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Bucky can’t wait to get home. Not just because the first day of his new internship is about as soul-sucking as he’d expected, the fact that he’s starving is actually pretty far down on the list of reasons why Bucky is walking as quickly as he can through the crowded streets of the city without actually mowing anyone down.
He hurries up the steps to his building and bypasses the elevator in favor of jogging up the three flights of stairs, heart pounding in his chest and he doesn’t care if it’s a little ridiculous, he’s excited damnit. He’s still not quite used to the way he has to pull the door in and then lift slightly to get the lock to turn, and he’s definitely not prepared for the sight that greets him when he pushes the door open.
The apartment is a hell of a lot smaller than the one he’d shared with Steve and a rotating assortment of their friends all through college, basically just a living room with a corner that dreams of growing up into a kitchen one day and a closet masquerading as a bedroom. At least all the appliances and plumbing seem to work, and there are giant windows that let in the warm glow of the setting sun.
The entire place smells like pasta sauce, music playing quietly through the small space, and there’s barely room to move between the couch and the table. That’s not stopping Tony from swaying in tiny circles with their brand new kitten cradled in his arms, though, just a tiny ball of white fluff and big eyes with claws visibly sunk into the front of Tony’s shirt.
Tony looks up at him, a wide smile splitting across his face, and Bucky’s heart trips all over itself in his chest.
He’s home.
Bucky has had a pretty good life, all in all, but he can safely say that he has never been this goddamn happy before. He has an apartment, the love of his life, and even the cat they both dreamed of having growing up. What more could he possibly ask for?
“Hey honey,” Tony says, still smiling brightly, and then Bucky can see him trying and failing to school his expression into something stern as he adds “about time you got home, I was this close to eating without you.”
“No you weren’t,” Bucky says confidently, and in two steps he’s close enough to wrap an arm around Tony and press a kiss to his forehead. “And how’s my very favorite person in the world today?” He asks as he pointedly turns his attention down to the kitten in Tony’s arms, scratching beneath her tiny chin and trying to smother his grin when Tony drags in a loud, wounded gasp.
“The nerve, now I’m definitely going to eat without you,” Tony grumbles and Bucky just hums happily, leaning in again to kiss him properly.
He doesn’t pull away until the kitten bats at his chest with a sound almost like a squeak and some impossibly sharp claws, and Bucky looks down at her again with a fond huff. “Have you decided on a name yet?” He asks, holding out one hand so the kitten can try to gnaw on his fingers with her teeny tiny needle teeth.
“That depends, have you changed your stance on the name Baking Soda?”
“I have not,” Bucky says, shooting Tony a flat look and then wincing when the tiny fur ball uses his momentary distraction to swipe at his palm. “And before you ask, no, baking powder is not an acceptable replacement, in naming or in cooking.”
“Then Alpine it is!” Tony declares with a wide grin and Bucky is helpless to do anything but smile back. Tony lifts the tiny kitten up to eye level, then holds her a little farther away when she tries to bat at his nose. “You are Alpine now,” he tells her seriously, “we’re going to go have dinner while you come to terms with it. Please don’t destroy any more of my socks in the meantime.”
With that Tony bends down to set Alpine carefully on the ground, putting obvious effort into not losing Bucky’s arm wrapped around him in the process, and the kitten immediately waddles off to no doubt pick a fight with their laundry. Tony rolls his eyes with a soft, fond laugh, and as his attention turns back to Bucky there is zero doubt in Bucky’s mind that all the sappy feeling bubbling up in his chest must show on his face.
“Dinner smells amazing,” Bucky says, and he’s about to ask if Tony managed to find fresh noodles at their new local corner store, but then something occurs to him and he shoots a suspicious glance at the pot sitting innocently on their tiny stove. “Where did you get dishes?” he has to know, because as far as Bucky was aware the only things in their apartment so far are a suitcase of clothes and basic necessities each, all the new things they bought for Alpine, and the computer Tony simply cannot be parted from.
“Borrowed them from our new neighbor,” Tony says with a lopsided grin, “she thinks we’re adorable. I promised her some leftovers in exchange, so you can’t devour it all unless you want to be downgraded to merely cute. And I, for one, won’t stand for such a disgrace.”
“We can’t have that,” Bucky agrees, would agree with just about anything if it means Tony keeps smiling at him like this, “I’ll do my best to contain myself.”
