Work Text:
When she walked into the apartment, Tony didn’t really think on it. People were always coming in and out of the apartment, the door was rarely locked during the day and everyone seemed to have keys, so it wouldn’t have mattered if it was locked. In the four months Tony had been coming over and flirting with Bucky Tony had yet to see the door stay shut for more than an hour. Bucky’s friends were always coming and going, eating his food, watching the television, crashing on the couch. For Tony, it was a novel concept, to have someone in your life you were so comfortable with that you could just show up without calling.
When they had met at the bookstore where Tony worked and Bucky had made a man leave who had pinched Tony’s butt when he had bent down to retrieve a book for him, Tony had told Bucky that he was thankful but didn’t date. Bucky had said it was fine and the two started flirting heavily with each other.
The bookstore was somewhere Tony loved to be. It was frequented by celebrities who enjoyed reading and often held small events for local struggling authors to help get their carriers off the ground. The celebrities held next to no interest for Tony, he couldn’t recognize most of them – mostly because he didn’t care who they were. The authors, however, Tony loved meeting. Even those who were promoting their first book, Tony would always get it signed by them.
Books made Tony happy.
Working at the bookstore made him happy.
The random jerks who pinched his ass did not make him happy. They made him very uncomfortable. And when he was uncomfortable Tony got flustered and couldn’t make himself heard the way he wanted.
“What’s your problem man?” said the tall brunet who had spent the last hour perusing the true crime section of the store and Tony had spent the last hour pretending he wasn’t checking out.
“Excuse me?” said Butt Pinching Jerk, looking affronted.
“I asked you what your problem is,” repeated the brunet, advancing slightly. “The kid was helping you out, finding a book for you, and you just pinched his butt. Twice. After he very politely asked you not to do that.”
“I’m not doing anything bad,” said Butt Pinching Jerk with a shrug and a smirk. “It’s a compliment. He should be flattered.”
“Get out. Or I’ll punch you in your made up face and when the cops ask me why I did it I’ll say it was a compliment and that you should be flattered.”
Tony snorted as Butt Pinching Jerk scurried on out and Muscled Brunet smirked at him.
“I’m Tony,” said Tony.
“Bucky.”
“Like Bucky Harris the baseball manager?”
“Um, no. Like Buchanan, because my parents wanted me to really grow as a person with all the teasing I’d get from being named Buchanan.”
Tony laughed and Bucky was mostly gone, falling hard and fast for the book seller.
“So Tony, do you believe in love at first sight, or should I walk by again?” said Bucky, folding his arms so his muscles showed through his long sleeved black shirt.
“I don’t believe in love at all,” said Tony.
“I bet I can change your mind.”
“I bet you can’t,” said Tony, his eyes dark with a haunted past that Bucky wanted to dive in and fix.
Bucky never asked why Tony didn’t date but he was a bit relentless in his pursuit of getting into Tony’s pants. They flirted, they cuddled on the couch, they made out when no one else was around, but they hadn’t slept together yet. Tony was slowly starting to become friends with Bucky’s friends but he was still painfully shy about his past.
“I’m making burgers,” yelled Clint from the kitchen.
“Congratulations,” said Steve. “Don’t burn the building down.”
Tony was curled up next to Bucky on the couch. They were watching a documentary on serial killers, or at least trying to because Natasha kept interrupting to ask about Tony, attempting to learn about his life before the bookstore.
“But where did you grow up?” demanded Natasha.
“In a house,” sighed Tony.
“Okay, well what type of house?”
“First it was a big house, then it was a small house, and then it was a big house again.”
“And where –“
“Nat, shut up!” growled Bucky. “If Tony wants to share he can. But we are trying to learn about this crazy guy who killed at least 50 hitch hikers, so if you could stop that would be great.”
“I don’t think he killed that many,” said Tony softly. “I’d give him a solid 43.”
“How’d you get that number?” asked Bucky with a snort.
“I’m very good at these things,” said Tony with a smile that was difficult to say was genuine. “I spent a lot of time around crazy people.”
“That’s why you fit in with us so well,” yelled Clint over the faint sound of sizzling meat.
Bucky and Tony laughed but Natasha stared at Tony like he was a puzzle.
Turns out Natasha had gotten impatient waiting for answers.
When she walked into the apartment with a folder, Tony didn’t think too much of it beyond how strange it was that someone had a physical folder instead of one on their technology of choice.
Then she set the folder down on the coffee table in such a way that the contents splayed out. Tony caught sight of The Newspaper Article and froze.
“Tony isn’t who he says he is,” said Natasha. “Bucky, he’s the missing son of Howard Stark. He went missing when he was five and it turns out he was in Italy with his mom, living the high life in Europe, causing all sorts of scandals then he went missing again. Only now he’s here. Care to explain, Tony?”
“I have to go,” said Tony, starting to stand.
“No, Natasha has to go,” said Bucky firmly, holding Tony’s hand and glaring at Natasha.
“What? I was just –“ began Natasha.
“No,” snapped Bucky. “You were trying to spill all of Tony’s secrets because you feel like you know best. You think you are protecting me but you were willing to let everyone here know Tony’s secrets without his permission. So let me just stop you right there Nat. I know all your dirty past so you just leave right now.”
Natasha blinked, shocked, before walking out with as much dignity as possible.
“Bucky,” said Tony in a small voice.
“Nope,” said Bucky, pulling Tony back to his side on the couch. “You owe me nothing. If and when you want to tell people that’s up to you, not Natasha.”
“She was trying to protect you from me,” said Tony.
“That’s an excuse. It doesn’t make it right.”
The movie played on in the background while Steve and Sam ate their chips loudly, awkwardly glancing at Tony and the file still on the table a few times before Bucky threw a shoe at them and they stopped.
“Should I tell her you already know about the whole tragic backstory of kidnapping and being found and spiraling out of control?” whispered Tony as the movie came to a close.
“Where’s the fun in that?” replied Bucky with a smirk. “I want her to squirm a bit first. She needs to learn her lesson. After all, with friends like her, who needs enemies?”