Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Tony stared blankly at the coffee maker.  A large, glittery, purple heart was stuck to its shiny chrome surface.  He narrowed his eyes.  “Rhodey! Did Barton sneak in here again?” he shouted.

“Seriously, Tony?” Rhodey groaned from the living room, where he was sprawled over the couch sleeping off a hangover. “It’s like four in the morning. Go to sleep!”

“There’s a giant purple heart on my coffee maker,” Tony insisted, glaring at it.  “And the only person I know that likes purple that much, and that would dare to touch my precious coffee maker, is Barton.”

“Ask him,” Rhodey suggested, pulling a pillow over his face.  “At a decent hour,” he clarified.  Too late. Tony had already shot off a text.

Barton. How many times do I have to tell you not to mess with my stuff? He started the coffee maker while he waited.

There was a short pause, then the three dots that meant a message was being typed.

Wtf r u on abt, man? Clint wrote back, his shorthand as appalling as ever. I ddnt touch ur stf .

Tony narrowed his eyes as he translated. “He’s claiming ignorance,” he declared.

“Mmf,” was his only reply.

Mess with my coffee again and I’ll put you on security duty with Lang , Tony threatened.

Tony filled a mug and took a careful sip of coffee while he waited. The reply, when it came, made the blood drain from his face.

Try it and you’ll find yourself restricted to one coffee a day. Pepper will authorize it.

Tony tightened his grip on his coffee mug, pulling it towards his chest protectively.

Nat. I didn’t realize you were at Barton’s place tonight. Natasha Romanov and Clint Barton had some sort of weird relationship that Tony hadn’t been able to figure out yet, but the puzzle kept him entertained. Most of the time. When he wasn’t being threatened with the withholding of precious caffeine.

Good night, Tony.

...Good night.

All of his entertainment for the late hour gone, Tony debated pestering Rhodey until the other man actually woke up, but decided against it. The last time he’d done that, Rhodey had given him advice on his love life for the next forty-five minutes until Tony had beat a hasty retreat and left him alone for the next several hours.  And then he’d still replaced all of his coffee with hot chocolate.  That had been the worst six hours of Tony’s life.

Sighing, he drained his mug and refilled it before padding barefoot out into the living room, staring contemplatively out the window while he debated what he wanted to do. It was too early to go to work - and besides, who wanted to be stuck in the office any longer than absolutely necessary? - and the apartment wasn’t big enough for him to work on his current project without  waking Rhodey.  He had soundproofed his workspace, but after he’d had a little accident in there, Rhodey had made him promise to never work in there unless there was at least one responsible awake adult in the apartment. He'd been very, very specific.

He supposed he could work on the schematics for the newest drone navigation chips now. They had proven to be a bit more finicky than expected, and Obie wanted a working version to present at the Board meeting at the end of the month.

Deciding that he’d probably be more comfortable lounging back in bed while he worked, Tony stripped off his shirt as he wandered into his room, scooping up the tablet he kept charging on the bedside table before climbing on top of the covers, settling down with a pleased hum.  He really did enjoy his work, the intricacies involved in programming.  

Tony lost himself in his work until the sounds of Rhodey moving around their tiny New York apartment roused him.  He blinked stupidly for a moment, then yawned, stretching to work some of the kinks out of his back and shoulders from sitting stooped over his StarkPad.  “Tell me you’ve got coffee,” Tony pleaded when Rhodey stuck his head in the door to check on him.

His friend grinned. “Of course there’s coffee,” he promised.  “But you’re going to have to earn it after waking me up at three in the goddamn morning,” he added wickedly.

“Four,” Tony corrected indignantly.  Then Rhodey’s words sank in.

Tony whined, scooping up his tablet again and scurrying out to the kitchen. If he was fast enough, he might be able to get a cup before Rhodey could block him.  But the other man was on to his wily ways and immediately shoved a plate piled with eggs, bacon, toast, and diced breakfast potatoes that smelled heavenly at him.  Tony was forced to juggle the plate in one hand and the tablet in the other, leaving him without a free hand for coffee.

“Eat,” Rhodey ordered easily, ignoring Tony’s petulant mutterings as the smaller man settled at the kitchen table.  He started in on his eggs, and a moment later, a fresh cup of coffee was set in front of him.  Tony smiled happily; Rhodey really was the best.

