Archive of Our Own

(I don't own any characters etc etc)

“You’re overthinking this,” Steve sighed as he turned the pages in a magazine, one of the many gossip rags Tony subscribed to. Why, Steve would never know, but they were fun, albeit mindless reads.

“Am not,” Bucky argued, as he frowned at his closet.

“Are too.”

Bucky sighed and threw his hands up in frustration. “Well what am I supposed to do? This is kind of a big deal!”

“Just wear a ‘you’ outfit,” Steve posed from where he was laying on Bucky’s bed.

“Which is?”

Steve looked up and rolled his eyes dramatically. “Jeans, t-shirt, black leather jacket. Your nice one, since this is a special occasion.”

The other man pursed his lips. “And if it’s too casual?”

“Where are you going?”

“Out for dinner.”

Steve paused as he considered this. “Well, it’s also a Thursday, so it’s like a semi-casual, semi-nice night, and that’s a good outfit for it. And do your hair,” he added.

“What’s wrong with my hair?” Bucky pouted as he glanced in the mirror. “I just got a haircut not long ago…should I shave? Should I not?”

“The scruff is your go-to look, it’s fine, I was just messing with you,” Steve laughed. “I’m going to go. I want you to put on some music, take a few deep breaths, have fun.”

“You’re okay with this?” Bucky asked, biting his bottom lip.

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

Bucky shrugged, running a hand through his hair, missing the days when it was longer and he could play with it more, especially when he was nervous. Like now.

“It’s…we…I…” he began. “We, I, haven’t done this in a while.” He moved to sit on the bed and Steve sat up next to him.

“Sure, it’s been a while, but we’ve been busy,” Steve gently reminded him. “Hydra, the ice, decades apart, then fighting each other. Now you’re you, and we’re us, and this is something we do as well.”

Bucky took a deep breath. “Steve, you’re sure you’re okay with me going out with Sam?”

“If I wasn’t I’d have told you,” Steve assured him. “Sam’s a great guy. And Buck, we’ve had an open relationship like this before.”

“Decades ago,” Bucky recalled.

“Love is love, interest is interest,” Steve posed. “Now we just know more like-minded people.” He paused and gently gripped Bucky’s chin to look him in the eyes. “Hey. This is just a date, right? Sam knows about us, and he’s still interested in you, and you’re interested in him. It’s one date, just focus on that and having fun.”

Bucky nodded but pursed his lips and Steve laughed, gently kissing him on the lips before standing.

“I’m going to give you space, have fun. Don’t text me til tomorrow.”

“What? Why not?”

Steve shrugged as he walked out. “I want you to focus only on him. Have fun, be safe, don’t do anything stupid.”

“Have you met him? Stupid is his middle name,” Bucky grumbled, making Steve laugh again.

“Yet you asked him out,” Steve said in a sing song voice as he left.

Bucky stood and looked at his closet, sighing again.

“It’s one date, I can do this,” he said to himself as a pep talk. “I’m Bucky Barnes, I melt hearts with a look here, a wink there. Bite my lip, add some grandstand,” he said, nodding. “I can do this.”

___

Twenty minutes later and Bucky was finally leaving his apartment, rushing to not be late. He went with the Steve-approved outfit and had to give his boyfriend credit, the outfit felt very true to him. He felt good, looked good, and it gave him the confidence he needed for the delightful sight that greeted him when the tower elevator doors opened to the garage.

“Right on time, for once,” Sam teased from the driver's seat of a sleek, black car.

“Hey, it takes time to look this good,” Bucky replied with a smirk, feeling his nerves settle at their familiar banter. He hopped in the passenger seat and buckled up, glancing at Sam, who was wearing a tight fitting black short-sleeved dress shirt, his biceps bulging out from it as he drove. What was it with him and men with large arms, Bucky mused briefly, shaking that thought away.

“So, where to?” Sam asked, glancing over.

“Uh, this little Italian place in Brooklyn, if you like Italian?” Bucky asked, kicking himself for not having asked before. He was too rusty with dating, too comfortable with Steve…

Sam gave him a wide smile. “Man, you know I love Italian! As if you even have to ask,” he laughed, and Bucky joined him, relaxing more.

They talked about work for a bit when they drove, but paused when they parked.

“Okay, no more work talk,” Bucky suggested as they got out of the car. “Deal?”

“Sounds good.”

Off they went, with the hostess not batting an eye at the two soldiers entering the small mom and pop restaurant. It was dimly lit and medium sized, not too busy for a Thursday night but perfect for them. As requested, they were brought to a booth in the corner and sat across from each other on luxurious velvet seats. Bucky had always thought this would be a nice place for a date, as the seats were near each other no matter if it was a table and chairs or a booth like this one. He had passed it a few times since it opened from renovations, a pipe had burst or something similar, and jumped at the chance to finally come.

“If you want to have wine I can drive us back,” he said to Sam, since they both knew wine did nothing for a super soldier.

“You sure?” Sam asked, and Bucky nodded. “You’re not trying to get me drunk are you?” he teased, and Bucky rolled his eyes.

