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“Steve…you’re fucking kidding right?” Tony muttered as he stared at the snow-covered lodge in the middle of nowhere surrounded by trees, snow, the occasional cliff/mountain and -believe it or not- more snow.
“Come on, Tony. It’ll be fun!” The blond cheered and it took everything (Natasha looking at him for a millisecond) in him not to punch that grin off of his face.
“Fun my arse. Bet there’s no wifi or anything.” Tony grumbled as he trudged through the snow, stomping it off his shoes as he stood on the porch before taking them off once he got inside.
“Barnes, don’t think I didn’t see that not-so-subtle glance at Tony’s arse,” Sam whispered to the grumpy looking super-soldier as he passed by and went into the nice and warm cottage. The man didn’t need to stay behind to know that Bucky was muttering explicit expletives under his breath.
——LINE BREAK——
“So there are only four beds. We’ll need to share.”
“You're kidding, right?” Tony snarked as the group stood in the living room, their coats unzipped but yet to be removed as they dumped their duffle bags by their feet.
“So we drawing straws?” Bucky asked glaring at everything and everyone,
“I’m with Steve!” Sam exclaimed,
“Nat!”
“We’ve shared the bed enough, so I’m fine with it.” The redhead muttered after Clint’s shout,
“I shall bed with Friend Bruce in that case!” Thor hastily added with too much glee from someone his size. Tony and Bucky turned to one another as realisation hit,
“Hell no-"
“I am not sleeping-“
“If you think I am sleeping with-“
“Next to him, you are-“
“Stark, then you’re-“
“Dead wrong!” They both finished in unplanned unison causing them to glare hatefully at one another.
“Snooze ya lose.” Clint shouted also way too cheerfully for someone his age as he grabbed his bag and ran away to find a bedroom, his chuckles echoed as he left.
——LINE BREAK——
The unfortunate sharing buddies stood in their room, staring blankly at the bed they’d have to share. Tony carelessly threw his bags on his bed and sat on the side furthest away from the door.
“This will be my side. That will be your side.” Tony muttered not at all amused, “God, I’m not drunk enough for this.”
“Whatever,” Bucky grunted as he dumped his back on the nearby chair.
Wandering off into the bathroom, Tony got changed into a pair of dark sweatpants and a long-sleeved red top. He exited the en suite and nodded to Bucky.
“All yours.” Is all he said, though it was more than the ex-Hydra asset, who merely grunted and walked away. Settling under the duvet, Tony faced the wall, not looking or hearing Bucky as the man re-entered the room minutes later. He only knew of Bucky’s presence as the bed dipped and he got in the other side.
“Night.” Bucky sighed heavily as he spoke,
“Yeah. Night.” Tony muttered back and tried to will sleep to come quickly.
——LINE BREAK——
The large space between there bodies didn’t last long. As Hypnos swept over them and lulled them to sleep, they drifted closer to one another. When the sky had darkened and so had the room, their figures had been drawn together and connected. Each others warmth and heat combined as they slept peacefully for the first time in years.
——LINE BREAK——
Something was against his chest. It was warm…and he was holding the thing there with his arms wrapped gently around it. Grey eyes fluttered open and Bucky stared down at the source of warmth clutched in his embrace. His eyes widened, he hastily unraveled his hold and sat up.. Bucky rubbed his metal hand over his face. He didn’t know what to think, only that no one could know that he had cuddled withTony Stark. Maybe ‘cuddled’ wasn’t the right word. Spooned was much more fitting.
With a heavy sigh, Bucky shuffled under the duvet, his legs coming off of the bed and his feet touching the ground. He turned back to Tony and saw that the covers had fallen down a bit. It was past Tony’s hips, showing the slightest amount of skin. But it was enough. He saw the edge of his mark and curiosity overtook any and all self-control he had. Lifting Tony’s shirt ever so slightly and gingerly, Bucky saw something he’d only ever seen on his own hip. He reached out and touched it, he flinched as an electric shock coursed through his flesh finger the second he touched Tony’s soulmate mark. Realisations and conclusions pieced together in his head and Bucky didn’t know what to do or think.
Because right there? Right in front of him. That was his replica mark. It was the exact same mark that Bucky had on his hip.
It was the very same image Bucky had. It was a hand -a metal one, which was something Bucky had come to realise as his mind became his own again- protectively holding a circle…a circle, Bucky now knew to be Tony’s arc reactor.
The brunet stumbled away. He knew now and wasn’t it incredibly coincidental that he had found out when everyone had made him and Tony bunk together. Bucky had a bone to pick with the rest of the team and that’s exactly what he was going to do.
——LINE BREAK——
Tony had slowly become aware of his surroundings when the warmth that decorated his back had moved away; he’d been awake enough to feel his shirt being lifted ever so slightly and he definitely felt the electric shock course through his body when a gently finger drew on his soulmate mark. He knew what that meant…clearly, Bucky did too.
He heard Bucky leave the room as quietly as he could, giving the taller man a few minutes to get downstairs, Tony decided to follow and listen in on whatever was plaguing Bucky’s mind as he’d seemed to leave on a mission of some kind.
——LINE BREAK——
“You knew.”
“What?” That was Steve’s voice,
“About Tony and I.”
“It looks like he’s found out about their marks.” Natasha helpfully supplied with, what Tony could only imagine, a cocky smirk,
“Don’t you start, Natalia,” Bucky growled and the genius could tell from where he was hiding behind the corner, that the Soldier was on the surface. “This -all of this was some ridiculous elaborate plan, wasn’t it? So we’d find out.”