“What’re you working on?” Rhodey asked, sitting down with his own breakfast.

Tony shrugged.  “Just some of the new navigation chips,” he murmured.  “I’m still having trouble getting them to recognize anything smaller than a large child.”  The last thing he needed was for a drone to be knocked off course because it hit a flock of geese or something equally stupid.  That was a thing that happened, right? Geese?

“Ah,” Rhodey nodded.  Then, “Did you know you’ve got a stupid sticker on the back of your tablet?”

Tony blinked, then frowned, looking down at the StarkPad where it sat on the table, screen dark for the moment while Tony worked the puzzle in his head.  “Sticker?” he asked blankly.

“Yeah, sticker.” Rhodey shrugged.  “Like the one on the coffee pot that you were bitching about at the ass crack of dawn.”  Tony ignored Rhodeys’ harping, hi’s eyes sliding over to the coffee maker where, yep, the big glittery purple heart sticker was still stuck.  His fingers twitched for a second before he gave in to the urge, reaching for the StarkPad and giving Rhodey a dirty look as his friend’s grin widened.

“So help me, if this is a joke…,” he trailed off, flipping the tablet over.  Sure enough, there was another glittery sticker.  This time a gold star with a rainbow border the whole way around it and the words “ Sparkles make everything better ” printed in the center of it in the same rainbow pattern. The sticker took up half of the back of his tablet, and Tony swore, even as Rhodey started cackling.

In revenge, Tony swiped Rhodey’s coffee, drinking from it obnoxiously while his mind ticked over the new puzzle.  Rhodey was the only one, besides him, that had a key.  Clint would definitely break into Tony’s apartment and leave him glittery stickers, but Natasha was a rock-solid alibi. Unless she was in on it, too. Which was possible, but unlikely. Natasha considered their pranks to be childish and beneath her.  Bruce wasn’t really into pranks, and Steve wouldn’t dare , not after the last time he’d messed with Tony’s stuff and ended up with bright pink hair for almost two months.

That didn’t leave a whole lot of people.  Tony eyed Rhodey suspiciously for a long moment.  The other man sighed.  “Look, Tones, I don’t even know where I’d find stickers that obnoxious. It seems more your kind of thing.” Tony grudgingly admitted that Rhodey might have a valid point. Might .

When breakfast was over, Tony loaded the dishwasher while Rhodey packed up the leftovers and stuck them in the fridge. Tony hummed tunelessly under his breath, his mind already straying back to his projects.  And DUM-E needed his joints oiled again.  

“What’re you doing staring into space like a dumbass?” Rhodey said, leaning against the kitchen doorway, looking sharp in dark jeans and a bright red t-shirt, black leather jacket thrown over his shoulders.  “We’re going to be late if you don’t get a move on.” He looked Tony up and down, from his bare feet to his mussed, poofy hair, tousled from Tony running his fingers through it in frustration.

Tony blinked.  “Late to what?” he asked, doing a mental check. No, it was definitely Saturday. Which meant no work.  Besides, Rhodey wasn’t dressed for work anyhow.  No, he looked more like he was ready for a night on the town.

Rhodey stared at him incredulously. “Seriously, Tones?” he asked.

Tony bristled. “What?” he demanded.  “It’s Sunday, so no work. It’s not Tuesday, so I don’t have an appointment with Dr. Evans.  How about you give me a clue here?”

Rhodey sighed, but gave in.  “Steve’s birthday party, remember?” he asked.

Tony smacked his forehead, glancing at the wall where the calendar used to be, until he’d caught it on fire trying to make a cake for Rhodey.  The wall still had scorch marks on it.

“I don’t see why we can’t just skip it,” Tony complained, even as he headed for his bedroom to shuffle through the closet.  “Steve won’t mind.”

“Steve will definitely mind,” Rhodey countered.  “Besides, your not-at-all-a-secret-crush will be there, too, you know. I mean, given that Steve’s his best bud and all.”

Tony froze from where he’d been reaching for one of his band t-shirts.  Bucky.  Of course Barnes would be there.  Steve and Bucky had been friends since they were kids, practically joined at the hip.