“I’ve seen you drunk plenty of times,” he recalled. “Like Tony’s last big party, when you lost your socks and they turned up on Thor’s feet, though he didn’t remember putting them on? Or that time when you sat eating cheese for two hours straight after too much vodka? Or…”

Sam groaned and held up a hand. “I get it, I get it, I shouldn’t be allowed to drink that much. I must be getting old, I used to hold my booze so well,” he sighed.

“You don’t look old.”

“Says the what, eighty year old guy? Ninety?”

“You’re the one out with an older guy,” Bucky laughed.

“Does that make me the sugar baby?” Sam laughed back.

Bucky’s tongue darted out to wet the corner of his mouth at that thought. “Maybe,” he said with a smirk, feeling any remaining worry go out the window.

Sam winked at him. “We’ll see what happens,” he said, and both men paused as the server came over to tell them the specials as they placed water and a bread basket on the table. They placed their orders and sat back after, beginning to talk about more date-appropriate conversation. Sure, they had been working together for who knew how long, but it wasn’t like the team really sat around talking about childhoods, interests, favorite actors or books and those sorts of things.

Some information came up naturally, some was in their records, and some was fodder for gossip, but it was nice to just learn about each other, they found.

Bread turned into a shared appetizer, then splitting their entrees, with both having gotten pasta dishes. They looked at the dessert menu and picked two items to share, as they laughed about their hearty appetites, and Sam laughed at a Howling Commandos story Bucky shared with him, from a time when he, Dum Dum, and Falsworth had been sent out on their own mission and had to spend a night in a tree thanks to a family of wolves.

Sam wiped away a tear at his laughter, and shared his own story of his time in the service, including when they teased one of their own with a fake snake while stationed in the middle east.

“Man, he didn’t sleep for like three days,” Sam laughed. “I felt bad at first, but it was worth it!”

Bucky shook his head, smiling. “I need to keep an eye on you, how did I not know you were a prankster?”

“I haven’t been caught yet,” Sam grinned, pausing as the server brought their check.

Bucky instantly grabbed it, ignoring Sam’s protests, and left cash for a gracious tip.

They headed back to their car, and Bucky got in the driver's seat as discussed.

Not wanting the night to end just yet, they drove around the quieter streets of Brooklyn for a bit before heading home, as they were wary of going just anywhere at this time.

As they pulled into a parking spot at the tower garage, they looked at each other.

“This was nice,” Sam said with a smile. “I had a good night. And with a guy who tried to kill me when we first met, who would have guessed?”

Bucky playfully groaned and ran a hand over his face. “I’m never living that down.”

“Nah, you’re not, but I like you anyway,” Sam said.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

Bucky paused. “I had a good night, thanks again.”

Sam nodded and they sat in silence for a moment. “We, uh, should probably get going, since we’re not making this known here, and you know how Tony loves watching the cameras,” Sam sighed.

Bucky rolled his eyes and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right,” he said. “But…”

Sam looked at him and Bucky leaned over and kissed him quickly on the lips before pulling away slightly.

“If you’re going to kiss a man, do it right,” Sam playfully grumbled, reaching over and pulling Bucky back by his jacket lapels.

A few minutes later they parted again, smiling at each other as they got out, Bucky throwing Sam the car keys.

They stood in the elevator in comfortable silence until it pinged for Sam’s floor, as he was one below the other man’s.

“Good night,” Sam said, waving.

“Night,” Bucky replied, nodding and smiling.

And as they went to sleep that night, both men fell asleep with a smile on their faces.

____

“It was good,” Bucky said to Steve as they met for lunch the next day. This was vastly different from the night before as they were in a much more public place, given that they were both so well known to the world. The world knew, had known, about Captain America and his best friend/super soldier/Winter Soldier for years even when both weren’t really around. Knew about them, and their relationship.

That one had taken some getting used to, but the world was more accepting now, and in the end, neither had cared about public responses. It was a far cry from their younger days, as other than with the Howling Commandos they had to hide their relationship. Now they didn’t exactly flaunt it, but they could go out in public, hold hands, eat off each other’s fork, that sort of thing. Nothing they didn’t want the world to see, however; they only kissed publicly a few times, including that one time on the kiss cam at Yankee Stadium. The media had loved it, and the short clip became a gif online, posted just about everywhere for a week. Tony had loved it all so much that he covered entire walls in the tower with pictures from magazines showing it. It was a nice picture, though, and Steve and Bucky had gotten copies framed for their own apartments.

“Yeah? Good!” Steve replied, smiling widely. “I’m glad.”

“Do you…do you want to know about it?” Bucky asked nervously.

Steve smiled at him. “I’m happy to hear anything you want to share. No jealousy, I promise.”

“Well…” Bucky began, considering it. Steve was more than his boyfriend, he was his best friend, and Bucky was brimming with excitement! “It was fun!” He relayed some of the topics they had talked about, and how easy it had been to be out with him.

“I don’t know, maybe it’s because we’re from similar backgrounds, the whole military thing and needing to find ourselves again,” Bucky wondered aloud. “I knew we got along well enough on the team, but this was different. More…” He paused, looking for the right word.

“Personal?” Steve offered, and Bucky nodded. “I know, I got the same feeling from him when we met. On that first run, but also at the VA. He’s very genuine, down to earth, and a soldier through and through. Knows our pain, our good times too. It helps to be yourself around him,” he said softly.