Tony starts to finally pull out of Bucky’s arms, turning toward the kitchen, and then pauses with a wince that has his nose scrunching up in a way Bucky is more than a little bit in love with, all on its own. “Although, I did maybe forget to ask for plates,” Tony admits, “so we’re going to be eating right out of the pot I guess.”
“Extremely classy. Love it. Love you. I’m living the dream,” Bucky says with a series of short nods, pressing a kiss to a random spot on Tony’s face between each statement and god does he mean it.
Dinner is amazing, and Alpine ends up chewing a giant hole in one of Bucky’s shirts while they’re distracted, and that night Bucky gets to crawl into bed with his boyfriend and their cat. He has Tony’s head pillowed on his shoulder, Alpine curled up into a tiny purring ball in the center of his chest, and it’s perfect.
Well, almost perfect.
“Not that I don’t love sleeping on a bare mattress,” Tony says quietly, clearly trying not to wake the already-snoring cat, and even in the dark Bucky can perfectly picture his teasing grin, “but when can we get the rest of your shit from Steve again?”
“Sunday,” Bucky promises, tugging the quilt that Tony has had as long as Bucky has known him up a little higher around Tony’s shoulders and then burying his fingers in Tony’s hair. “Steve has even generously agreed to help us unpack and everything.”
“Has he, though?” Tony asks, prodding Bucky in the ribs because after years of knowing them Bucky has to admit that Tony has a pretty good read on his friendship with Steve.
“He will,” Bucky says confidently, and when Alpine shifts a little and digs her claws into his sternum he lowers his voice a little to add “I’m going to bribe him with pizza.”
“The man can’t resist free food,” Tony acknowledges, and by the sound of it he’s about to start drifting off, conversation de damned. So Bucky doesn’t launch into a story of all the other dumb things Steve has been talked into under the promise of free food, and neither of them mention why it is Tony doesn’t have much more to move in than his clothes and computer and hand-made quilt.
After they’d graduated, Tony with his multiple degrees that he’d nearly driven himself crazy getting and Bucky with a degree that he’s still not sure he’ll actually use, they’d decided to move in together.
Bucky’s friends had all screamed that it was ‘about fucking time’ and Tony’s friends were mostly confused why they were making an announcement of it, had apparently thought that was the plan all along. Bucky’s family had been ecstatic and he fully expects his mom to start sending them crocheted throw pillows any day now, but Tony’s family had been a different matter.
Howard had insisted that it was about time Tony got ‘serious’, gave up this ‘boyfriend’ nonsense and ‘come back to SI already’. Bucky can admit to himself he’d wondered something along the same lines a couple times through their relationship, wondered when Tony would realize that he could do way better than Bucky, but by the time they graduated Bucky hadn’t worried about it in over a year and hearing the words out of someone else’s mouth had really driven home how ridiculous the thought was.
It hadn’t even been a surprise when Tony stood firm, declared that he didn’t need Howard’s money or his job offer, not when he’s smart enough on his own, not when he has Bucky.
Hearing that had made the entire awkward dinner more than worth it, as far as Bucky was concerned, and when Tony had stood up to storm out Bucky followed him almost in a daze, his heart too big for his chest and sure that he couldn’t possibly be more in love. That fact that he’d gotten to punch Howard when he’d tried to make a grab for Tony (finally, and how many times over the years had Bucky longed to do that?) was really just the icing on the cake.
Still, Bucky can’t help the occasional spike of worry that Tony will wake up one day and regret it, regret everything he gave up just to get Bucky and their tiny apartment in exchange.
When they wake up in the morning with the pattern of the mattress imprinted in their skin, the sound of traffic loud on the street through the thin walls, Bucky worries that it’s not enough. But then Tony smiles brightly and leans in to kiss him with zero concern for morning breath or the way it dislodges the kitten who apparently spent the night snuggled into Tony’s hair, and the knot in Bucky’s chest unwinds as he falls a little more in love.
“I can’t believe you tricked me into hanging curtains,” Clint complains around a mouthful of pizza.
“I told you this is what I’m doing today,” Steve says flatly, yanking the pizza box back across the table from where Clint has been slowly dragging it closer to himself, “it’s not my fault all you heard was pizza and decided to follow me. By literally throwing yourself into my car through the window. While it was moving.”
