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“Anybody except Clint want a free Thanksgiving dinner and an all-expense paid trip to Malibu?” Tony asked as he plopped down at the table. Steve opened his mouth to say something but Tony quickly cut him off with a wave of the hand. “Not you, Rogers. Pops has already met you and I swear he loves you more than me.”
“That’s not true!” Steve said quickly. He glanced over to Bucky, who just shrugged. “He loves you. Anyway, are you planning on taking us to your place for Thanksgiving?”
Tony nodded as he leaned over and started to pick through Bruce’s lunch. “Not all of you.” He muttered as he stole a few grapes and popped them into his mouth. He paused, his gaze growing distant as he thought. “Well, maybe all of you. That could actually work. They’ll all think I’m in some huge twenty person relationship thing and get pissed because it’ll be weird press. Howard hates weird press.”
“You say that as if you’ve never dated more than one person at the same time.” Bucky said, grinning smugly as Tony shrugged.
“They were all aware and consenting individuals, not a problem at all. Howard might think it’s a problem though so I just keep winning.” Tony said. Bucky shook his head, why this kid went to such great lengths to piss off his father was a mystery to him but he did say free dinner. “Anyone in? All you have to do is pretend to be my lover and be like a total ass.”
“I’m considering it.” Bucky said slowly. Natasha chuckled and shook her head while Steve just cave him a startled and confused look. “Be an ass how? Like get drunk during dinner and piss in the punch?”
Tony nodded, looking excited at the idea. “Yeah, do that. Definitely do that. And get into fights with my dad and whoever he brought with him, like politics fights and I know you love politics fights. Oh, and hit on other people while we’re trying to eat. If you could propose halfway through dessert that would be fantastic.”
“So, you’re trying to get me killed?” Bucky asked. Tony’s father was Howard Stark, one of the richest men in the world. If he wanted he could probably have Bucky killed in a dozen different ways without having to do a thing other than pick up the phone.
He was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Tony had somehow wormed his way into his small circle of friends, Steve was really the one to blame. After Bucky came back from deployment, gaining a whole new set of issues while simultaneously losing an arm, Steve had decided he wasn’t spending enough time socializing and started dragging him all around Boston with his college friends. Steve went to Boston University to work on his art degree, Tony, Bruce, Jane, and Betty went to MIT, while Thor, Natasha, and Peggy attended Harvard. Clint was the only one currently not enrolled in one of Boston’s very prestigious universities that Steve was friends with and so far he was probably Bucky’s favorite.
“Oh, babe, don’t worry. You won’t be killed.” Tony said, his voice taking on a mocking tone. “I’ll protect you from the big scary old rich people.” He squeezed his eyes closed and smiled widely, Bucky was half tempted to smack that stupid look off of his face.
He didn’t get the chance because Clint started leaning over the table and waving his hands around wildly. “Wait. How come I’m not invited to spend a few days in Malibu at your mansion pretending to be your horrible lover? I would be great a pretending to be a douchebag, I actually am a douchebag to you all the time.”
“Yes, but my family would expect me to be dating someone actually attractive.” Tony sneered. Clint let out an offended gasp as Natasha started laughing and elbowing him in the ribs. “Besides, Bucky-Buck already said he would do it. Which is perfect, Howard will think I’m dating some smoking hot army guy who and being pleased and then it all falls apart around him.”
“I didn’t say I would do it. I said I would consider.”
Tony sighed loudly and raised an eyebrow. He started kneading his lower lip between his teeth, a move that always seemed to capture his attention and interest, and finally, against his better judgement, Bucky agreed.
~~~
“You always come to my place for Thanksgiving. My ma loves you and you’re the only one who actually eats her sweet potatoes.” Steve said when they made it back to their apartment. Bucky glared at him, his mother’s sweet potatoes were delicious. “And I always thought you hated Tony, at least you do when you’re not thinking about making out with him.”