“Should I be worried you’re interested too?” Bucky teased, but Steve shook his head.

“He’s not quite my type romantically, but he’s a good friend. I’m glad you two clicked outside of work. Any future plans?”

Bucky shook his head. “No, we haven’t talked yet. Wait, how does dating work today? Do I call him? Text? Wait for him? Isn’t there some three day wait period?”

Steve frowned. “I don’t know, but I think we’re too old fashioned for that. If you want to talk to him, talk, don’t wait for him.”

But just then, Bucky’s phone pinged and he smiled as he saw who had reached out.

“I guess he took that off my hands,” Bucky mused as he put his phone back into his pocket.

“If you want to check it, feel free,” Steve told him. “I don’t want either of you left hanging.”

Bucky thanked him and read the text, replying a moment later.

“He said that he had a good time again, and wants to do it again,” Bucky shared, glancing at Steve. “That okay?”

Steve laughed. “Buck, I’m not going to keep saying it’s fine, because it is. You gotta trust me on that, right?”

“I know, I know,” Bucky agreed. “But it’s been a while, like we said yesterday. I just want to figure it all out with all three of us, you know?”

Steve nodded. “Sure, but maybe let’s not have that type of conversation out here,” he laughed. “When we get back, okay?”

Bucky agreed, though they didn’t really have time for a few days as they were sent on separate small missions. Sam was with Clint and Rhodes, Steve with Nat, Bucky with Tony and Wanda.

“Okay,” Bucky said, as he and Steve lounged in Steve’s apartment. “I want to make plans with Sam for our next date, but I want you and I to get things figured out, more than they were. I know we talked about it a bit, and this isn’t our first time doing this, but it’s been a while.”

“Were you always so serious about relationships?” Steve teased. “I thought you always just played it cool.”

“I guess it comes with old age,” Bucky grinned, before turning more serious as he shuffled around to sit up on the sofa they were on. “Boundaries, that’s the biggest thing. What do we say?”

“Well, obviously Sam and I aren’t interested in each other like that,” Steve commented. “And I’m totally fine with you and him being…intimate…with each other,” he added, blushing slightly.

“Are you?” Bucky asked.

“Yeah,” Steve said, quickly nodding. “I still just can’t call it what it is,” he admitted.

“Sex, Stevie,” Bucky provided, poking him in the arm with his metal hand. “The bedroom tango. The –”

“I get it, I get it!” Steve sighed, throwing a pillow at him. “I mean, you and I are good for health concerns, we can’t get anything, and we know he gets regular physicals…” He paused, blushing again. “I’m not talking about this part of your relationship anymore, but just know it’s okay!” he said, holding hands up to his face.

“Okay, we can get to know each other in the Biblical sense,” Bucky said, laughing as Steve blushed more, “but I won’t talk about it with you. That’s fair, I’m not sure I’d want to anyway. Though if I learn something new…”

Steve swallowed nervously. “We’ll see what happens,” he said. “I mean, I’m always okay with learning new things…and when it was me and Peggy, well…” he added, before trailing off, blushing more.

“Okay, Romeo, I get it. Moving on,” Bucky laughed. “Time for everyone, I want to make sure I’m spending equal time with you and him, if he and I actually date.”

“I appreciate that,” Steve said, smiling. “But it doesn’t have to be fifty-fifty, you know? I get that sometimes our schedules are hectic. And I’m sure you and he will have different interests than you and I, so we’ll make it work. And the three of us already hang out as us or in the bigger group, so if Sam’s okay with that I am too, and then it’s still time together.”

“Sure, but I want time with just you, and time with just him,” Bucky posed. “If you ever feel like it’s one-sided I want you to let me know, okay?”

“Sure,” Steve agreed. “And if he needs someone to vent about how frustrating you can be, I’m all ears.”

“Great, you’re already ganging up on me!” Bucky groaned. “I can be a perfect gentleman, you know that.”

“Yeah? Like when?” Steve teased, laughing. “But what about you, what if Sam wants to have another relationship too?”

“I hadn’t thought about that,” Bucky admitted. “That would be interesting, I couldn’t say no to him wanting that, and I wouldn’t want to say no. If I date you and I date him, and he dates me and someone else…we could all rent a big lake house one day!” he laughed.

“Or just ‘borrow’ one of Tony’s,” the other man remarked. “Are you guys going to tell the team?”

“I don’t know, we only had the one date,” Bucky said, scratching his chin. “I doubt it, not until we know if we’re actually doing this. I just didn’t want to get too ahead of ourselves and not iron out everything with you.”

“I appreciate that,” Steve said, smiling as he leaned over to kiss him.

“Enough to start talking about finally getting a cat?” Bucky asked, hopeful.

“One thing at a time,” his boyfriend laughed. “Let’s see how Sam feels about cats too…”

____

Sam planned their next date, and they drove a bit outside of the city for outdoors rock climbing followed by barbequing at a nearby campground, staying to watch the sunset.

They talked more about themselves, interests, and backgrounds, before the conversation naturally turned to romance as well.

“So Steve is totally okay with this? He’s definitely not going to murder me?” Sam asked slightly nervously.

Bucky laughed. “Nah, we’ve talked about it, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Unless you really break my heart…”

“Great, no pressure,” Sam sighed.

