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WinterIron || Marvel || WinterIron || Pass to Me || WinterIron || Marvel || WinterIron
Title: Pass to Me – Writer's Month
Fandom: Marvel
Disclaimer: All rights reserved to Marvel Comics for the creation of some of the most awesome heroes ever. This fanfiction on the other hand is entirely mine. No money is made with this, though reviews are more than welcomed.
Warnings: m/m, fluff, pining, matchmaking (or the attempt thereof)
Main Pairing: Bucky/Tony
Marvel Characters: Anthony 'Tony' Stark, James Buchanan 'Bucky' Barnes, James 'Rhodey' Rhodes, Vision, Steven 'Steve' Rogers, Sam Wilson, Natasha Romanova, Clint Barton
Summary: Writer's Month Prompt: sports
Ever since Bucky met Tony, he had started to grow attached – and protective. A friendly game of soccer escalates quickly when Steve's attempts at being a wingman backfire.
Pass to Me
Writer's Month
"It is the fight of the century. The showdown the world has feared. Avengers versus Avengers. On the side, Team Iron Man, with the leader Tony Stark. At his side, War Machine, the Vision and the Black Widow. Their enemy, Team Cap – with Captain America, the Winter Soldier, the Falcon and Hawkeye. Who will be the superior Avengers team?"
"...Seriously, Stark, tell your AI to stop narrating the game", commented Clint and rolled his eyes.
"Why? We need a commentator", huffed Tony where he and his team were warming up. "With Thor off-world and Bruce just rolling his eyes at us and walking away, Fry is stepping in."
"We're going to win", declared Nat with a vicious smile, balancing a ball on her knee.
A game of soccer. Avengers versus Avengers. Bucky wasn't entirely sure how he had gotten himself into this – any of this, all of this. He had just... followed Steve Rogers home, because he had wanted to learn who the hell Bucky was. He did. Steve brought him to a tower, to a man named Tony Stark who was a genius and had the technology to help Bucky deactivate the trigger-words and with that technology, coupled with some actual therapy, Bucky had slowly started to find himself again and now, two years later, he had an understanding of his self again. He wasn't the same man he used to be back in the day, but he had found himself again and that was more than he had thought possible.
So now he was here, living in New York, in the tower together with the Avengers – the Avengers who had only really come together when Steve, Bucky, Sam, and then also Clint and Natasha had knocked on Tony's door, homeless and hunted. And now Bucky was an Avenger – after he had passed the psych-evaluations, after he himself was happy with his recovery.
His life really had changed a lot in the past two years. Two years ago, he had faced the Avengers as an assassin working for HYDRA, now he was playing a game of soccer with them. It was ridiculous but in an exciting, relieving way. Bucky was... a normal human being again. He had a home, he had friends, he had hobbies, he had a job, he had fun. He even had a someone he might like.
It was just a little problematic who Bucky liked. Because the person Bucky was slowly, with every single day, falling more and more in love with was Tony Stark. The man with the kindest, largest heart possible. The man who had opened his doors with a look of bewilderment for only a split moment, before smiling brightly and inviting them all to stay 'as long as you need'. Two years later, none of them were even thinking about leaving, because they were at home at the tower. Tony Stark, who had helped fix Bucky's brain, fix the conditioning that had turned him into a weapon to be controlled by others, instead he was his own person now. Tony Stark, who had built Bucky a new arm – one that didn't hurt, one that was so much lighter than the old one, one that could actually feel. And Tony had no obligation to do any of those things, yet he had done all of those things just... out of the goodness of his heart. And Bucky couldn't help but fall in love.
The problem was that Tony Stark was, well – Tony Stark. He was a wealthy businessman who could have anything and anyone he wanted. He was a genius too. What would someone like him want with a former assassin with so much blood on his hands...?
"Come on, Buck. Let's win this game", declared Steve with his All American Grin.
He slapped Bucky on the shoulder, brimming with optimism. It was incredibly contagious and Bucky knew it affected all the Avengers just the same. Sam was puffing out his chest next to Steve.
"How about we make this more interesting, Barnes?", asked Sam. "Put a bit money on it? Whoever scores more gets it? Just you and me?"
"It's on, Wilson", agreed Bucky with a smirk.
"Oh, can I join that bet?", asked Clint eagerly.
"You're the goal-keeper", stated Sam slowly.
"Yeah. I'm betting against both of you. Because their goal-keeper is Nat", smirked Clint.
He motioned over to Team Iron Man, where Natasha was standing in the goal already. The redhead smirked fiercely at them. Rhodey, Vision and Tony were warming up in front of her.
"Okay, people. Time to play ball. Actual ball", called Natasha out.
"No digs against American football", called Sam back.
"You don't play it with your foot, or with a ball. Why call it football when a game that is played with your feet and with a ball, and without a damn armor like a coward, exists?", asked Natasha.
"Don't let the mean Russian lady bait you, Wilson", warned Clint delighted.
Natasha just smirked viciously. There was a reason they had put Clint and Nat on different teams. It was safer for everyone involved. For the next half hour, the eight Avengers ran around and played soccer with each other, before Friday called a break.