“I don’t- One time I get a bit drunk and tell you he’s attractive for an asshole and you keep using that against me.” Bucky said quickly. “And I love your family, but ever since I got back from overseas they all just… stare at me.”
“And the Stark’s aren’t gonna stare at you?” Steve asked.
Bucky shrugged. It was a hard thing to explain, the rationalizations that went on in his head, but Steve always seemed to encourage honesty. It was mostly the annoying faces he made when Bucky tried to dodge the truth. “I don’t know, Stevie. They’re strangers, it’s different. And I think whoever shows up will be more focused on Stark than me.” He said slowly. Steve’s posture relaxed slightly, but his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “They don’t know me, there are no expectations, and I can just be the asshole boyfriend Stark brought home to piss off his dad. I get to pretend to be someone else for a little while.”
Bucky didn’t notice he had started to gently stroke patterns into the scared skin on what was left of his arm until Steve glanced down at the action. Bucky hated it, it had been almost a year since that RPG blew off his left arm and burned a good portion of his chest and yet he still felt the overwhelming loss of having something important missing. Steve had been supportive, had taken care of him more than anyone else, made sure he went to physical therapy, to group, that he went out and talked to people, and took care of himself. Steve was a saint.
“You’re an asshole, Bucky, but not the kind of asshole who ruins a national holiday for an entire family because some pretty guy flashed his bright brown eyes at you.” Steve said. “Are you sure you want to do this? It’s a whole weekend, a long weekend too because it’s a holiday. That’s three days with Stark and his dad.”
Bucky simply shrugged and stalked off to his room. Steve may have a better moral compass than the pope, but Bucky was different, he just wanted to spend the holiday weekend with a bunch of rich strangers who didn’t know him or who he used to be. There would be no sad smiles or talk of the ‘good ole days where he smiled and laughed more’ before he was deployed. It would just be a dinner with strangers, rich strangers who probably had a shit ton of food.
It had absolutely nothing to do with his maybe crush on Tony. He hated Tony, he was rude, arrogant, and acted like he was the smartest person on the planet. The fact that he could spend about three days being a dick to him and also getting to kiss him was an added bonus to the free dinner.
~~~
The flight to California was more boring than Bucky had anticipated. The whole flight Tony was fast asleep, he had curled up in one of the large seats on his private jet, which was nothing like Bucky had ever seen before, with his headphones in and a tablet in hand. He was passed out within fifteen minutes. Based on the dark circles under his eyes and the droopy way he held himself, Tony needed all the sleep he could get.
It was roughly a six hour flight from Boston to LA and then another hour to drive to Malibu. Anxiety was practically bouncing through every muscle in Tony’s body as they drove closer to his parent’s house. His hands shook slightly, his back was tense, and he looked annoyed. Bucky had always assumed most people were excited to go home for holidays, Tony just looked pissed off.
“So, do you want me to insult his house and grandmother right away?” Bucky asked, attempting to break the tension.
Tony turned to him slowly, his eyes narrowed in either annoyance or confusion. “Don’t insult his grandmother. Be a gentleman.” Tony grumbled. Bucky frowned, that wasn’t part of the arrangement. “At least at first. I want everyone to be surprised at the dinner where you turn into a great big ass and flirt with my cousins and get into political debates with everyone and treat me like I’m garbage.” Bucky nodded, he could definitely do all of that.
Tony’s panic disappears and he becomes eerily calm as they pull up to a large gate that opens immediately for them. The house was larger than he imagined. Bucky should have expected such extravagance since it was common knowledge around the campuses Bucky’s friends frequented that Tony Stark was the only child of one of the richest men in the world. He glanced over to Tony, who was looking at the mansion with either disinterest or a very carefully hidden disgust. Bucky shook his head.
Several people met them on the front steps when they pulled up. All of them were perfectly dressed, an assortment of men in expensive suits and carefully combed hair. The man standing in the center of them all was just a tad shorter, with dark hair, and looked like how he imagined Tony would look in about twenty years.
