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Tony Collins was the last of his kind. A rare breed for sure and happy with his idea of being the last of them. He’d left the generations old family business of weapons making after graduating at the top of his class at MIT. He’d invested heavily in technology and the big boom paid off handsomely for him. By 24 he’d packed his bags and moved into seclusion, happy to live his days in College Town running a small coffee shop called Collins’ Corner. He still played the stock market in the morning just as the first brews were ready. His profit margins from his coffee shop aren’t great but he makes up for it with his vast fortune and stocks. He loves it here in his little college town… probably why he’s stayed over the years.
Starting the first year he came to town, he began hiring young college students, giving them a chance to hold a job while they studied. Over the years he’d become known for doing this and even housing some of them in the apartments behind the coffee shop at a discounted rental fee. Since he ran everything at cost with no need for a profit he had no problem renting the rooms for very little a month (sometimes even at no cost.) Anything to help these young kids prosper and flourish.
He had had a few students really leave an impact on his life over the years. Some of the most noticeable even had their pictures framed on his prized “STAR WALL”.
The wall’s famous portraits included:
Margaret “Peggy” Carter, who drank coffee in his little shop every day it seemed during her student years. He’d housed her and her lover Angela once her parents had found out and disowned her. Now some twenty years later she was a leading politician, a former LGBT political rights activist, and lawyer. Tony may or may not have helped her pay for law school and funded more than one campaign. Her signature americano over four cubes of ice was well known.
Former Olympic archer Clint Barton, whom still lived in town and taught archery at the local high school along with Calculus and applied mathematics. He’d come to the town on a scholarship after competing in the olympics and also toalsoto get away from “bad” influences. He liked his double shot over ice with just a splash of whole milk.
Then there was Mary Fitzpatrick, English major with a love for cold brews on rainy days and piping hot chocolate with a shot of espresso in summertime. She had worked at the shop to pay her way through college. Things had gone great until she decided to go down to Florida for spring break her junior year. She came back unknowingly pregnant and unsure of what to do about it once she found out. She couldn’t remember who the baby’s father was of which bothered her to no end, making her berate herself. This was one of the only times the serious girl let loose. She had confided in Tony, as he was older and he’d know what to do; she couldn’t take back what had happened,but she had goals,plans -a life she wanted to live. Tony offered her an out. After all he was the last of them. Mary Fitzgerald was the mother of Tony’s adorable adopted five-year-old son, Peter Benjamin Collins. She now lived in Africa working with refugees as a UN Relief Worker and author. She sends Peter mail once a month and video chats with them often.
Now to the most recent duo to grace the walls of most important former employees, well technically only one of them had been an employee. But like everything in life they did it together so a joint picture of them is up on the wall. The blonde favored sweet drinks but his favorite was an off the menu item called The Four Leaf Clover . It was an iced coffee milk with caramel syrup, a touch of Bailey’s flavored creamer and just a hint of minimum 16 hour cold brew. The small blonde with the spitfire personality, killer left hook and an honesty that at times seemed harsh was Steve Grant Rogers.
The brunette, much like his personality was spiced but endearing. He loved chai tea lattes, a bit heavy on the cinnamon and light on the ginger with the right combination of heavy cream and whole milk. The ratio depended on the weather really. The brunette that had a mouth that tasted like home during the holidays and spouted enough sass to warrant an eternal detention went by Bucky. His name by birth was James Buchanan Barnes, but he preferred Bucky.
These two are really in a league all their own… They didn’t become famous politicians, shoot incredible feats in the Olympics or dedicate their lives to improving the lives of those less fortunate. No, these two are known for an event known by all the patrons at that time. An event known as the Buck-Rogers-Collins Teaspoon War and was it a War to remember…the fall out from it shook the entire foundation of College Town.
—
People came to College Town when they wanted a quality education and didn’t want to be buried in a ton of debt. The University was modest and sported some amazing alumni from famous athletes to politicians. It was a small university focused on animal husbandry, agriculture, and environmental/Earth for its sciences. The arts of Philosophy, Psychology, English, and History were celebrated at this school. It was the affordable tuition bill that had called to both Bucky and Steve. Two relatively poor boys from Brooklyn that decided to attempt to better themselves.