“Relax, I’m just messing with you,” the other man laughed. “You and he are good friends, you know if he wasn’t okay with it he’d tell you. Just like he’s told me,” Bucky admitted.

“Have you guys done this before?”

“It’s been a while.”

“It’s been a while for a lot for you,” Sam commented, teasingly.

“Sure, but it’s true,” Bucky said. “Back in our time, we explored. It was a different world back then, and we had to keep just being together under wraps. But we were always friends, so being everywhere together was never uncommon.” He paused. “I guess being friends led to more, and in a way nothing changed outwardly. We couldn’t really hold hands in public or anything, so it was what it was.”

Sam nodded. “Sorry to hear that.”

“Thanks. There was a whole underground scene for it, like with anything,” Bucky told him. “And we naturally kind of liked someone. It was a lot at first, to even be anywhere with other people holding hands and feeling accepted. But then to meet someone we both liked too, and to be told it was okay?” He shook his head and smiled. “It was a whole new world! We didn’t ever go looking for it, but if it happened, it happened.”

“So it’s always been three of you?” Sam asked, surprised.

“Just once, for a short fling,” Bucky shared. “We both spent some time with other people when I shipped out for the war. I think it really helped Steve with his transition from the scrawny nobody to big bad Captain America. He had someone in the SRSS that he dated who knew him before and after the serum, and I trusted them. So having just one of us seeing someone else isn’t new. And with living through a war, you learn to not live life with regrets.”

“I see,” Sam commented, nodding.

“What about you?”

“Uh, I’m pretty much a one person guy,” Sam said bashfully. “I don’t judge others for it, but I like to only date one at a time. Not that it’s ever come up otherwise, but I don’t see me going for it.”

“How do you feel about being with me, knowing I’m also with Steve?” Bucky carefully asked, watching the other man.

Sam smiled and shrugged. “It’s not like I haven’t known about you two since I was a kid, and especially once I joined the military,” he teased. “But I like to think I’m cool with both of you, and especially Steve since we met first. So if you’re both okay with it, so am I.”

“Good,” Bucky said, kissing his cheek. “Because I want to keep seeing you.”

“Me too, though it’s going to take some time to get used to you being so sappy,” Sam laughed, kissing him back.

“Hey, I can still kick your ass in training and on a mission!”

“Yeah? I’ll race you the mile back to the car and we’ll see who beats who.”

“Great,” Bucky agreed, but shouted in surprise as Sam took off.

“Don’t forget the picnic blanket and cooler!” Sam called over his shoulder, as Bucky quickly grabbed their items and raced after him, a wide smile on his face.

____

“Hey, Steve,” Sam greeted him in the gym one morning a few days later.

“Hey, Sam, how are you?”

“Good, good. You want to go for a run?”

“You think you can keep up with me?” Steve cockily grinned.

“I can try, it’s good training for me and helps me stay humble,” Sam laughed, and they stretched before taking off.

On days like this, Steve kept his pace slower, figuring it was more fun to run with someone than to keep his pace. Plus, he could just always knock out a few extra miles later that day.

They headed towards Central Park to run the perimeter and ran in comfortable silence, talking about work here and there. It was a six mile course, a popular one for runners, and after mile four, Sam suggested they pause and take a break.

They moved to sit on a nearby bench in the park, looking at the birds and occasional people here and there, as the two men had started out earlier than most New Yorkers.

“I, uh, I wanted to get away from prying eyes and ears at the tower,” Sam began, and Steve looked at him with raised eyebrows. “I wanted to talk to you about Bucky.”

“He already getting under your skin?” Steve laughed. “He’s a punk sometimes.”

“Not yet,” Sam laughed, before growing serious again. “I wanted to talk to you, as friends. This is…would be…is,” he repeated, “new to me. And I wanted to check in with you face to face about it.”

The other man smiled at him and put a hand on his shoulder briefly. “I appreciate that, Sam, I really do. He and I have talked about it and I fully support and respect you two going out, dating, whatever you want to do. Are you comfortable knowing he and I will still be dating?”

“Of course!” Sam nearly shouted before clearing his throat. “My mama didn’t teach me to be a homewrecker,” he said, and Steve laughed again. “That’s why I wanted to talk to you.”

“This is a unique relationship, sure,” Steve admitted, “but we’re not the only ones in the world to do this. And no pressure, either way. I want us to be friends no matter what.”

“Me too,” Sam agreed. “Bucky’s cool, but not worth losing your friendship over.”

Steve laughed again. “That’s fair, he can be a lot. Hey, he’s not going to tell me everything about you two, so don’t worry about that, but if you ever want to talk, I’m here.” Steve leaned in. “And I can tell you all sorts of embarrassing things about him, more than you ever thought you’d hear,” he said in a lowered voice.

Sam laughed. “Sounds like a plan. I appreciate this, I was getting nervous since we’re looking at a third date, I didn’t want to assume anything.”

“Nah, you’ve got nothing to worry about,” Steve told him. “Now let’s get going, we’ve got two more miles to help you work off your nervous energy.”

“Good, I thought I was going to burst for the first four,” Sam sighed, and they took off again, Sam feeling much lighter than before.

____

Things began to fall into place for the three men as Steve and Bucky continued their relationship, and Sam and Bucky began theirs.