Bucky followed Tony out of the car and up to the man who had to be Howard, the two of them held themselves in the same way, had the same challenging look in their eyes, and when Howard saw Tony he smiled in the same way Tony did when he saw someone walking a dog or when Peggy let him have her leftover dessert. Howard seemed to be happy to see his son, even though all he did was shake his hand before retreating back into the mansion.
All the other men went up to the car and started carrying the bags into the house while Tony grabbed Bucky’s hand and dragged him inside. The place was huge with shiny tiled floors, gold and silver decorations around the large foyer, and a huge, gorgeous chandelier hanging from the ceiling Bucky had thought he had died sometime during the trip and had passed the gates into heaven. The fact that Tony had chosen that moment to slide his arm around his neck, stand up on the tips of his toes, and press his lips harshly onto Bucky certainly help dispel that thought.
It was awkward, unexpected, and Bucky had to stop himself from pulling back. He was supposed to be pretending to be Tony’s lover and, although he did find Tony at least a bit attractive, this was one of the worst kisses he had ever had.
He leaned away slowly, trying hard not to make it look like he didn’t actually want to kiss his ‘boyfriend’. “That was terrible. What are you doing?” He whispered softly so none of the many people walking by could hear. Simply for the show he was supposed to be putting on, he slipped his arm around Tony’s waist and pulled him close against his body.
Tony flushed, his cheeks and the tips of his ears turning a light shade of pink. It was adorable. “I think I’m kissing you. That’s part of the deal Barnes, you get a free dinner and a free trip and all you have to do is pretend to be my piece of shit boyfriend.”
“But that’s not how you kiss. You don’t just mash your mouths together like that. I mean, teeth clink together, it’s uncomfortable.” Bucky said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Tony’s face just turned brighter, which was just more adorable because he had never seen this look on him. Tony was always confident and sure of himself and here he was blushing in his childhood home because they were talking about kissing. Then a thought popped into his head. “Wait. Tony, have you never been kissed before?”
“What? What kind of question is that?” Tony said quickly, shaking his head. “I’ll have you know, Barnes, that who I have and have not kissed is none of your damn business. I kiss so many people, like thousands of people. Don’t you read the papers? I’ve banged half the people on the east coast, of course I’ve kissed them. You have the nerve, the audacity to question whether or not I, Tony Stark, smoking hot son of a billionaire, has ever ki-“
Bucky had found himself smiling more and more at Tony’s awkward ramblings that he couldn’t help leaning down and gently brushing his lips over Tony’s rapidly moving ones. After a fraction of a second of just feeling them against his he decided to press in softly, molding Tony’s mouth against his. This was a far better kiss, it was gentle, relaxing, and Tony moved his hand from resting on the back of Bucky’s neck to curling into his hair. His eyes slid closed as he felt sparks fly across his face and down throughout his body. It was a very good kiss.
Tony pulled back and started biting his lower lip, as if to suppress the smile that spread across his face regardless. “This is going to be easier than I thought. Keep kissing me like that and everyone will believe we’re a couple.” Tony said calmly. Bucky didn’t have any idea why he felt disappointed, but he was. “Come on, I’ll show you our room. It’s technically my old room from before college. Don’t laugh if you find any kid stuff lying around, it’s not mine.”
~~~
They had made it to California the day before Thanksgiving, so the small dinner he was having with Tony and his father was quiet and uncomfortable. Also, he couldn’t start being a huge ass yet, Tony told him to save that for the actual holiday. So he was alone with Tony and his father, who happened to be one of the richest and most powerful men in the world. He should be intimidated, but mostly he was confused.
“How have your classes been going, Tony?” Howard asked.
Tony shrugged. “Same as they’ve always been.”
“And how is that?” Howard said with a soft sigh. Tony just shrugged. “Tell me about your friends.”
“Why?” Tony said harshly. Bucky could sense the argument that was coming, but he had no idea why Tony was trying to start one. He’s never been to a family dinner that just had an air of hostility. “Do you care now?”