Ignoring Rhodey’s amused chuckles in the background, Tony turned a critical eye to his wardrobe, pulling out several garments and examining them before tossing them behind him on the floor, ignoring Rhodey’s mild scolding about leaving a mess.

By the time Tony had tossed half his wardrobe onto the bedroom floor, he’d come to a horrifying realization.

“Rhodey!” he whined, turning to his best friend with wide eyes and a trembling mouth.  “I don’t have anything to wear!”

Rhodey stared at him, his expression a mixture of amusement and incredulity.  “Tony,” he said slowly, like he was talking to a five year old, “your wardrobe has more clothes in it than half of New York.  You definitely have something to wear.”

Tony hoped his glare turned Rhodey to ash on the spot. Sadly, all it did was make the other man grin.  “Look, Tones, put on a pair of those tight jeans with the sparkles on the butt, and I promise that man won’t be looking anywhere else.”  He walked forward and pulled out the jeans he’d mentioned, and a long-sleeved red shirt that was form-fitting until it reached Tony’s elbows, at which point it flared out, loose fabric covering the tops of his hands.  It also had the distinct advantage of being cut just a little bit short so that when Tony walked, it would show a strip of skin at his waist.

Tony smiled adoringly at his best friend. “Aw, Platypus, you’re the best!” he told Rhodey, bussing a quick kiss along his best friend’s cheek. Rhodey tolerated the show of affection with his usual aplomb, smiling fondly at his mess of a roommate. Tony hesitated for a moment.  “My ass? Really?” he asked.

Rhodey swatted him on the shoulder.  “Get dressed, Tony!” he mock-growled, then walked out the door to pick out his own clothes.  He had to make sure he looked good, too, after all.

Chapter Text

They were twenty-three minutes late to the party. Which, really, was practically on time for Tony.  Steve himself greeted them at the door, giving Rhodey a smile and a firm handshake, and nodding at Tony.  “Glad you could make it,” Steve said.

“Wouldn’t miss it, Snowflake!” Tony said blithely, breezing past Steve and heading towards the living room, leaving Rhodey to add their presents to the pile on the table, ignoring Steve’s protests that he didn’t need gifts.  Tony didn’t know how to do things in moderation, so Pepper and Rhodey had taken care of the gift shopping. With Tony’s credit card, of course.  What good was it being independently wealthy if you couldn’t spend the money on presents?

“Oh, look his liege is here,” Clint called out dryly from his position on the back of Steve and Bucky’s worn couch, his legs falling on either side of Natasha as he braided her hair, his fingers sure and steady.  Tony flipped him off, looking around, not the least bit subtle about it.

“Tony! You made it!” Thor’s jovial boom started Tony, who whirled around to find Thor holding a beer in his hand, his brother Loki by his side.

Tony grinned at the large blonde.  “Hey, Thor! Loki! I didn’t know you were back in town!”  The adoptive brothers had gone home to visit their parents in Norway for a few weeks.

‘We did inform you of our return,” Loki answered pointedly, but they accepted Tony’s enthusiastic hug with a gentle smile.  “I’m glad to see James has been making sure you stay fed,” they murmured, brushing a gentle kiss across Tony’s forehead.  Tony chuckled, snuggling in for another second before pulling back.  Loki’s snarkiness rivaled Tony’s, so it really wasn’t any surprise that the two of them got on.

Tony dutifully accepted his own hug from Thor, grunting as the bigger man swept him up in a giant bear hug and swung him around, giving Tony a kiss on the mouth before letting him back down.  Tony laughed, then stole Thor’s beer, taking a sip before handing it back to him with a wink.  “I’d love to stay and chat, big boy, but I’ve got to go find a guy about a thing.”

Thor laughed, giving Tony a gentle shove towards the kitchen that made him stumble.  Loki’s slender arm wrapped around his waist, keeping hiim upright.  “Your boy is in the kitchen,” they murmured.  “I believe he is talking with the lovely Pepper.” 

Tony murmured his thanks for both the save and the information, then made his way towards the kitchen, manfully ignoring Clint’s yell of, “Go get ‘im, tiger!”

He poked his head in the kitchen with a grin.  “Pepper, darling, light of my life!” he greeted the redhead.  She smiled at him, dressed in a long skirt that flared out around her ankles and a sleeveless top, a string of pearls gracing her slender throat.