Bucky took a scholarship he’d won a few summers back while showing livestock with his dad’s family in Pennsylvania. He was natural around animals and oddly enough found himself drawn to goats despite having shown cattle and swine with his cousins back in PA. Here in school he was going to study overall animal husbandry with an emphasis in Bovidae with an emphasis in Caprinae. This was the fancy sciency way of saying Bucky was learning how to breed goats. But he made it sound so much more exciting than that when he talked about it.
Steve was able to access a small trust his parents had set up for him when he was a kid. His father died when he was a child, killed in some war or skirmish - his mother had never specified. His mother joined his father when Steve was only thirteen, cancer from living in military housing. It was a miracle, Steve often thought, that he hadn’t contracted anything himself. He had been entrusted to the Barneses before his mother’s passing. The amount was modest but with the prices College Town charged for tuition, Steve could make it if he got a job while he was there. He had refused to let the Barneses do more for him than they already had. He majored in English with an emphasis in Education and minored in Art History.
Their first day in town they came across the discounted apartments they’d been directed to by the admissions office. It was a small set of units ten in total directly behind a small cafe that had the words “Collin’s Corner” displayed on a cute hand painted sign.
The window had two signs.
Sign one read:
Coffee Hours: 6am to 11:30pm
Study Hours 8am to 12pm
Wifi Name: ALLTHELATTES
Wifi Passcode: 1musthavecoffee!!
Sign two read:
Welcome Freshman Class of 20XX
Looking for Employment? Apply within!
(No Experience Required)
Bucky held the door open for Steve and the two walked inside.
The little coffee shop was cozy and homey. There was relaxed professional artwork on the walls, plush chairs and couches for lounging and of course sturdy lines of tables with chairs filled with students, probably master’s students, studying head’s down and books open. In the back of the room pressed up against the wall was the barista counter and behind the counter was an attractive silver fox.
Steve seemed frozen in place. He’d seen attractive older men before, but the lithe man before him bent over the counter talking to a strawberry blonde with that smiling face was just too much.
Bucky licked his lips; the greying brunette’s smile was to die for. Bucky knew exactly where he was spending any extra time. He could get lost on those lips all day. Actually he was planning on it after he heard the man call out to them.
“Well aren’t those cute little freshman faces. Are you by chance Buck Rogers?” His voice was aged and deep like a fine wine, enriched by age and telling of sophistication.
Steve recovered first, “I’m Steve Rogers and this,” He slapped Bucky in the chest and getting a throaty strangled moan from the brunette, “is Bucky Barnes.”
“Sorry I can’t welcome you to the 25th century Buck Rogers but I do have the key to your apartment. It’s 107, two furnished bedrooms , one bath with a kitchen and living room. Cable and WiFi is included as long as you maintain passing grades.” He moved around the counter holding out a pair of keys.
Bucky was biting into his curled index finger. The man walked like sex on legs. Oh he was so fucked and he knew it. God he’s the landlord….
Steve, still the more recovered of the two, quickly took the keys from man who introduced himself as “Tony Collins” and ushered Bucky out with a polite wave.
Two weeks into the semester and Steve was working for Tony behind the counter at the coffee shop. It turns out Steve was very clumsy and thankfully to this point has avoided 3rd degree burns but was basically banned from touching any of the equipment. He was placed strictly on water bottle refills, pouring cold brew and handling the register.
While he had been dejected at the failure Tony had shared a story about how one of his old employees, Clint, had accidentally knocked over his five thousand dollar Japanese 24 hour cold brew distiller cuz he mistakenly called a girl the wrong Russian word for “kitty”. Basically told him there are worse things that could happen. He also revealed that Russian girl eventually agreed to go out with Clint so he could apologize. The girl was now the college’s women’s gymnastics coach. The guy taught at the local high school and both their kids were Olympic level athletes around Steve’s age.
Steve found himself falling in love with the greying brunette. He was funny, sarcastic and best yet, Bucky seemed to get along with him too.
Speak of the devil and he appears. Bucky walked in beard scruffy and hair disheveled. He’d been dealing with his poor goats for the last week. Steve knew at least his clothes were newish. He’d taken them to the barn the day before yesterday.
Tony looked up with a raised eyebrow… “ Barnes why is there a goat chewing on your pants leg…?”
Bucky looked down and everyone in the small cafe could feel his eyebrow twitch.