The three spent balanced time with their respective partners, and none felt ignored or neglected. If anything, they found themselves with better emotional and mental health, as they were entering a new chapter for themselves, almost. Bucky spent some time with Steve, some time with Sam, and some time on his own, as he needed Bucky-time as well.

The actual days or nights varied, due to the team schedule, as throughout it all they still had, naturally, work and training.

There had, of course, come the question of what, if anything, to tell the team. Everyone knew about Steve and Bucky, as the whole world did. For one, Bucky was literally listed in the history books and exhibits as Steve’s best friend and most trusted comrade until his presumed death. Then there was the whole Winter Soldier tries to kill everyone fiasco, but now public opinion was fairly good for Bucky, and the world had in a sense moved forward with their relationship just as the two men had. Essentially, it was accepted and approved of, though they had broken quite a few hearts when they publicly shared they were in a relationship.

As for Bucky and Sam, they had decided to not share it with the world, but their team? They figured it wasn’t something to hide from them once it had been about three months and things seemed to be going pretty good. Though as a group, the three had decided to not make a big deal of it in common areas, and Steve had declared that it would be up to Bucky and Sam to inform the team about their relationship.

So overall, the men decided to just organically see what would happen, which came to head one morning in the common area of Avengers Tower at breakfast time.

Sam and Bucky had spent the night together and came into the room together, though not holding hands or with any such contact. But without thinking about it, Bucky leaned his head on Sam’s shoulder as the other man made coffee and bagels (cream cheese for Bucky, peanut butter for himself), and Sam had moved his head to lean on the brunette’s.

They grabbed their food and drink and headed to the table where the others were eating. Tony was at the head of the table, with Pepper on one side of him and Steve at the other. Next to Steve sat Nat and Clint, and next to Pepper was Bruce. Bucky sat next to the doctor, with Sam on the other side of him, and they began to eat, before Sam nudged Bucky.

He turned to look at him with a raised eyebrow, mouth full of bagel, and Sam made eye contact before glancing around the table as he drank his coffee.

Frowning slightly, Bucky turned to look at the team as well. Clint, Nat, and Tony were looking at him, Steve was smirking slightly as he ate his pancakes, and Pepper and Bruce seemed focused on crosswords they were doing.

Bucky sighed.

“Okay,” he began, “what gives?”

“You tell us,” Nat said, smirking as well.

Bucky finished his bite and looked at Sam, who shrugged.

“Sam and I are dating,” Bucky announced with a shrug. “Okay?”

There was a deafening pause in the room for a moment.

“What?” Tony said, breaking the silence. “What?”

“I said –”

“I know what you said, but how can you be so cavalier?” Tony squawked. “Caparoni is right here! First you break up with him, and now you’re rubbing Sam in his face?”

“We didn’t break up,” Steve interjected, pouring more syrup on his pancakes.

“What?!” Tony screeched.

“We’re still together,” Steve said, shrugging.

“And I’m also with Sam,” Bucky added. “So if anyone has any problems with it…”

He glanced around the table. Pepper gave him a soft smile, Bruce a shy one. Steve grinned around a mouth full of pancake, and Nat muttered “finally” underneath her breath as she picked up her coffee.

“Okay, well, you do you,” Clint said. “But I have one question,” he began, pointing his fork at Sam.

“Okay?” Sam warily invited.

“Be serious with me, man,” Clint pushed. “You’re not bailing on our team for the bowling league and joining them, are you?”

The table, other than Tony, laughed, all seemingly exhaling a breath of relief, and Sam grinned as he shook his head.

“Nah, of course not!” Sam assured him, and they fist bumped.

“Yeah, well, when we beat you don’t come crying to me,” Bucky warned him, and Steve nodded as Bruce laughed.

“How can we be talking about bowling when the news of the century just dropped?” Tony interjected. “I’m so confused!”

Pepper sighed and put a hand on his arm. “It’s called love and dating, Tony,” she told him. “Let them be.”

“Let them be? I have so many questions! We have announcements and parties to think of! This is a whole new face of the Avengers for the world!”

“Tony!” everyone else shouted.

“No!” Steve and Bucky added.

“Only the people at this table right now know,” Sam told them. “And we want to keep it that way. Well, maybe whoever else is on the team but not here right now, but you know what I mean..”

“And if word gets out?” Tony asked. “What have you been doing for dates? I’m surprised no one knows…how did I not even know? It was under my roof, what else is going on here? Jarvis!”

“Tony!” the table shouted again.

“Not that it’s your business,” Bucky said with a pointed glare at him. “But we’ve gone to quiet places, or out of town, or just been us. People know us, and we just don’t always hold hands and that sort of thing.”

Sam nodded. “And that’s fine, we’re enjoying it regardless,” he said, smiling at Bucky, who smiled back. Clint made kissy sounds and was rewarded with Nat punching him.

“You’re okay with this?” Tony asked Steve, who nodded.

“Sure. Again, not that it’s your business,” Steve said to Tony, “but yes. We all talked about this, and we’re not exactly the only people in the world to be doing this.”

“And Tony will respect it even if he doesn’t quite understand it,” Pepper firmly stated. “And Stark Industries and Avengers PR will stay out of it unless you ask us to.”