“Tony,” Pepper greeted with an affectionate smile.  “Please tell me you’ve got those designs ready for the board meeting.”

Tony tipped his head to the side and waggled his hand. “Eh. If you mean ‘did I draw up specs?’, then yes. If you mean ‘will they work?’, then the answer is ‘probably not’.”

There was a low chuckle.  “I’m startin’ to think you like torturin’ Pepper, doll,” Bucky said, leaning on the counter, arms braced on the top as he gave Tony a boyish grin.

“Oh, he definitely does,” Pepper agreed.  “And yet, somehow, he always manages to come up with something on time.”  She let Tony brush her cheek with a kiss, then grabbed two bottles of water from the fridge and sauntered out, calling out to Natasha as she went.

Rhodey popped his head in long enough to grab a couple of beers and give Tony a happy grin.  Tony smiled back.  “Sam showed?” he guessed.  Rhodey couldn’t hide his blush as he hurried back out, and the low murmur of voices washed over the house, leaving Tony and Bucky standing in the kitchen.

Bucky licked his lips, pale grey eyes darkening with appreciation as he looked Tony up and down.  Feeling just a little bit daring, alone with his crush but with all of their friends close by, Tony gave Bucky a smile and walked over to the coolers and opened them, perusing their contents.  And if he bent over a little further than strictly necessary, and took his time checking the selection, well, nobody was in the room to call him on it.

He finally settled on a can of ginger ale, pulling out a second one for Bucky before straightening up and turning with a smile.  Bucky’s eyes were fixed below the belt, where Tony’s backside had been just a moment before.  “Ginger ale, right?” Tony asked, watching with no small amount of pleasure as Bucky’s eyes jerked up and then away, his cheeks flushing a dull red.  

“Uh...yeah,” he agreed, licking his lips. “Thanks.”  Tony hummed, pleased, and set the ginger ale in front of Bucky on the counter, leaning in close enough to get a whiff of Bucky’s cologne.  “Uh...you’re not drinkin’?” he wondered.

Tony shook his head.  “Nah,” he said. “Not today.  I have to go into the office tomorrow, and Obie gets all snippy if I’m  hungover.”

Bucky raised an eyebrow.  “There’s this thing called moderation,” he pointed out.

Tony laughed.  “And what, exactly, is it about me that makes you think I know anything about moderation ?” he asked, waggling his eyebrows.  Bucky’s answering laugh made Tony’s grin widen dopily as he swayed a little closer to Bucky, who was grinning down at him, eyes sparkling with amusement.  Just a little closer, and they’d be kissing.

Tony stepped back with a smile, missing the flicker of confusion in Bucky’s eyes as he looked down at his hands, opening the can of soda and taking a large swallow.  That had been way too close.  He didn’t even know if Bucky liked guys, and here he was, about to lay one on the guy!

“Uh,” he cleared his throat, “so...what have you been up to these days?”

Bucky shrugged, his expression back to its normal easy-going demeanor.  “Not much,” he replied.  “Jus’ got promoted to associate manager, though.”

Tony’s eyes widened.  “Really?!” he exclaimed. “That’s...that’s great, Bucky!”  He knew that Steve and Bucky had been having a rough time of it lately, after Steve had caught a virus that had laid him out for most of a month, leaving Bucky as the only breadwinner between them.  Tony had ached to help them out, but neither Steve nor Bucky wanted charity, and he didn’t know how to be subtle. So he’d done what he normally did...thrown money at Pepper and let her handle the subtlety of making sure that, at the very least, Steve’s medical bills were paid, leaving them with one less thing to worry about.  Pepper had also made sure that Steve was seen by the best doctors money could afford.

The tall brunette shrugged, ducking his head so his hair fell down around his face and covered his eyes.  “Yeah, it’s better pay, at least,” he murmured.

Tony settled down.  “I’m glad Steve’s feeling better,” he offered.  “Do they know what he had?”

Bucky shook his head, letting out a long sigh.  “Nah,” he replied. “Trust Stevie to catch somethin’ new that nobody’s seen before.” He glanced up at Tony for a moment, then looked back down again.  “And...thanks,” he said.

Tony frowned.  “For what?” he asked, completely lost.