“No… bad Dummy!” He was too tired for this shit. He’d been up the last two days dealing with coliced colts and finicky goats. “Why are you here?” He collapses into the closet chair.
Tony paused and then suggested, “I think he’s been eating your pants since you left the barn…”
Bucky looked down feeling a draft. “OMFG!”
Dummy proceeded to let himself wander the store bothering the patrons.
Tony shook his head and went about wrangling the goat. Bucky was not the first animal husbandry student to bring their charges to his little store.
After that Dummy became quite the figure. It was even more surprising when Bucky informed them at the end of the winter that she was pregnant. Tony had been very confused he thought Dummy was a boy.
Bucky had laughed and touched Tony a little too casually on the shoulder. Tony had confused DUME the male stud with Dummy the female he was taking care of.
Tony had laughed too, all pearly white teeth and pink tongue. He might have touched Bucky a little too familiarly placing his hand on the young brunette’s knee.
Steve seemed oblivious to the changes in both Tony and his best friend. Too busy with his nose in a book or figuring out coffee orders on the POS to notice smoldering stares and copious amount of eye fucking the two were doing whenever they were in a room together.
—
By spring things seemed to be moving along. Steve was doing well in his classes. Tony had offered to let them slide on rent a while so Steve could focus on his studies and finish the year strong. Steve had agreed. Bucky at this point was basically living in the barn, it was birthing time there.
He was able to write to the Barneses, thanking them again for their support and showing his amazing grades. He also sent a copy of Bucky’s grades for good measure and pictures of Bucky’s growing herd of goats. Dummy had given birth to 3 babies: Butterfingers, You and Friday. He made sure to note Bucky was a doting Mother to his little herd.
He returned home early from the post and noticed something odd. Bucky was coming out of Tony’s private apartment.
“That’s odd,” He mumbled going over to greet his friend.
Bucky was freshly shaven and wearing different clothes from the ones he’d left wearing that morning. He seemed kinda dazed and a bit glassy eyed with this odd glow about him.
He has fended off Steve’s questions saying he was just gonna go lie down for a while and that he’d be fine by dinner.
—
Three days later while Steve babysat Tony’s five year old Peter instead of working at the store it happened. It was a long weekend so the apartments were mostly abandoned. Tony had needed to go into town for something but Peter was napping. Steve had stayed to watch him while Tony left to get what he needed.
The sound of a car rolling up jostled Steve from his studies. Sure enough Tony was back but he hadn’t left the car. It was half covered by the carport so Steve wasn’t able to see what was going on.
Keeping one ear for Peter and mustering everything Steve knew about stealth he walked towards the car keeping close to the apartments.
His heart fell to his feet shattering when he looked into the car. He knew that tattoo anywhere. The red, white and blue of old glory melded into the red star with golden hammer, sickle in the center carried right over a biceps pressed over a disheveled face. His brown hair smooth across the back windshield of the car. The familiar work boots kicked to the ground as muscular legs wrapped around a familiar waist.
Steve nearly died as he watched his best friend get fucked by their landlord in the carport of their home. Before he knew it he was running back to Tony’s apartment. Thank god Peter was asleep still as he slid into the bathroom.
Steve hadn’t meant to jerk off into Tony’s hand towel in the bathroom but he couldn’t help himself. He moaned dirtying the towel at the memory of what he’d seen.
The night he couldn’t look Tony or Bucky in the eye. They seemed oblivious to what had happened.
After a week of slowly rising anger Steve snapped. Tony hadn’t done anything out of the ordinary. Quite the contrary, the request for the spoon was normal and expected. But for Steve, seven days of little sleep and raising confusion over what he’d seen lead him to do something stupid.
Steve picked up the spoon and instead of handing it to Tony, he threw it. The teaspoon ricocheted off the wall and came to a stop not far from Tony on the floor. Tony played it off and got another spoon.
When Bucky called later to ‘order a coffee delivery for the barn’ Steve threw another spoon - this one hitting Tony in the arm.
Tony again dismissed the behavior until he turned to leave with only the single cup of vanilla chai latte Bucky loved so much and with the promise to be back soon. This time two teaspoons came flying.
Tony, knowing he shouldn’t, picked up one of the spoons and fired back just barely missing Steve. Even Steve could tell the miss was intentional.