"Good game so far, right, Tony?", laughed Steve and slapped Tony's ass in passing.
"You're just happy no one has scored yet", chuckled Tony amused.
While the two leaders were laughing and joking around, Bucky glowered. His eyes grew darker and expression more sour and when Tony and Steve parted, Bucky cornered his best friend, wrapping a rather painful arm (the strong metal one) around Steve's shoulders, squeezing.
"Steve, you may be my best friend but if you try and touch Tony's ass one more time, you gonna get a beating", hissed Bucky lowly.
"It was just a friendly slap, Buck", laughed Steve mischievously. "And it's not like Tony complained. Or like you have a right to complain for him, do you? It's not like you ever actually manned up and confessed to him, right?"
Steve smiled lightly as he escaped from Bucky's grasp. For the rest of the game, Bucky continued glaring dangerously to the point that everybody seemed to try and avoid him. And then it happened. In the fight for the ball, Tony got an elbow into the ribs and went down flying, scratching his knee and arm on the ground, bleeding and holding his side. Before anyone else could even react, Bucky had already picked Tony up bridal style, cradling him protectively to the chest.
"Uh, Winter Wonderland, I... can... walk", offered Tony surprised.
"No. You're hurt", grunted Bucky gruffly and carried Tony off.
"Oh, come on. Put a bandaid on it and we can continue playing!", called Rhodey out. "Where-"
"Forget it, Rhodes", sighed Steve, patting Rhodey on the back. "Let fate unfold."
"What does fate have to do with Mister Stark's injury?", inquired Vision confused.
/break\
Vision was not the only one confused. So was Tony, when he was being placed on a bed in the med bay. Bucky kept glaring irritated as he rummaged through the cabinets and got everything to take care of Tony's "injuries". Really, they were nothing. He had had worse scrapped knees as a kid.
"Buckster?", asked Tony gently. "I'm alright. You know that, right? I'm not actually injured. This is nothing. You don't need to be angry with Clint for it. It was all just in the game."
"You're bleeding. Barton will bleed for that", growled Bucky.
And okay, Tony could literally see before his inner eye how Clint, somewhere, jumped a meter high without knowing why and hopefully, he was going to hide somewhere. The one thing Tony couldn't figure out however was why Bucky was reacting this way?
"Hey. We're a team. No maiming team-members, Snowflake", chuckled Tony teasingly.
He nudged Bucky a little, but Bucky still looked very serious as he, with very gentle hands, cleaned Tony's wounds, disinfected them and then wrapped them. Tony couldn't help but blush at just how gentle and careful Bucky was with him. He smiled softly at it.
"Thank you, Buckaroo", whispered Tony.
"I don't... like when you're hurt", muttered Bucky frustrated while putting everything away, effectively avoiding Tony. "I don't like it during missions when you get hurt. I don't like when you accidentally hurt yourself in your workshop. I don't like... this... either."
"I...", started Tony, unsure what to say to that. "It's okay? Everyone on the team gets hurt every now and again. The important thing is that we're all there for each other, right?"
"No. Not the team. You", grunted Bucky, frustrated that Tony didn't get it."I don't like when you get hurt, Tony. Or... Or when people just... flirt with you and you flirt back, because you're charming and nice and I just stand there and watch and-"
"...That... nearly sounds like you're jealous", laughed Tony amused.
His laughter died when he saw the hurt puppy-dog look on Bucky's face. Oh. Oh.
"I... I get that you don't-", grumbled Bucky, running his fingers through his hair. "...want me."
"Huh?", grunted Tony with furrowed brows. "Why would you get that? You're amazing. Anyone would be an idiot not to want you. Look at you! You're literally a super hot super soldier and have you tried your baking because that enough would be enough to make me want to marry you!"
Bucky's head snapped up and he stared wide-eyed at Tony, tilting his head. "What?"
Huffing, Tony got off the bed and walked over to Bucky, cupping his face. "You're amazing. And I... like you a lot. I'm just very busy and inter-team relationships can ruin everything and I didn't want to make things awkward by telling you and ruin the team so, you know."
"Okay. And if we... don't ruin the team... do you think we could... go on a date?", asked Bucky.
He looked worried and unsure, which looked decidedly too adorable on Bucky, so Tony leaned in to kiss him very gently on the lips. The smile Bucky offered him afterward was simply blinding.
/break\
"Damn. I didn't think your plan would work", grunted Clint, stuffing his face with popcorn.
"Buck's a naturally jealous fella", chuckled Steve and shrugged.
"But couldn't there have been a better way than smacking Tony's ass?", snorted Rhodey.
"The flirting hadn't been enough to push him", shrugged Natasha thoughtfully.
"And something had to happen about their sexual tension", grunted Sam seriously.
The Avengers were sitting in the living room together, watching the live-feed from the medical center, where Bucky and Tony were currently kissing. Steve smiled, very proud of himself for helping his two best friends get together, finally, after all these months of pining.
~*~ The End ~*~