“Barely moving,” Clint argues, and then yelps when Steve swats his hand away from the pizza box.
Bucky snorts in amusement, and he briefly considers getting up from the couch to try to grab another slice of pizza for himself before it’s gone but quickly discards the idea. He’d have to get in the middle of the glaring match that Steve and Clint are now caught in, which seems like more effort than it’s worth. And more importantly, he’d have to detangle himself from the lazy, tired knot that he and Tony have worked themselves into as the day caught up with them and they slowly melted further and further into the couch, which is definitely not worth it.
“The curtains look great though,” Tony says as he lifts his head from the armrest enough to give Clint a sunny smile, and then smiles wider as his eyes land on where Alpine is flailing around batting at the bottom of the long curtains. “And now we don’t have to worry about the neighbors seeing my sweet dance moves.”
“Yes, your dance moves,” Bucky says slowly, “that is what I was worried about the neighbors seeing.”
“Oh my god,” Clint gasps, pressing one hand to his chest and leaving obvious greasy fingerprints in his wake, “are you guys doing naked things? In your own apartment?!”
“I’m just happy they’re not doing naked things in my apartment anymore,” Steve grumbles, and it’s nearly drowned out by Clint continuing to fake the greatest offense over their ‘sinful living.’
“It was our apartment, don’t be a prude, Steve,” Bucky says with a haughty sniff, and then finally begins reluctantly detangling himself from Tony as he adds “I was going to offer you surprise bonus ice cream, but now you can forget it.”
“I would like ice cream, and I immediately denounce my puritanical ways,” Clint says eagerly, sitting up straight from where he’s been basically slumped across the small table trying to steal the pizza box back from Steve.
“Don’t let them at my rocky road,” Tony says, jumping up off the couch to follow Bucky and returning Clint’s offended look with a raised eyebrow. “I know how you are, don’t even give me that look and you, with the puppy dog eyes, I will not be moved,” Tony says, pointing first at Clint and then Steve (who is indeed rocking some excellent sad puppy eyes) as he follows Bucky around the table and towards the fridge.
“Tough, but fair,” Clint says and from the corner of his eye Bucky can see him nodding sagely, “I am a human garbage disposal.”
“Gross,” Bucky and Steve say at the same time, because that’s the standard required reaction when Clint makes that declaration, and it distracts Bucky just long enough that Tony starts to step around him and their hands land on the handle for the freezer at the same time.
“Aw,” Tony coos, looking up at Bucky with a wide grin, “should we open it together?”
His fingers wiggle where they barely overlap Bucky’s and it’s probably a little crazy, because he’s known Tony for years and they’ve been dating for almost half that time now, but Bucky still finds his heart tripping over itself in his chest. He’s pretty sure he’s also blushing a little, and his voice comes out embarrassingly breathy as he says “Okay.”
“You know, I really thought they would get less gross as time went by,” Clint says conversationally from behind them.
“We all did,” Steve replies with a heavy sigh, and Bucky would point out that he can hear them, thank you very much, but that would require taking his attention off of Tony and he’s not willing to do that for even a second.
Instead he just nods, returning Tony’s smile helplessly as he suggests “On the count of three?”
“Perfect, adorable, not at all gross,” Tony agrees, raising his voice a little for the last part, to the wild amusement of the peanut gallery at the table. “Okay,” Tony says decisively, shifting his weight slightly in what Bucky assumes in an attempt to not get hit by the door when they pull it open, “one…”
Bucky doesn’t plan on being contrary, he really doesn’t, but the idea strikes him on ‘two’ and when Tony hits ‘three’ instead of helping to pull the door open Bucky leans all his weight against it instead, making it impossible to move the door without moving Bucky.
Except Tony isn’t trying to pull the door open. In fact it looks like Tony had the exact same goddamn idea, because he is also leaning heavily against the fridge, which is apparently not quite level and tilts backwards just a little under their combined weight.
There’s a split second where Bucky and Tony just stare at each other, and then they both burst out laughing. Clint and Steve let out loud groans of disgusted complaint behind them, but Bucky is all too happy to ignore them in favor of watching the way Tony’s laughter lights up his entire face, the way his eyes shine as he tosses his head back with it.
Bucky wants to do this for the rest of his life.