The men thanked her, and Nat moved the conversation along.

“Does everyone know about this?” Tony sighed to himself. “Wanda, Rhodes, Peter? They’re all away now…” He shook his head. “Kids these days, even hundred year old ones…what am I going to do with you?”

______

So, life continued. The team were accepting of them, though Tony being Tony, he delved into research about it, talking about poly and vee relationships until everyone in the building had in no uncertain terms told him to shut up.

The three men didn’t flaunt their relationships, but Sam and Bucky did ease up on hiding their relationship a bit, enjoying the newfound freedom, not that they had felt too constrained previously. They perhaps indulged in a bit of light PDA here and there, though Sam wasn’t a very public person so it had never been much in view of others to begin with. If the team sat in the common lounge to watch television or a film, Bucky sat with whichever man had a seat free next to them, or sometimes the three sat together, Bucky leaning on both. And, since Steve and Sam were friends anyway, sometimes the two ended up sitting next to each other and Bucky elsewhere, making the three laugh.

Sam had told his family he was seeing someone but didn’t share full details, not sure of how to broach it all with them. Instead, he tried to feel out their views of Bucky, as again, he had re-entered the world in the twenty-first century with a bad rap. When the time was right, he figured he would tell them.

It was early fall when Sam and Bucky decided to go out a bit more, some places they hadn’t gotten to over the summer, either as a couple, alone, or with others. The summer crowds in New York had died down since people were back to work and school, and weekdays were quieter, or as quiet as New York could be. School trips were not yet happening, so they began to venture out to museums to see a range of exhibits or even to wander different parks and botanical gardens.

Things had been going well in that regard. People didn’t often stop them, though there were occasionally whispers from afar. They were still Avengers, after all, though perhaps not as much in the public eye (or in good standing all the time, for Bucky) as say, Steve, Nat, or Tony. Still, they made sure to especially avoid any physical contact, never holding hands or hugging, and walked and sat at a comfortable distance from each other.

One day, they headed to the Museum of Modern Art, as Steve had ranted about an exhibit there and neither man had been for some time. It was a Wednesday morning and they arrived shortly after it opened, at about eleven. A few older people wandered around them, some art students as well, but overall it was quiet and peaceful.

The two men moved from room to room, talking in hushed tones about the different things they saw. This too was common behavior at a museum, as no one wanted to hear others’ conversations every time, and so Sam and Bucky stood a bit closer than they normally might in public but still not touching. At one point Bucky made a snide comment about a painting, and Sam laughed out loud, louder than he expected to, earning them a strong hushing by a nearby docent, and they quickly left that room.

They continued the day with having lunch at a small restaurant where no one seemed to give them a second look, and left afterwards to walk around the city some more, lingering at the lake in Central Park to spend time talking and showing each other different things on their phones.

The next day, Bucky was training with Steve, and Sam was off training with Rhodey, when Jarvis sent an alert out for an emergency team meeting at noon.

Everyone hurried to be ready, and at twelve sharp they were gathered in a main conference room with Tony and Pepper, no one saying anything until tower staff finished setting up lunch.

Once the staff had left, Tony rubbed a hand over his face and groaned.

“Okay, who’s seen the news today?” he asked, and the group exchanged a range of looks.

“I didn’t see any big alerts,” Steve stated, and Bruce nodded.

“Nothing new from my intel,” Nat agreed.

“Even traffic has been good today,” Wanda suggested.

“The internet, people!” an exasperated Tony snapped, standing up at the head of the table. “Does no one check it regularly? Social media, maybe?”

“You told us off for doing that before,” Clint reminded him.

“Yeah, you said to let HR take care of it,” Bucky agreed.

Tony ran a hand over his face. “Well, this is big enough to have gotten past them, it’s blowing up.”

“Literally?” Clint asked, and Tony glared at him.

“Glad you think this is so funny, let’s see your reactions after you see it,” he said. The billionaire opened a laptop and flicked his hand, making stories and headlines come off the item and shine brightly in the air around him.

The room was silent as a range of titles and hashtags flooded them.

“New Avengers couple?”

“Winter Soldier playing two men?”

“Where is Steve?”

#samwilsonisgaywhat #wintersoldierwintercheating #poorcaptain #avengerscouple #avengerscheating #captainneedscomfort #museumdate #avengersaroundnyc #momaavengers #stevebuckysam #stuckysam

“Technically I never identified as anything to the public,” Sam mumbled. “Gay, straight, whatever.”

“We could use ‘avengers around NYC’ as a real hashtag for us,” Pepper mused, drumming her nails on the table. “It’s not a bad one…”

“I hate the title ‘Stucky,’” Steve sighed, and Nat snorted.

“I hate that they’re still vilifying everything Bucky does,” Wanda commented, and Bucky groaned.

“Why am I the bad guy in this?” he asked.

“There’s more less than favorable ones,” Tony sighed, and new hashtags popped up.

#falconsucks #downwithfalcon #samwilsonoutofavengers #avengersminustwo #capneedshelp #burnbucky #meltwintersoldier #tissuesforcap #badguysalwayscheat

“‘Burn Bucky’ is just plain mean,” Bucky murmured.

“‘Melt winter soldier’ has a nice ring to it, though,” Nat laughed.