“Of course I care. You’re my son.” Howard said. Tony scoffed and rolled his eyes. “Maybe I wouldn’t have to ask these questions if you picked up the phone everyone once in a while.”
Their voices had slowly risen from a casual, annoyed conversation to the point where they were almost shouting at one another. Bucky didn’t know what to do, he knew Tony disliked his dad enough to get someone to piss him off on the holidays, but so far he didn’t see Howard do anything wrong. All he did was ask about Tony’s life.
“Oh, you wanted me to pick up the phone? Maybe since every time I tried to call you the first fifteen years of my life you decided to ignore me completely. You want me to pick up the phone but you never decided to pay me the curtesy.” Tony said loudly. Bucky frowned. “Why should I answer your calls when for most of my life you didn’t want to talk to me?”
It wasn’t Thanksgiving yet. Bucky wasn’t prepared for yelling and fighting just yet. “Have you guys had the potatoes? The potatoes are delicious.” Bucky said as calmly as he could between the loud voices.
Tony’s eyes turned to him in surprise. “Of course they’re delicious. Jarvis made them.” He said, still angry but his voice losing momentum. He stared at Bucky for a moment longer before turning to leave quickly.
Howard sighed loudly and leaned back in his seat. He rubbed his hand over his face and seemed to have forgotten that Bucky was even there. The dining room had fallen into an eerie silence, far too quiet after the sudden argument that had just taken place. Bucky wasn’t quite sure what he should do, go after Tony or finish eating his dinner. An asshole would stay and eat, and he wasn’t lying when he said the potatoes were delicious. He was supposed to be an asshole.
“You’re James.” Howard said as he looked over to Bucky. “You’re seeing Tony.”
There was a hint of authority in his voice, a hardness that made Bucky uncomfortable. All his military training came running back and he nodded. “Yes, sir.” He said quickly. He mentally kicked himself. Assholes don’t call the father of their ‘boyfriend’ something as polite as ‘sir’.
“He talks about you a lot.” Howard said calmly. He stood up and offered Bucky his hand, he took it and gave the man a firm handshake. “Thank you for your service.”
“Yeah.” Bucky said softly. He wasn’t sure what was happening, he was too surprised to have this man, who had just been yelling at Tony, speak with him so calm and relaxed. He was also surprised to hear that Tony supposedly talked about him often. “What does he say?”
“His exact words were a bit vulgar, and he never actually said them to me. He calls Jarvis, one of our butlers, a lot to talk. I hear it all from him.” Howard said. At that the calm and steady tone in his voice waivered so slightly that Bucky almost didn’t pick it up. “But it was basically that you had a nice ass, cute hair, and that you probably hated him. I didn’t even know you guys were together until you two ended up making out the moment you stepped foot in my house.”
“Oh.” Bucky said slowly. It was true, he did kind of hate Tony. But just a little bit but it was mostly because he thought the guy was an arrogant, rich, piece of shit. The Tony who came home for the holidays just seemed out of place in his own home, made small talk with the staff, and blushed at being kissed. “We got together fairly recently.”
“You like him?” Howard asked.
Bucky paused, worrying his bottom lip between his teeth before nodding. “Yeah, I like him.” The honest of the statement surprised him.
“You’re good to him?” Howard asked slowly, his eyes narrowing as they drilled into Bucky.
This was a difficult question. Bucky was supposed to be an asshole, but the man they were putting on the show for seemed so sad and so lost that Bucky didn’t know what to say. “I try to be.”
Howard seemed satisfied with the answer. He leaned forward and the seriousness and hardness came back over his features, Bucky felt his back straighten just at the sight. “I’m going to be completely honest with you, James. I care about my son. He doesn’t think so, but I do.” Howard said slowly, his words carefully chosen and each one had the weight of the world attached to it. “I haven’t been the best father. When Tony was growing up he, like all children, need love and constant attention. I couldn’t give him that, his mother couldn’t either. We were both busy people. I put all my focus on the company, my life’s worth, and Tony got brushed to the side. He grew up to resent me and I understand that.”