It’s not exactly a new thought, but it is the first time the realization has hit him this goddamn hard, the first time it’s almost left him breathless. He wants to spend the rest of his life being constantly amazed by the way Tony’s mind works, being even more pleasantly surprised by all the little ways their brains work exactly the same, go to exactly the same dumb jokes. Bucky wants to see how much more in sync they can get as the years go by, all the other ways he has no doubt Tony will find to still surprise him.
Even after their laughter dies down Bucky remains exactly where he is, leaning against the fridge and grinning at Tony with an expression that he’s sure looks as stupid-in-love as he feels, and he doesn’t care. All that matters is that Tony is still right beside him, his fingers warm and calloused against Bucky’s and a dopey smile on his face.
Steve and Clint can just keep waiting for all he cares, can forget about the ice cream entirely because Bucky has no intention to move, but apparently Steve has other ideas.
“I was promised dessert, and I want it,” Steve says decisively as he pushes himself to his feet, and Bucky narrows his eyes suspiciously.
He knows that look of childish glee on Steve’s face, and it is entirely too reminiscent of all the dumb stunts Steve would pull when they were actual kids. Bucky has exactly zero desire to find out what Steve is going to break this time, especially now that he’s an overgrown Labrador, but Bucky has just opened his mouth to say as much when Steve cuts him off.
“This is a problem that requires licking,” Steve declares with a wide grin, and Clint chokes on his mouthful of pizza crust.
“What- no!” Bucky tries to protest around a bark of startled laughter, and somehow he still wasn’t expecting that level of childishness. He’s pretty sure Clint is scrabbling with his phone even as he continues to probably cough food all over their table, but Bucky is more than a little distracted by Steve crossing the kitchen in one giant step of his stupid long legs. “Steven, do not lick me,” Bucky says as sternly as he can, which isn’t much when his voice cracks with rising panic, “or my boyfriend!”
“We can work this out! There has to be a better way!” Tony insists, but Steve isn’t deterred by their words, or the fact that Bucky flails one foot out to try and kick at his knee.
Steve just smacks Tony’s flailing free hand out of the way and leans in to lick a long, wet stripe up the back of both of their hands.
Tony lets out an impossibly loud squawk of disgust that sounds like it comes from the depths of his very soul, and Bucky’s own noise of complaint is drowned out by Steve’s yelp when Tony manages to catch him in the ear at the same time that Bucky’s foot finally connects with his shin.
Steve jerks forward, losing his balance when he slips on the tile floor they just finished painstakingly cleaning, and somewhere in the background Clint is cackling madly as Steve’s forehead cracks against the freezer door. Steve also ends up squashing Bucky and Tony against the edges of the fridge with his giant stupid shoulders, and it sends the whole thing crashing back into the wall with a loud thump.
Clint laughs harder while Alpine goes bolting for the bedroom in a blur of white fur.
“My fridge!” Tony shouts, finally ripping his hand away to shove ineffectually at Steve’s shoulder.
“The wall!” Bucky says emphatically, trying to use his arm like a lever to pry Steve away from the fridge.
“Stop, I’m gonna hurl,” Clint chokes out around howls of laughter.
It turns out the damage to the wall is at least minor, and the damage to Steve’s head can be solved by letting the whiny baby hold one of the ice cream cartons against the red lump swelling just above his eye. Bucky’s ego, however, is going to take awhile to recover from seeing the video Clint managed to get of the whole affair, complete with fuzzy pink filter and balloon hearts, and the freezer door will forever bear the dent from Steve’s thick skull.
At least the fridge still works, and Bucky does enjoy the fact that he gets to hear Steve’s pained yelp over and over on the video.
“You’re all awful,” Steve grumbles, swatting at Clint’s hand when he tries to shove his phone in Steve’s face again and then squinting at Tony around the carton of half-melted Neapolitan pressed to his forehead. “I can’t believe you punched me in the ear.”
“You gave me cooties,” Tony shoots back shamelessly, sprawled out on the couch again with his own carton of rocky road and Alpine trying to claw her way up his chest, “you know those are incurable.”
“Yeah Steve,” Bucky says, trying to fight down his grin in favor of a stern look and then giving up with a sigh when Clint turns to shove the phone screen at him instead. He doesn’t mind that he gets to watch Tony smile and laugh over and over in the video, Bucky mostly just wishes his own face of horror wasn’t so goofy looking.
“I can’t wait to show this at your wedding,” Clint says and finally gives up on shoving his phone at people when Bucky swats at him as well.