Two days of spoon throwing later came to an abrupt escalation when Steve threw a spoon and it bounced off the counter and startled a three legged baby goat named Karen Bucky was currently bottle feeding. At that point Bucky tore both Tony and Steve a new one and left the small cafe with Karen in toe.
And there it was; the great Buck-Rogers-Collins Teaspoon War had begun.
The great war lasted nearly 10 weeks and cost Steve his semester. He pulled out of his classes and spent a lot of time moping around. Bucky wasn’t talking to him and his boss thankfully hadn’t fired him but they were still exchanging spoons only now Tony wasn’t missing. Steve’s aim was about 30/70… so clearly someone had more tiny bruises then the other.
It all came to a head when Bucky confronted Steve about the spoons.
“What is your problem with Tony, Stevie?” Bucky asked, clearly upset as they looked at each other over coffee one morning.
“What are you talk-” Steve started, trying to look away.
Bucky cut him off, “What’s with the fucking spoons?”
“Are you fucking him so we don’t have to pay rent?” Steve couldn’t take the words back. He had been thinking about it for weeks but hadn’t voiced it.
“What are you talking about?” Bucky fired back anger in his eyes.
“YOU’RE FUCKING TONY! DID YOU THINK I DIDN’T KNOW!” Steve shouted back.
“You know what… I just don’t have time for this… I’m going to the barn,” Bucky said quickly getting up and putting on his work boots.
“Yeah if the barn is Tony's apartment or the back of his car!!” Steve snapped as the door slammed closed.
What the fuck was that?! Steve shouted at himself. Why had he done that? Shit!
Later that night, Steve was surprised to see both Tony and Bucky come to the apartment. Thankfully no spoons were within reach so Steve had to sit and listen.
Bucky sat next to Tony and held onto Tony’s hand in both of his. “I should have been honest with you…” He said quietly, half calmed down. “Tony and I have been dating for like six months In the beginning it was just sex, but now we’re actually in a relationship…”
Tony added, “If we made you uncomfortable we didn’t mean to- Steve what’s wrong?” Tony paused, letting go of Bucky’s hand and leaning forward.
“Stevie what’s the matter?” Bucky asked leaning forward as well.
Steve didn’t move, looking at them through a kaleidoscope of tears. Why was he crying? He quickly wiped his tears away. “No… it’s nothing…”
He felt like his heart was breaking all over again. Like what little mending it had done since that day just vanished into thin air. He couldn’t breath, he wanted to scream. They loved each other… they had each other… and where did that leave him?
“Stevie…” Bucky began.
“Steve,” Tony tried to calm him down.
“I LOVE YOU!” Steve blurted out, looking at the two of them with eyes wide and mouth gaping like a fish.
“Who?” Tony asked carefully placing a hand on Steve’s shoulder.
“Both of you.” Steve was really crying now, his shoulders shook from his sobs.
“Aw Stevie…” Bucky began moving over to the couch and cuddled his best friend. “It’s gonna be alright Stevie… It’s gonna be okay…”
Not long after that the great Buck-Rogers-Collins War came to an end.
Karen moved into the apartment with Bucky and Steve, but spent most of her time being loved on by Peter.
Their relationship continued to grow and develop into something more than just Tony and Bucky… More than James and Anthony… it grew to encompass Steve too…
==
Now Colins’ Corner has a new general manager. He goes by Steve Collins-Barnes and he was apparently an art history enthusiast.
College Town is one of the few universities to breed the rare Wakandian Pygmy Goat, a gift after one of their students during a cultural exchange greatly impressed the young princess and King of the country with his knowledge and herding skills. The Barnes’ Red Barn was well known in the state for it’s program. James Buchanan Collins-Barnes still preferred to be called Bucky but no one would put Bucky Barnes on a PHD.
Tony… well he retired again and spends his days sitting in his reserved seat admiring the really hot young general manager of Collin’s Corner or puttering around the Red Barn at the University. He’s got a teenage son named Peter who might be penpals with the before mentioned Wakandian Princess.
Tony mixes his favorite soy latte with the teaspoon Steve provided and couldn’t help but smile bringing it to his lips. He can’t help but think,
How good it was to share teaspoons and lattes with you…
as he watches Steve interact with some new college freshmen new to the town.