Bucky was surprised at what the man was saying, unsure of how to respond. It explained a lot. At least it explained why Tony hated his dad enough to try to ruin his holidays, even if it was cruel on his part. Bucky supposed he was being a bit cruel as well.
Howard continued speaking, ripping Bucky away from his thoughts. “Tony didn’t have a lot of people he could rely on. I thought there were at least few people who knew him growing up and could be trustworthy, but that number turned out to be smaller than I anticipated.” Howard said firmly, his face darkened and his eyes turned deadly. “My business partner, Tony’s own godfather, sabotaged the brakes on one of my cars. Tony, my wife, and I were driving back from a dinner out for his eighteenth birthday when we had the accident. I broke my arm and had a mild concussion, Tony fractured a few ribs and had a Traumatic Aortic Disruption, but Maria didn’t make it.”
“I’m sorry.” Bucky said quickly. His mother taught him manners, and whatever Tony wanted him to do was now forgotten.
Howard waved his condolences away. “It was years ago. But ever sense I’ve been trying to… reconnect with him. I want him to know I love him, but he’s bitter and resentful of all the years I made him second to my work. I don’t fault him for that, but I’m still going to try.”
“Why are you telling me this?” Bucky asked slowly.
“So you know.” Howard said, pointing at Bucky. “That Tony doesn’t have a lot of people. He has a few friends at school he trusts, he has a few of the staff members who have been around for years and adore him, and now he has you. If you hurt him you will not see the light of day again.”
Bucky froze at the clear threat. His mind was blank for several long minutes, not a thought popped up that could possibly help him in the situation. “Understood, sir.”
Howard nodded and Bucky stood up to leave, his plate half finished. He made his way up the stairs and down the many halls to Tony’s room. It was still early, but when he opened the door Tony was sprawled out on the couch in his room with a half empty bottle of bourbon sitting on the floor next to him. He sighed and shook his head.
This night he would take the bed, Tony could have it tomorrow. He grabbed the thin blanket hanging over the back of the couch and draped it over Tony. He stood there for a while, just watching Tony’s calm face, sleep whipping away all the stress and anger from the day. Tony looked more at peace in that moment than Bucky had ever seen him. His dark curls draped over his forehead and brushed at his eyes, when Tony was awake he would frequently attempt to comb it back unsuccessfully when it started doing that. He was beautiful.
Bucky climbed into the soft bed and laid out on his back. This was a problem. He couldn’t possibly be an asshole now and ruin Howard’s Thanksgiving, not after the man both confided in him and threatened him. But if he didn’t, Tony would hate him. He would probably never speak to him again. The thought of never seeing Tony again didn’t sound as pleasing as it would have a few months ago. He didn’t hate Tony, not seeing the arrogant, rude man he thought he knew turn into someone vulnerable and defensive just by walking into his own childhood home.
Bucky sighed and started rubbing his hand over the jagged scar that ran across what was left of his arm, a nervous habit he had picked up since his injury. He had no idea what he was supposed to do.
~~~
“Maybe this is a bad idea.” Bucky said the next day. It was just an hour before guests would start to arrive, important people Bucky didn’t even know the names of who, instead of spending a nice quiet holiday with their families, decided to come and eat dinner with the Starks. It didn’t sit right with him and, although Bucky couldn’t care less about Thanksgiving and whatever it stood for, it felt so cold and callous. They took something that was supposed to be a time with the people they cared about into some other political or corporate event to gain something.
“What? You’re not chickening out on me now, are you?” Tony said. He turned away from the mirror where he was attempting to put on his tie, because apparently it was a fancy dinner where everyone wore their nicest clothes for some reason. A brief look of panic crossed his eyes, but it was quickly covered by a hard look that lacked emotion. “If you don’t want to do it anymore, it’s fine. You can just go to the airport and head home.”