“Well then guess who’s not invited,” Bucky says flatly, then laughs when Clint fake-gasps so hard he ends up coughing and wheezing.
“Just leave out the part where I yelp and I’ll help you,” Steve offers, finally pulling the carton away from his face with a wince, “you know I’ll be the best man.”
“No!” Tony interrupts, so vehemently that Alpine abandons him with a side-eye to try and stick her face in Bucky’s bowl of ice cream instead. “If you keep the pained yelp in I’ll make you my best man,” Tony bargains, pointing his spoon at Clint.
“Rhodes is going to kill you both,” Bucky says and then shrugs when Tony pouts at him, “I’m sorry baby but you know it’s true.”
“Worth it,” Clint decides with a nod, “embarrass both of you on your most special day, and embarrass Steve as a bonus? That’s that dream.”
“Awful,” Steve repeats, but doesn’t complain when Clint drops into the other seat at the table and steals the half-melted Neapolitan from him.
“What a magical wedding we’re going to have,” Tony says brightly, grinning at Bucky, his expression equal parts joking and what Bucky would dare to call hopeful.
Bucky is completely helpless to do anything but smile back, warmth spreading through his chest that not even ice cream or the relentless teasing from his friends can touch.
After all of the food has been thoroughly demolished Bucky walks Steve and Clint out of the building, and he nearly gets knocked down the stairs when Clint sprints ahead yelling shotgun. As if there’s anyone else he needs to compete with for that right, and as if he didn’t eat most of the pizza all on his own.
Bucky glances back up the stairs behind them, just in case Tony finished saving Alpine from where she got herself tangled in the curtains and decided to follow. Once he’s sure there’s no chance of Tony overhearing him Bucky declares “I am gonna marry him, Stevie.”
Steve stops dead in the middle of the staircase to give him a look that Bucky can’t quite identify, but it’s uncomfortably close to Steve’s ‘Bucky is being stupid again’ face.
“I mean it,” Bucky adds, just in case Steve’s weird expression means that he doesn’t believe Bucky, don’t know how completely fucking serious he is, “preferably ASAP.”
“Yeah no shit,” Steve says, rolling his eyes, and then hugs him so hard Bucky swears he hears something in his ribcage pop.
As Steve pulls away from the curb Clint appears to be sending the video to every single person he knows, and Bucky just can’t wait for all the teasing texts he’s sure he’s going to get over the next couple days. He might as well just block Sam’s number right now.
Bucky spends the elevator ride back up to the apartment contemplating how soon he can actually go about proposing without Clint claiming it was his idea, and how he should go about proposing in the first place.
Whatever he does, it has to be at least half as amazing as Tony himself. Something thoughtful, something small and personal because that will always mean more to Tony than all the flash or extravagance in the world, Bucky has learned that by now.
He’ll have to think of something perfect, but that’s okay. They have plenty of time.
Bucky is lost in thought as he pushes open the door to their apartment, but his brain comes screeching back to the present at the sight of Tony stretched out on the couch, legs sprawled enticingly and all the curtains now very firmly closed.
“Now that they’re gone,” Tony says with a wide grin and a wiggle of his eyebrows that is somehow equal parts silly and sexy, “I have another problem for you that requires licking.”
“Oh my god,” Bucky groans, but he’s laughing as he collapses down onto the couch and presses their lips together.
“Can you believe we’ve had her for three months?” Tony asks, sprawled out on his back with Alpine held up above his face, “we should throw her a party!”
“You threw her a party after one week and one month already,” Bucky points out patiently, “I’m drawing the line. No more parties until at least six months.”
“But she deserves it,” Tony argues, shooting a look at Bucky before turning his attention back to Alpine and bouncing her in place as little as he insists “look at her little face.”
“I hope she coughs up a hairball on your face.”
“Well that’s just rude,” Tony says with a sniff, but finally releases Alpine when she makes a soft, squeaking noise of complaint. “Have you called the vet to confirm her appointment tomorrow?” He asks as he pulls himself up onto the couch next to Bucky, half curling into Bucky’s side and half sprawling all over him.
“Yes…” Bucky says slowly, darting his eyes evasively and obviously around the room, “now please pay no mind to the phone call I’m about to make. It’s unrelated.”
“Is it?” Tony asks with a wide grin, “then I’m sure you won’t mind telling me what time her appointment is before your unrelated phone call.”