Bucky looked up at him, almost angry.  “For payin’ the medical bills for Stevie.  I know it was you.  Anonymous donor. Yeah, right.”

Tony winced. “Look, it’s not...it’s not charity,” he hurried to say. “I like Steve, I do. And I wanted to make sure he was taken care of.”

Bucky was watching him, still looking a bit angry, and Tony bit his lip. “Please don’t be mad?” he tried, his voice thin.

Bucky blinked, his frown deepening.  “What? No!” he protested. “‘M not mad.  I jus’...don’t understand why you didn’t tell us yourself.”

Tony grimaced. “Because I”m really bad at that sort of thing?” he tried. “Pepper’s always telling me that I wouldn’t know subtlety if it bit me on the ass.” Tony didn’t miss the way Bucky’s eyes flicked towards said asset, glad he’d taken Rhodey’s suggestion on what to wear.  “And I was kinda afraid that if I showed up, Steve would refuse further treatment.”  Not that he and Steve didn’t get along, but Steve felt even more strongly than Bucky did about charity.  Bucky, at least, would accept it if it meant helping his best friend and flatmate.  Tony tried really hard not to exploit that for anything but the most important reasons.

Bucky snorted. “Yeah, you’re prob’ly right,” he murmured. “It’d be jus’ like Stevie to do somethin’ like that.” He glanced up wryly.  “But you do realize he prob’ly knew it was you, too, righ’?” he asked, his voice dropping as if he was sharing a secret.

“Yes, but if I let Pep handle it, then I had plausible deniability,” Tony said.  “And we both know that not even Steve is going to say no to Pepper’s face.”

Bucky considered that.  “Fair,” he allowed, his shoulders relaxing.  “I jus’...didn’t want you to think we weren’t grateful. ‘Cause we are.”

Tony’s eyes widened, and he held up a hand, nearly smacking Bucky in the mouth as he did so.  “No no no no!” he pleaded.  “Please. Don’t thank me. Not for that. I did it because I could, and because I wanted to. I don’t want you to think that I”m trying to get anything out of it. Because I’m not.”

Bucky took a step forward, into Tony’s space, making Tony crane his neck to look up at him.  “No?” he murmured.  “You sure about that, doll? You don’t want nothin’ at all?”  His voice had dropped another register, the Brooklyn drawl nearly a growl.

Tony swallowed hard. “I...no?” he squeaked, torn between stepping back and throwing himself forward.

Bucky’s grey eyes darkened, and he leaned down, the heat radiating out from him nearly tangible against Tony’s skin.  Tony shivered, and Bucky’s tongue flicked out along his lips. “Tony--” Bucky started.

“Oh my god! Would you two just kiss already?!” Clint’s obnoxious voice startled the two men, and Tony stepped back abruptly, tripping over his own feet and toppling backwards. 

Bucky’s arms wrapped around him, pulling him hard against Bucky’s chest as the brunette glared at the unwelcome intruder.  “Barton, if you wanna keep all your limbs, get out,” he snarled, his voice irritated but his arms infinitely gentle where they held Tony, careful even now not to hurt the smaller man.  Tony bit back a moan and sagged further into Bucky’s embrace, his self control flying out the window as he took the opportunity to nuzzle against Bucky’s well-muscled chest.

“Hey, man, I just came to get some drinks,” Clint said, yelping as he stubbed his foot against the kitchen counter.  “If Nat doesn’t get her Dr. Pepper soon, she’s going to skin me alive.”

Bucky didn’t say anything, just continued to glare at Clint until the blonde had grabbed what he’d come for and left again.  When he turned to Tony, his cheeks were pink.  “Sorry for grabbin’ ya like that,” he apologized, his hands gentle as he tipped Tony’s face up towards him, checking Tony’s expression.  “Clint’s an ass,” he offered.

Tony chuckled, even as he felt the heat in his own face.  “It’s fine,” he said, then took a deep breath, meeting storm grey eyes.  “But he does have a point.”

Bucky raised a dubious eyebrow.  “Yeah?” he asked.

Tony smiled.  “Yes,” he agreed.  “The kitchen is too public.  What do you say we get out of here?”