“No, I don’t want to leave.” Bucky said quickly, shaking his head. That would work, if Howard saw him just ditch Tony on Thanksgiving day he would think Bucky really was an asshole. Mission accomplished even if the day wasn’t as entertaining as Tony was hoping for. But he didn’t want to leave, not when Tony’s hands were shaking just enough to give him trouble with his tie. “I want to stay.”
“You don’t have to. No one is making you.” Tony said. He sighed loudly and let his hands drop to his sides. Bucky stood up from his seat on the couch and walked over to him. “I’ll just bring Clint next time.”
Bucky shook his head again and stood in front of Tony, reaching up to his neck to help him. Tony stood still, perfectly pliant and trusting as Bucky wound the fabric around his collar. It was difficult to tie it with only one hand, but he was steadier and more focused than Tony had been. “No, you hate Clint.”
“I don’t hate him. I find him annoying in an endearing way.” Tony muttered. “Besides, you hate me and yet you came anyway.”
“I don’t hate you.” Bucky said. “I just think you’re a piece of shit sometimes.”
“Oh, and that’s so much better.” Tony said, a smug smile spreading across his face.
Bucky returned his smile. “Yeah. It really is.” He said slowly. He finished with Tony’s tie and let his hand fall as he examined his work. They were standing so close, their faces inches apart, and he could feel Tony’s warm, steady breaths hitting his face.
“Well, how do I look?” Tony asked.
Bucky looked him over carefully, Tony’s hair wasn’t combed, he wore his dirty sneakers with his suit, and he looked so beautiful that Bucky couldn’t help himself. He let his head dip down and catch the shorter man’s lips with his own. Tony was still a lousy kisser, his technique lacked finesse, but it was certainly better than their first. Instead of trying to mash their mouths together, Tony just kept his touch gentle and let Bucky take control and allowing their lips to mold together.
Tony pulled back with a hum. His eyes were unfocused as he glanced around his room slowly, reaching up to run his fingers through his unruly hair. Bucky smiled as he placed his hand on Tony’s hip. “Why are you so terrible at kissing?”
“I’m not terrible.” Tony muttered. “I just don’t get kissed a lot. Most people who want to get with me aren’t interested in kissing.”
Bucky paused. There was rawness in Tony’s tone, some hesitant mistrust and vulnerability. “Then what do they want?”
“Money usually. Or fame.” Tony said, his whole body suddenly going calm. “Most people I end up getting with end up in the papers at least once, most of it’s just speculation on who my latest conquest is. Relationships don’t last long for me.”
That sounded… incredibly sad. Howard must have been speaking the truth when he said Tony didn’t have a lot of people he could trust, especially after his godfather apparently tried to kill him. “I don’t see why they don’t want to kiss you.” Bucky said slowly, bringing his hand up to run his thumb over Tony’s pink lips. “You got a pretty mouth.”
Tony laughed, all smugness and confidence flooding back into him. “And what was that? Practice or you just wanted to kiss my pretty mouth?”
“Why not both?” Bucky said. Tony shrugged and looked away. “Can I ask you something?”
For a split second Tony looked confused and afraid, Bucky thought he would say ‘no’ but instead all the emotion left Tony’s face again, a strange and creepy mask of someone else, and he nodded. Bucky paused and looked for the right words, if he said it wrong he could mess this whole thing up and he wasn’t even sure how he wanted this all to turn out just yet.
“Why do you want to piss off your dad?” Bucky asked slowly.
Tony turned away then, deciding to stare at his reflection in the mirror instead of loo at Bucky while he spoke. “I don’t know. Me and my old man have never exactly gotten along. Most of our longest conversations have actually been when he was yelling at me for something.”
“Is that what you want?” Bucky asked slowly. He was half tempted to just wrap his arm around Tony and protect him from the world because his voice sounded so soft and so small. “You want your dad to have a conversation with you? I’m pretty sure if you guys just sat down and talked then you could have a normal discussion without all the yelling.”