“Shh, I’m on the phone,” Bucky says even though he’s just now hitting the name in his contacts, and Tony is laughing as Bucky raises the phone to his ear.
He wiggles his toes and then drags his foot across the carpet, letting Alpine chase it while he confirms her appointment, and the receptionist doesn’t even question Bucky’s abrupt hiss of pain as Alpine’s sharp little teeth manage to sink into his heel. It’s hard to tell what Bucky loves about Tony more, that he swoops in to distract Alpine with one of her toys or that he takes the time to laugh at Bucky first.
Bucky is going to marry him so hard. He has a plan and everything, he’s just waiting for the perfect moment.
“Alright you’re all set,” Scott the receptionist says brightly, “we’ll see you and Alpine tomorrow.”
“Actually my husband is probably going to be the one to bring her in,” Bucky says absently, most of his attention on making sure he’s got his days right and watching Alpine tumble all over herself trying to catch the tip of her own fluffy tail.
Beside him Tony makes a weird choking noise, and when Bucky looks up Tony is giving him a wide-eyed look.
“Did you just call me your husband?” Tony demands in a weird, shrill voice, “on the phone? To a complete stranger?!”
“Scott isn’t a stranger,” Bucky says, because seriously, the first week they had Alpine Tony was calling the vet’s office in a panic every other day and Scott was the one to talk him down more often than not. And then the rest of what Tony had said finally registers, and Bucky feels his own eyes go wide as he stutter out “I- uh, wait—“
“You wanna marry me!” Tony crows, jabbing a finger in his face, and Bucky is pretty sure he can hear Scott cackling over the line, “you want me to be your husband!”
“I’m on the phone,” Bucky tries to protest, shoving Tony’s hand away as heat floods his face and fuck, this was not the plan at all.
This is not dinner at Tony’s favorite greasy burger place followed by watching Oliver & Company with their cat because Tony insists that it's Alpine’s favorite movie. Bucky didn’t get to list all the reasons he loves Tony (and he did make a list), or make any of the promises he wanted to, like that he knows how goddamn lucky he is and that he’s never going to take Tony for granted. He didn’t get to promise that he’s always going to treat Tony the way he deserves, that Bucky is going to love him for the rest of his fucking life.
No, Bucky just blurted out ‘my husband’ while on the phone with someone else and so much for his plan. The only consolation is that Tony might be laughing his ass off, but beneath the surprise and mocking Tony also looks hopeful and elated and Bucky can’t bring himself to actually regret a thing. Not when Tony’s smile is so wide that it looks a little painful as he grabs Bucky’s face between both of his hands.
“You want me to be your husband and have your babies,” Tony accuses brightly, squishing Bucky’s cheeks in a way that definitely is painful, but Bucky has no intention to pull out of his hold.
Bucky could try to argue that he hadn’t meant it, maybe, that it was just a slip of the tongue, but he has no intention of doing that either. For one Bucky is sure he wouldn’t actually be able to pull it off, couldn’t convincingly act like he doesn’t want to marry Tony for even a second. More importantly though Bucky would never want to do anything to take that look of bright joy off Tony’s face, to make Tony in any way doubt how much Bucky really fucking meant it.
It’s not like Bucky is actually going to complain that Tony knows Bucky loves him, knows without any apparent hint of a doubt that Bucky wants to spend their entire lives together.
He could maybe stand for Tony to be a little less smug about it, though, but at least Tony finally lets go of his face to turn and address Alpine, who is now sprawled out on the floor and watching them through narrowed eyes.
“Did you hear that Alpine?!?” Tony asks, nearly tumbling off the couch and kneeing Bucky in the side as he twists in place to address her, “your daddies are getting married!”
Alpine just slow blinks in response, which Bucky takes to mean she’s happy for them, and a big part of Bucky wants to just give in and let this happen. He’s not going to take back the proposal, after all, however indirect and accidental it may have been, but he had a plan, damnit.
“This doesn’t count!” Bucky tries to protest weakly, switching his phone to his other ear so there’s less chance of Tony inadvertently smacking it out of Bucky’s hand as he re-plasters himself to Bucky’s side. The poor vet’s receptionist has already had to listen to Bucky accidentally spill his intention to marry his boyfriend, he shouldn’t have to listen to Bucky’s phone go clattering to the ground, too. Although maybe Bucky should just throw his phone, because Scott is still laughing in his ear as he raises his voice a little to insist “You can’t say yes yet, I had a plan!”
