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Bucky thought that he was being subtle about it, but when Steve had made a point to put him up with Tony during one of their more low-key missions in Europe, he realized then that he was actually doing a piss-poor job at hiding his crush on the genius billionaire. (Could anyone really blame him? It was Tony Stark, for Christ’s sake.)
The motel room was cozy, with a single bed and a small table sitting beside an old futon. Bucky had offered to take the sleeper sofa so Tony can make use of the bed, who made a snide comment about “snoring and sleep-talking only when I’m really exhausted, according to Pepper. Hope that doesn’t bother you, Tin Man.”
“Steve used to snore like a bear, back in the day,” Bucky recalled, one corner of his mouth turning upwards. “Nothing phases me anymore.”
And that was a lie. At least, it wasn’t, until around two in the morning when Tony began to mumble aloud in his sleep, the sound pulling Bucky from unconsciousness. The super-soldier stared at the ceiling for a solid half-hour, almost glaring at it as he strained to decipher the incoherent words coming from the genius’s mouth.
Tony started to stir, shifting under the blankets as a low whine came from him. Bucky sat up slightly, frowning. Tony isn’t having a nightmare, is he? He blinked at the man for a moment, getting to his feet only when Tony let out something that sounded so much like…
He kneeled down beside Tony, with his eyes opened wide. Bucky didn’t breathe as he whispered, “Tony?”
“…’s not the same with it…”
“Can you hear me?”
“…mhm.”
Bucky stifled a chuckle, huffing from his nose. “Are you awake, really?”
Tony sniffed, tugging the sheets up under his chin. His face scrunched up before relaxing. There was a brief silence where Bucky just appreciated Tony’s face; he looked younger, less stressed when he was asleep. There were pillow creases on his cheek, and somehow the idea that the often-perfect Tony Stark could be cutely imperfect in that way made Bucky smile.
“Buck…”
Heat creeped up the back of his neck. “This isn’t funny, Stark, if you’re –”
“…wonder, y’know, ‘cause ‘m curious,” Tony slurred.
Bucky’s brows furrowed together. He shouldn’t. He really shouldn’t. That was just going to open up a can of worms that he wasn’t sure he wanted. Still, he couldn’t help himself. “What are you… what are you curious about?”
Tony shifted to pillow his head on one of his arms. Bucky noticed the corners of his lips curving up slowly. He muttered, “Wonder what it’s like to be loved by you.”
Suffice to say, Bucky had that phrase bouncing around in his head the rest of the night. He wasn’t even sure he’d slept at all after that, considering his heart and mind were simultaneously running at a thousand miles an hour. When six o’clock came and it was acceptable to be walking around again, he booked it out of the room and down to the little complimentary breakfast buffet.
Clint and Steve were already sitting at the bar table with plates full of bacon and eggs by the time he got there. Talking strategy and briefing over their mission had distracted Bucky from what occurred in the middle of the night; in fact, he’d nearly forgotten about it until Tony walked in from the entrance, wearing a Stark Industries hoodie and still in his sweats. The man looked half-awake, shuffling his way through the lobby and towards them.
“Morning, Tony.” Bucky turned in his seat to face Tony as he approached, swallowing the food in his mouth. “Listen, when you said –”
Tony’s hand grazed Bucky’s chin slightly, angling his head forward so he could press their lips together. “Morning, sweetheart,” he mumbled, and then walked towards the coffee machine like nothing happened.
Bucky sat frozen, mouth agape as a burning heat crawled up his entire body. Clint’s eyes widened to the size of saucers, darting between the two men. Steve hid his face behind his mug, lips twisting in an attempt to hide the smirk that danced across his mouth. Tony had fashioned himself a cup of coffee and taken a sip before his shoulders visibly tensed.
“Um.” He didn’t turn around as he cleared his throat. “I’m not… I’m not asleep, am I?”
Steve snorted loudly, starting to laugh under his breath. “Nope,” he answered, popping the last consonant.