Tony scoffed. “No. Yelling is what we do, it’s what we’ve always done. Before the accident Howard and I just fought whenever we were in the same room, which was really only a few times a month. It was fine, we didn’t pretend to like each other. It worked.” Tony said casually. Bucky could feel his stomach tighten at the thought of little Tony somewhere in this large, lonely house thinking his dad didn’t like him and would only ever talk to him just to yell at him. “Ever since the accident he’s been different though. It’s like he’s trying to act like a dad now that Mom’s gone. I liked it better when he was honest about hating me.”
“He doesn’t hate you.” Bucky said quickly. Tony just waved a hand dismissively.
Bucky had nothing else to add, but the whole thing was starting to make sense in his head. He didn’t have the whole picture but it was clearly that Howard wasn’t the best parent when Tony was growing up, Tony got it in his head that Howard didn’t care and had lived his whole life thinking that, and now that Howard was trying, a half assed attempt but still trying, Tony was just confused and trying to piss him off enough to go back to the familiar arguments he was used to.
“Come on, the guests are starting to arrive.” Tony said as he glanced at the clock. “Remember, you’re still allowed to piss in the punchbowl.”
~~~
The Thanksgiving party was larger than he expected. There was a large ballroom in a wing of the mansion Bucky hadn’t even seen yet. Several dozen people have somehow got themselves inside and stood relatively close together. There was plenty of room to walk and breath, but Bucky had never been around so many people and in such a small space since before he was shipped out overseas.
He almost wished he was back in Brooklyn with Steve and his folks, where they knew him and everyone knew exactly what to expect from the night. But with Tony latched on to his hand and weaving through the crowd effortlessly it made the evening so much more bearable.
“Has holidays here always been like this?” Bucky asked as he looked around the large group that had gathered for Thanksgiving.
“Hm? Yeah.” Tony said distractedly. “Most holidays involve Howard’s colleagues to show up. It’s a lot nicer now that I’m older and they stop pinching my cheeks and tell me how lucky I am to have such hardworking parents.”
Tony’s life was a public spectacle it seemed. Not only was he in the papers every five minutes but it seemed that he couldn’t even spend the holidays alone with his family. No wonder he thought his parents didn’t care, he never got a chance to actually be alone and discuss anything with them.
Tony dragged him all the way up to where Howard was talking to some elderly couple. His face brightened and he smiled when he saw the two of them approach. This was it, time for him to make his choice. Bucky was still at a loss of what he should do when he and Tony stopped right in front of his father.
“Ah, you remember my son, Tony.” Howard said, the small group around him nodded eagerly. “This is his beau, James. He was in the military.”
“Thank you for your service.” One of the older men said. Bucky nodded and shook his hand. He noticed how everyone in the group glanced at the pinned up portion of his suit where his left arm should be with sympathy and then looking at Tony with confusion.
“Yep, the love of my life.” Tony said, excited. He looked over with a large grin. He waited, obviously expecting Bucky to make his move. “So glad to have my lover hear for Thanksgiving.”
Tony’s smile hardened as Bucky refused to say anything. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t act like an asshole just because Tony was trying to piss off his father, not after everything that had happened in the short time he had been there. Tony squeezed lightly on his hip, not enough to hurt or feel threatening, but just as if he was trying to catch Bucky’s attention.
“It’s actually a bit humid in here. Excuse me.” Bucky said quickly as he turned to leave.
He found the nearest exit and found himself in a large back yard, complete with gardens and pathways that looked straight out of a movie. The night air was cool and he felt more relieved to be away from the party than he probably should have. He was never going to one of these things again.
“What the fuck was that?” Tony said loudly as he followed him outside. “You’re supposed to be a jerk to me and make the evening unpleasant for everyone. I get that suddenly excusing yourself is considered rude it’s not exactly what I was looking for.”
“I can’t do it, Tony. I just can’t.” Bucky said quickly, rubbing his palm over his face. “Howard’s not all bad.”