“I don’t need help,” Steve huffed, pouting and crossing his arms. “Why is everyone in my business?”

“Cap, I mean this nicely when I say everyone’s been in your business since 1940-something when you got the serum,” Rhodes gently reminded him.

“Oh, ‘bad guys always cheat’ is trending!” Wanda announced as she looked at her phone. “It’s actually kind of therapeutic, people are venting about their exes.”

“Not helping!” Steve countered.

“There’s also a more R rated one combining Falcon and Bucky, but I’ll let you use your imagination,” Tony sighed dramatically.

“I don’t get it,” Clint commented, and Nat whispered something to him, making his eyebrows raise. “Nevermind.”

Tony rolled his eyes as he waved the current images away and replaced them with more headlines, and a picture.

“Anonymous pictures show possible date?”

“Evidence Bucky is cheating?”

“Bucky and Sam: more than friends?”

And there were pictures from the MOMA date, of Bucky and Sam standing next to each other looking at art, then of Sam laughing at something, and of Bucky and Sam looking at each other smiling.

“Aw, those are cute,” Nat laughed, and Clint nodded.

“Not the point!” Tony snapped. “Focus, everyone!” he said, before looking at the two so-called offenders. “Guys, what were you thinking?”

Bucky and Sam looked at each other and shrugged.

“We’d been out in public before, it wasn’t anything new,” Bucky shared.

“And we didn’t do any PDA,” Sam pointed out. “We were just talking about the exhibit, and standing close to speak softly about it, as you’re supposed to do in museums.”

Steve nodded. “That’s fair. And Tony, like Sam said, they’re not touching. There’s been lots of pictures of all of us taken out of context.”

“They’re laughing, team, laughing!” Tony groaned.

“And if I never laughed, the world would just say I’m evil and cold,” Bucky sighed, throwing his hands up in frustration. “I can’t win!”

Pepper gave him a small smile. “I know, I know. We wanted to see what anyone’s thoughts were on how to handle this, so that we didn’t just decide for you.”

“Let it blow over,” Rhodes suggested, shrugging. “Social media these days makes something big for like a day, and then it’s replaced by the next Pizza Rat or whatever it is.”

“Man, that rat was awesome,” Clint sighed, taking out his phone to find more memes of it.

“I agree, just let it be and it’ll be gone,” Steve commented, but Tony shook his head.

“Earth to Stars and Stripes, nothing is ever gone from the internet!” the billionaire reminded him.

“We do need a statement as we’re already fielding questions from reporters,” Pepper interrupted them. “Though we might just stick with the classic ‘we don’t discuss the Avengers’ personal lives’.”

“But everyone knows about Steve and Bucky,” Wanda pointed out. “So…?”

The team collectively shrugged.

“There was a Steve and Bucky before there was a Steve and Bucky,” Steve softly said, smiling at Bucky, who smiled back. “We were shown in books and museums as always being together, I think it was just natural for people to accept us as partners. I mean, as natural as two super soldiers seventy years out of time could be.”

Bucky laughed. “That’s true. So just go with that,” he said to Pepper, “no comment or whatever.”

She nodded and left to get to work, and the team looked at Tony.

“So, we’re done here, right?” Nat asked, moving to stand. “I’ve got things to do.”

“Not yet, we need to talk about this more!” Tony demanded, but Sam’s phone rang, interrupting him.

“And that’s my family, likely finally seeing the news,” Sam sighed, standing. “I need to take this before they try to come here in person.”

“Should I come too?” Bucky asked, but Sam smiled and shook his head.

“Nah, let me talk to them first, but thanks. I’ll see you later,” he replied, and left, the others following him out to go their separate ways, ignoring Tony still venting about it.

“Come on, let’s hit the gym,” Steve suggested to Bucky. “Burn off some anxiety.”

Bucky nodded and followed him to the elevator, his mind still trying to process the different headlines they had seen.

____

It did not, unfortunately, blow over. In fact, it seemed to get worse. Sam, Steve, and Bucky stayed inside the tower when they were not on a mission. Reporters, paparazzi, and fans were constantly camped out outside of the tower. Security was sent to Sam’s family to ensure safety and privacy. And the social media storm continued to grow.

It seemed the expectation, really, was to pick a side. You were either Team Cap (#teamcaptain #teamamerica #teamsteve #standwithsteve) or Team Sam (#teamfalcon #teamsam #standwithsam). Bucky was a bit miffed he didn’t have his own team, or nifty, positive hashtags, but supposed that he was well and truly the middle man in all this…

“There’s shirts being sold about this,” Tony sighed at breakfast, two weeks into the debacle. “And mugs.”

“I know, right? I can’t decide on which one to get,” Clint sighed. “I’m not sure which team I’m on…”

“Team Stupid, if you ask me,” Tony posed.

“Good thing I didn’t ask you,” Clint replied, pointing his fork at him. “Just for that, I’m not buying you a mug!”

“Oh no, whatever will I do without one?” Tony mocked. “Can we just focus on what to do?”

“We’re doing what we can,” Steve pointed out. “Pepper and HR are monitoring it and putting out fires, and the three of us are staying in.”