“Okay, I think you’re taking what we’ve done the wrong way.” That was the ever-so-helpful Clint,
“Am I Barton?”
“Buck, I don’t get why you’re making such a big deal about this. We helped you both.” Steve stated utterly oblivious and confused,
“Because you forced this on to us! You all knew we had the same mark and that neither of us actually knew, so you decided it was your job to make us find out. But you know what, we didn’t need your interference. So Tony’s my soulmate, okay, if we’re fated to be together, don’t you think we’d have found out by ourselves eventually."
“So what’s the big deal? We helped you guys find out sooner.” Clint snarked,
“My problem is that I didn’t ask you to force us into sharing a bed so I’d see my mark on him. I didn’t ask you to push us together. Like I said, we’d have eventually found out.”
“But what if it was too late? What if you found out when you had gotten with someone else?”
“For fuck sake Steve, this isn’t and wasn’t any of your business. I know you mean well, but I would’ve liked to find out without you lot forcing it on us. There’s a reason it can take years for people to find out about their soulmate, it’s because they aren’t ready. Okay? It’s because they aren’t ready and maybe I wasn’t ready and neither was Tony, which was why neither of us knew. But, whoever or whatever is responsible for soulmates and soulmarks, knows what its’ doing and knows that sometimes people need time before they learn about this shit. Let fate run its’ course.”
“Where are you going?” Sam asked and Tony peeked around the corner to find Bucky throwing his coat and boots on,
“Out.” And then the door slammed shut and Bucky was gone.
“Okay, now I’m not drunk enough for this,” Tony whispered to himself ever so quietly.
——LINE BREAK——
“So your whole ‘this will be a good team-bonding activity’ was a load of bullshit.” Tony stated as he entered the room that had fallen quiet after Bucky stormed out, “how long have you all known?” Still, no one spoke causing Tony to sigh, “Bruce? I can’t quite believe you’d do something like this.”
“Tony, you have to know that I didn’t want to and I didn’t think it would end well.” The doctor answered from where he sat next to the strangely silent God of Thunder, “neither did Thor.”
“Whatever.” Is all he could say as he threw on his snow boots and a coat before trekking out in search of Bucky.
——LINE BREAK——
It was cold out. That was the first thing Tony thought as he exited the lodge. It was absolutely freezing and he was out there in his not so winter-compatible pyjamas. Zipping up his coat and shoving his hands into his pockets, Tony followed the footprints in the snow and hoped beyond hope he’d find Bucky before he froze to death.
“Bucky!” Tony called as he turned in a circle trying to spot any sign of the metal armed man,
“What?” The genius jumped as he spun and found Bucky right behind him,
“That’s all you have to say?” Tony snarked, “you just blew up at our friends and stormed out because we have matching marks and all you have to say is ‘what’.”
“Look Stark-“
“And now suddenly I’ve gone back to surname status despite the numerous uses of my first name earlier.” Tony wasn’t amused at all, “Look at me. We need to talk and since I can no longer feel my fingers or toes, we’re going back and we are going to fucking talk about this.” Tony’s body was shivering and his teeth were chattering, “Okay?”
“Fine. Let’s go then.” Bucky muttered before leading the way back to the lodge.
——LINE BREAK——
They entered the lodge and ignored the team as they headed straight upstairs to their shared room. Both sat on the bed unsure of what to do.
“So…”
“You know whoever’s in charge of dishing out soulmates is clearly fucked up.” Bucky snapped moments into the awkward silence that filled the room, unaware of how hurtful it was towards Tony,
“…wow…tell me how you really feel…” Tony mumbled looking away, which was when Bucky realised how his words seemed,
“No! No. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just I…you know I…”
“Killed my parents.”
“Yeah…and I’m your soulmate…that’s really fucked up. It’s cruel to you.”
“We’ve been over my parents and all that, Bucky. Please stop hating yourself for it.” Tony whispered and reached across, he placed his hand on top of Bucky’s and slowly the man curled his hand so he was holding Tony’s.
“So how are we going to do this?” Tony looked confused, “I mean do you want to be platonic soulmates or…well, romantic ones.” Patting the soldier on his knee with his free hand, Tony looked him in the eye.
“How about we see where we go? Let’s just let things flow naturally and if we become romantically involved, then we do, if not then we become close friends. Sound good?”
“Yeah…yeah, I like that idea.”
“Great.” Tony whispered with a smile, “what do we do about the others?”
“Let’s not tell them about anything. After all, they kinda deserve it.”
“Sounds like a good plan.” They shared a gentle and private smile.
——LINE BREAK——
Soon enough the team were back in New York in the tower, they were still friends but the happenings at the lodge had been purposefully forgotten by all except Bucky and Tony.
Then it happened twelve days later after the pair had spent time after time getting to know each other.
——LINE BREAK——
They were staring at the same ceiling from the same bed as they both panted heavily in their undressed state.
“We telling the others?”
“Eventually. If you’re up for it, we can wait and see how long it takes for them to realise. After all, we have two super spies and multiple enhanced humans and a god on our team…it’ll be good to test them.”
“If that’s what you want, Doll.” Bucky murmured,
“I’m assuming by that we’re moving into the romance stage of a relationship,” Tony asked awkwardly,
“If that’s all right with you because I know I want you,” Bucky answered, his finger tracing Tony’s mark,
“Good because I want you too.” He whispered back and fingered Bucky’s mark like his soulmate was doing with his own.
They stayed like that for a few minutes, just drawing over each other’s marks before they slowly fell asleep, their bodies curled together as their eyes drew shut and their breathing evened out.