“It’s too late for your plan,” Tony insists right back, shoving his finger in Bucky’s face again, “you can’t take it back now. We are engaged, sucker, and you gotta live with it. Forever.”
“Baby—“ Bucky tries to interrupt again, because this may not be his plan but he still wants to at least actually ask, damnit, but it doesn’t do any good.
Tony’s smile is bright and his voice is loud and happy as he wraps his arms around Bucky’s shoulders and continues to rant “Because you want to marry me—“
“Sugar—“
“And have a big ol’ wedding with me—“
“Tony—“ Bucky tries desperately, hoping that him using Tony’s real name will, if nothing else, surprise Tony into pausing long enough for Bucky to get a word in edgewise.
It doesn’t work though, if anything Tony’s smile just gets bigger and he nearly knocks them both off the couch with the force that he shoves himself into Bucky’s side as he crows “That’s Mr Barnes to you!”
And damn, Bucky can’t deny he likes the way that sounds, but still. His plan might be out the window, but if he can just get a word or two in then maybe he can salvage some part of it. Like actually asking.
“Sweet thing,” Bucky says patiently, and he’s very sure his attempt to sound serious is ruined by the wide smile on his face and the way he has to nearly shout to be heard over Tony still rambling out variations of their names smashed together and Scott cooing over the phone. “Baby. Love of my life, I can’t wait to marry you but please shut up so I can finish this phone call.”
“You’re good,” Scott says and not only is he still laughing, but it sounds like there are now other people laughing in the background too. Fantastic. “Congrats, Romeo,” Scott says in farewell, and then the line goes dead and Bucky is left with his amazing, infuriatingly cackling fiancé.
Bucky drops his phone without a care to where it falls and decides the best way to repay all the shoving and prodding Tony has been doing is to throw all his weight into Tony and press him down into the couch, smothering Tony’s wild laughter under his own lips. Losing himself in kissing Tony is always too easy, Tony’s fingers pressing into his hair and pulling him closer stealing all of Bucky’s brain power until it’s genuinely hard to remember that there was a point Bucky wanted to make here. Actually forcing himself to break the kiss is another battle entirely, and every time Bucky almost convinces himself to do it Tony will catch Bucky’s lip between his own, drag his calloused fingers down Bucky’s back, and Bucky loses himself all over again.
“I love you so goddamn much,” Bucky whispers when he finally has to pull away to breathe, his lips still moving against Tony’s. His heart feels almost too big for his chest, almost too big to get the words out around as he finally manages to ask “Please marry me?”
“Only if you marry me first,” Tony whispers back and then pulls Bucky into another kiss before he can protest that it doesn’t work like that.
Bucky is just about to let himself sink back into it, logic and reason be damned, when Tony suddenly pulls away to laugh loudly. Right in his face. And it’s probably a sign of how fucking gone Bucky is that he just finds it endearing.
The wide, teasing grin on Tony’s face is also more endearing than anything else, even though what he says is “I can not wait to tell Steve about this.”
“Well that’s not very romantic,” Bucky grumbles under his breath but he can’t really find it in himself to mind, and Tony isn’t listening anyways.
“He’s going to tell this story at the wedding that we are definitely having and he is going to roast you so mercilessly,” Tony continues, completely unmoved by Bucky’s pouting and practically shaking with barely-repressed laughter.
“No…” Bucky groans softly and he’s mostly talking to himself at this point but oh god it’s true, Steve is never going to let this go. He’s going to make sure everyone knows this embarrassing story, right alongside the story of the time Steve proved that Bucky never calls Tony by his real name and hadn’t even realized it, and Bucky is going to die.
Past the required complaining about his best friend’s unending quest to embarrass him, though, it doesn’t actually sound that bad to have this as a story that is constantly being brought up. Sure, their friends are going to laugh about it for years, but that also means Bucky will get to watch Tony laugh about it for years.
Bucky will happily make himself look a hell of a lot stupider than this just to make Tony smile, to get to enjoy it for the rest of his life.
So instead of any further protesting Bucky just leans in to kiss him quiet again, and they don’t break apart until Alpine jumps up on Bucky’s shoulder and starts trying to gnaw on his ear.