“Really?!” Tony shouted. “Did you know he didn’t even go to my high school graduation? Or that he missed almost all of my birthdays? Or that right before the car accident where that bastard Howard was working with killed my mom, Howard was saying that if we couldn’t have at least one decent conversation, meaning he just wants me to do whatever he says, then there was no point in me coming home?”
Bucky could feel what was left of his heart shattering into pieces so small they would never be able to be glued back together. “Tony, I’m sorry. That all sucks. I get that your dad was a huge dick, I would be pissed at him too if my pops was at all like that, but I can’t just ruin his holiday.” Bucky said, he tried to sound as nonthreatening and convincing as possible but the way Tony’s shoulders hunched and a disappointed, betrayed look spread across his face clearly before he had time to hide it told him he was unsuccessful. “I care about you. Sure, you’re an arrogant prick, but a cute arrogant prick with a big heart. You’re not all that bad.”
“Wow.” Tony muttered softly. “Thanks.”
“I just think you’re desperate for any kind of attention you can get. It makes sense. I would be too if I had grown up like you had.” Bucky said. Tony was slowly relaxing, but he still looked angry.
"Don't psychoanalyze me, Barnes."
“I had a nice middle-class family in New York and a piece of shit best friend who introduced you to me. After I got back from the war I’m not particularly interested in boat loads of attention.”
“You can go home now. The whole thing is pointless now.” Tony said, his voice dead and he seemed exhausted. “I’ll just invite Barton next time. At least he can be an asshole boyfriend for a free dinner.”
“Do you want to stop this?” Bucky asked. His heart started to pick up. He knew the whole thing was just pretend, they weren’t really a couple, but last night he had fallen asleep to Tony’s soft snores and woke up to the sound of him belting in the shower, he had seen a completely different side of him and he actually liked what he saw. But he did mess up their arrangement and didn’t fulfil his side of the bargain.
Tony just shrugged. Bucky took that as his sign to continue. “You hate Clint.”
“I don’t hate him.” Tony said, sighing loudly.
“That’s good.” Bucky said. He took a step closer, holding in a smile when Tony didn’t back away from him. “Sorry I messed up your plans. Your dad’s a dick, I get that, but just give him one more chance. Just sit down and talk to him, actually talk with no yelling, and maybe you could understand one another better. He really does care.”
“Wow, what did he say to you to so quickly get you onto his side?” Tony said, letting Bucky wrap an arm around him and pull him to his chest.
Bucky hummed. “Nothing really, probably just some businessman technique.” He said softly. “I’m sure if I stayed any longer he would have convinced me to buy stock.”
“He’s a tricky one.” Tony whispered as he leaned further into Bucky.
Bucky gladly took most of Tony’s weight. “So… are we okay?” He asked, afraid of the answer.
Tony hesitated and Bucky could feel him tense against him. “Yeah. We’re okay.”
“Can we continue to fake date?” Bucky asked, hoping his underlying meaning was clear. He didn’t want to fake date Tony, but he’ll call it that for as long as possible. He smiled when Tony chuckled.
“Yeah, we can continue to fake date for a while. I mean, we should definitely give this a few more months.” Tony said. He pulled back slightly to slide his arms around Bucky’s neck and smile up at him. “On the condition I get to tell my dad that the first time we got together it was while we were drunk and first met at some college party.”
“Fine with me.” Bucky said, feeling hopeful about something for the first time in a long time. “As long as you talk to your dad.”
“I’ll give it a shot. No promises though. And I’m still mad at you.” Tony said, smiling brightly as he pressed himself against Bucky.
“That’s okay. You can make me sleep on the couch tonight and we’ll call it even.” Bucky said jokingly. Tony nodded.
“I’ll take you up on that.” He said. His eyes grew unfocused as he lost himself in thought for a brief moment. “So, do you think maybe, since we’re continuing our completely fake absolutely not real relationship for a while, that we should practice kissing again?”
Tony sounded so happy and so careless in that moment that Bucky didn’t even bother to stop himself from dipping his head down and having one of the best kisses of his life.