesitate at all before he complied and folded his hands behind his head, so Bucky could rub his hands into the tufts of hair in his armpits, and then move down to his pectorals. His dark nipples contraced under Bucky's attentions, and he could feel Tony's ribcage expand with a deep breath. Possibly worried Bucky would take it as an invitation to lavish another sort of attention on them. When he didn't, but just moved his hands down Tony's sides, to his stomach, Tony let the air out in a long, slightly unsteady sigh.
Bucky glanced up at his face, and found his eyes open and very dark, focused on Bucky's face already.
”We good?” Bucky paused, with his hands wrapped around Tony's hips.
Tony glanced down between them, clear on what Bucky was asking, and then back up, to give him a nod.
Offering an encouraging smile, Bucky moved on with the cleaning. He didn't linger on Tony's flaccid cock or his balls, just gave them the basic cleaning he had given his own, before he squatted on the tiles and gave Tony's thighs a good rub, front and back, and then his lower legs, before lifting one foot in turn to clean those too.
He stood back up, and gently asked, ”Turn around for me?”
Tony did, and supported himself with his hands on the cabin wall. There was something soft and languid in his movements now that hadn't been there before.
Bucky smiled to himself, pleased, as he took more body wash from the bottle and went to work on Tony's back. He pressed his thumbs a bit deeper into his shoulders, rubbed the ridges of tense muscles along his spine, and then dug his thumbs properly into the dip just above Tony's well-rounded ass. Which actually earned him a groan that was half pain, half pleasure.
”Fuck”, Tony huffed when Bucky just let his thumbs drift a little lower, and pressed them into the upper parts of his glutes.
Bucky hummed his agreement. ”Biggest muscles in the body”, he murmured as he pressed again, a couple inches lower. ”Lots of tension stored up right here.”
”No shit...”
The next groan hitched a little on the way out, so Bucky let up and rubbed his palms soothingly over the globes of Tony's ass instead. Yeah, there was a hint of appreciation in the touch, too, because damn. It was a good ass. But Bucky didn't let it linger.
Instead he gently grasped Tony's shoulders, eased him back from the wall, and moved them both into the spray of water again, so he could rinse the lather and conditioner off.
Done with that, he didn't feel ready for the shower to be over, so Bucky shifted in closer, wrapped his arms around Tony's back, and just held him against his body. After a second, Tony's arms curled around his waist in turn, holding on. Wet skin plastered against wet skin, eyes closed against the flying droplets of water, they stood there in the steamy air for a long while, relaxed, at peace, satisfied, the rythm of their breaths and heartbeats matched up.
Finally, Bucky felt like it might be time to finish up. ”Ready to get out?”
Tony nodded against his shoulder, so Bucky turned off the water. They still didn't move apart for a bit, so he held still until Tony was the one to raise his head and shift his weight back to put just a sliver of space between them.
He almost looked like a different person. There was still a shadow of stubble on his jaw, but the unhealthy ones that had been lingering in the hollows of his cheeks and under his expressive eyes, those were entirely gone. He wasn't as pale, there was a hint of a healthy flush from the warmth and attention over his cheekbones, his gaze was sharper and brighter, and there was a pleased smile tugging at his lips.
”How you feeling?” Bucky curled his hands around Tony's elbows, thumbs stroking the lowest part of his dense biceps.
”Amazing, actually.” Tony smiled wider. ”Loose and easy, and rested and... a little buzzed.”
Bucky smiled back, maybe a little smug. ”Good. I hoped that would do the trick.”
Tony huffed, shaking his head. ”Okay, sneaky bastard, I see your point.” Then he turned serious, and his eyes dropped a moment before he looked back up, lower lip nervously caught between his teeth. ”So is this a kind of service you'd be comfortable providing? I mean, I know it's not what you normally do, but...”
”It kind of is, actually.”
That made Tony frown. ”Huh?”
”Sex isn't what I offer, for the most part.”
”It's not?” Tony looked entirely confused.
”It happens, sure, and I don't mind, but I actually have very few clients who want that. A couple incubi and succubi occasionally show up here in a pinch, just like you, but they can pretty much find sex anywhere. And most creatures want other things. Things less easy to find.” He gave an shrug. ”Vampires show up for some blood, ghosts need body heat, a werewolf likes to sleep at the foot of my bed during her shift, and a warlock wanted some hair and nail clippings, once.”
Tony gave a shocked kind of snort. ”What for?”
”Man, I didn't want to know”, Bucky chuckled, amused at the memory. ”But the point”, he continued, a little more serious, ”is that this? This is what I do, Tony. I help, because I'm human, and it's what I can do.”
”And because we pay you”, Tony pointed out.
”Sure. I have rent to cover and need to eat. But honestly? It's what I want to do, too. Or I would have found something else. So to answer your question, yes, I'm very comfortable providing this service. If you want it.”
Tony bit his lip, but he didn't have to think about that for long. ”Yeah”, he breathed out, and relaxed entirely under Bucky's hands. ”I do want it.”
”Great.” Bucky smiled, genuinely happy, and tugged him back in for a hug that was all personal. ”We'll set up a schedule, and see how it works out.”
Hugging him back, Tony made a noise of agreement. ”Hey”, he murmured into Bucky's shoulder. ”What do I owe you for last night? And... all this?”
Bucky hummed absently, his nose in Tony's wet hair. ”Don't worry about it. First one's free.”
”You know this wasn't actually the first one, right?”
”Sure it was. Trial and error don't count.”
With an amused little huff, Tony pressed a bit closer. ”No, I guess they don't.”