Bucky’s eyes darkened, and he licked his lips again.  Tony mimicked the motion, gratified to see the way Bucky seemed mesmerized by the motion.  “Yeah?” he asked again.  “You wanna spend some time alone with me?” He asked.  “See what happens?”

Tony smiled, feeling equal parts shy and giddy.  “Yes,” he said, nodding his head vigorously. Then he paused. “Uh...but I guess I should tell you now that I don’t do this in moderation, either.”

Bucky grinned, leaning down and pausing a hair’s breadth away from Tony’s mouth.  “Neither do I,” he admitted.

Tony didn’t know if he’d leaned in the rest of the way, or if Bucky had, but suddenly they were kissing, and Tony moaned into it, opening easily under Bucky’s lips and tongue, his back curving, pushing him closer to the other man.

When they pulled apart, lips swollen and faces flushed, Bucky gave him a dopey smile.  “Bedroom?” he asked, his tone hopeful, reminding Tony that Bucky did, in fact, live here. Of course he had his own bedroom.

Tony purred, reaching into the fridge and pulling out a couple of water bottles.  “Bedroom,” he agreed, giggling as Bucky pulled him out of the kitchen and down the hallway, both men ignoring the cheers and various cries of “Finally!” that followed them down the hall.

Tony flipped off the room in general, and then they were tumbling into Bucky’s bedroom, kissing almost frantically.  Now that Tony had permission, he was pretty sure he wouldn’t be leaving any time soon.

As Bucky tumbled him onto the bed, something large and bright caught Tony’s eyes.  “What?” he mumbled, turning to stare at the bedside table.  

Bucky groaned, crouched over him, but stilled, following Tony’s gaze. “Oh,” he said, blushing.  “Steve got those for me, as a gag gift, I think,” he mumbled.  “I had a whole...thing...planned,” he admitted.

Tony grinned, reaching over and snagging the book of stickers, all of them bright and glittery.  “You’ve been sneaking into my apartment?” he asked, not sure whether to be amused or concerned.  “You put a sticker on my coffee!”

Bucky blushed. “Nah, I don’t have a key,” he murmured.  “I asked Rhodey to do it.”

Tony eyes narrowed. “That….that….” he didn’t have the words to describe what Rhodey was, the little sneak.

Bucky took the stickers from him and flipped through the book really quick.  He pulled one off abruptly and stuck it on Tony’s hip, where the edges of his shirt rode up, giving tantalizing glimpses of tanned flesh.

Tony pushed himself up on his elbows and looked down, then laughed.  “Really?” he asked.  Right there, on his hips, was a bright pink glitter sticker of a pair of lips. 

Bucky grinned, leaning down and nibbling at Tony’s ear, making him drop his head back with a moan, exposing his throat so Bucky could latch on and worry at the thin skin there, raising blood to the surface in a hickey.  “Gotta mark what’s mine,” he murmured.

Tony pressed up into Bucky’s mouth even as he flipped through the book, pausing at a good one and peeling it off.  He slapped it on Bucky’s bare arm, making the other man pause in his ministrations and look down at his arm.  If it’s sparkly, I want it .

“Oh, doll,” Bucky said, grinding down against him, making Tony gasp, fingers grasping at the bottom of his shirt, trying to get it off of him.  “I’ve got all the sparkles.”

It was nearly three hours later that the two of them walked out to find their friends sprawled out on the furniture and floor of the living room, watching some rom-com that Tony neither knew nor cared about.  He tugged Bucky over to an open seat and pushed him down into it, settling immediately onto the bigger man’s lap, feeling Bucky’s arms wrap firmly around  his waist, hair tickling his neck as Bucky leaned his chin on Tony’s shoulder.

Tony caught Rhodey’s eyes from where his best friend was curled up on the floor, Sam’s head in his lap.  He smiled and gave Rhodey a thumbs up.

Rhodey grinned and winked, then turned back to the movie, leaving Tony to cuddle back into his new boyfriend’s embrace.  Nobody said anything about their obviously mussed appearances, or the large glittery hearts they were each sporting.  Which was just as well, really.

And the next morning, as Rhodey hollered Tony’s name across their shared apartment after discovering that everything from his phone to his underwear had been covered in brightly colored glittery stickers, Tony just laughed.

“Serves him right,” he muttered, and got back to work.