Which wasn’t the worst thing for them, really. The tower had everything one could want or need, and what it didn’t have, it had staff to go and get. And each couple continued spending time as they had, though the three were noticeably wearier and getting a bit of cabin fever at times. But if they had any ill feelings about what was happening, it was just at the media and nosy fans, not at each other.

“Well, something’s not working,” Tony huffed.

“Are you just jealous you’re not the center of attention?” Bucky asked, smirking at him over his coffee cup. He had a staff member run out to get him one that had Team Sam on one side and Team Cap on the other, because he sure as hell wasn’t going to choose between them!

“No!” Tony nearly shrieked, in a voice that told everyone else the answer was actually “yes!”

Bucky grinned at Steve and Sam, who were sitting across from him, side by side, and they laughed.

“Keep laughing,” Bruce sighed, joining the table and dumping a pile of magazines on it. “It’s gotten worse,” he groaned, sitting heavily next to Nat, who patted his hand gently and slid a plate of waffles his way.

The others reached for the pile, taking one each and reading the headlines aloud.

“Heartbroken Steve Tells Bucky Enough is Enough!”

“The Winter Soldier: Torn Between Two Men”

“Inside Sam’s Shattered World!”

“Sam’s Heartbreak”

“I Still Love Him But I Can’t Be With Him”

“Explosive Breakup!”

“Avengers Tower Rocked By Explosion - A Love Explosion!”

“Done After 42 Days?”

“Steve and Bucky Split, Can They Still Be Friends?”

“Sam and Bucky Split, Can They Still Be Friends?”

“Both Have Heartbreak Over Two-Timing Bucky!”

“Bucky Pining For First Love?”

Bucky muffled a scream of frustration with his hands, while Sam sighed loudly.

“These headlines contradict each other and some just make no sense,” he pointed out. “Who believes this stuff?”

“I’ve seen sales numbers, on bad weeks it’s big money. This?” Tony said, waving a magazine. “This is bringing the companies big bucks. Why else do you think it’s still going?”

“It’s making us look like Bucky’s cheating, I’m depressed, and Sam is grieving,” Steve pointed out. “These aren’t even current pictures!”

“People reading this stuff don’t care if it’s current or not,” Nat commented. “And anything with you on the front page sells bigtime.”

“Lucky,” Clint sighed, and Wanda laughed.

“We need a plan!” Steve announced, standing up and slamming a fist on the table. Fortunately, everyone saw that coming and picked up their various cups and mugs, lest they spill as was typical when Steve pounded the table, forgetting his own strength. “We can’t let this keep happening! Sam, Bucky, we deserve more than to hide out in the tower outside of missions. We deserve to be out in the world, living life! Dating who and how we want. Who cares if people don’t or won’t understand or accept it? We know what we’re doing, and that’s all that matters.”

“Anybody else see a flag waving in the background and hear a patriotic song playing?” Tony chirped, lightening the mood.

“I’m serious,” Steve said bashfully, sitting down.

“I’m with you, Steve,” Bucky agreed. “I’m already the bad guy, I want to at least be hated for the truth, none of these lies. Sam?”

“Count me in,” Sam said, nodding. “Mama raised me to be honest and not take a fight laying down.”

“Just like old times, Buck,” Steve said with a grin. “Let’s go into this fight together.”

“Hey! It’s not just the two of you anymore,” Nat pointed out. “Or three. We’re all in this with you,” she said, narrowing her eyes at the others, daring them to not agree. As expected, though, everyone was on board.

“I say we treat this like we did back in the war,” Steve announced. “Fight fire with fire.”

“Such as?” Clint asked.

“Social media and the news got us into this mess, they’ll get us out,” Steve said. “And I know just who can help us out with that.”

____

Peter had been left out of the team meetings about the couples due to his hectic work and school schedules, but had followed along on social media with half the world. And he sent private messages to the team as a group and individually, so he was never fully out of the loop.

Still, he was unprepared to get a text from Steve asking for Peter to tell his favorite reporter at the Daily Bugle that they would be getting an all access interview with none other than Steve, Bucky, and Sam.

“Pete?” Kat Farrell asked, as she passed by his cubicle. “You okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”

Peter looked up, blinking at her. “Hey, Kat. No, I’m fine, just got some, uh, strange news.”

“Anything you want to talk about?” the journalist asked, as inquisitive as ever, but he shook his head. She smiled and knocked on his cubicle as she said goodbye, walking to her office.

A moment later, Peter jumped up and ran there, closing the door behind him.

“Hey, Kat, I know you’ve become more open minded about superheroes,” he began. “How would you like to have the opportunity of a lifetime with some of them?”

____

“Alright, America, the world, the universe, hello and welcome!” Kat said, smiling at the camera as the Daily Bugle began their largest livestream ever. Tony had had to step in and host the server to make sure it didn’t crash, and even then he wasn’t confident everything was in order. “I’m Kat Farrell, your host for this event, and I would like to thank you on behalf of the Daily Bugle for joining us. I’m sure my guests need no introduction, but please welcome Steve Rogers, James ‘Bucky’ Barnes, and Sam Wilson!”

The three men entered the set, where Kat sat on one comfortable chair and the three sat on a large sofa, in the order they had been introduced.

“Behind the scenes in the studio with me are several members of the Avengers Team, with Tony Stark looking quite nervous and Pepper Potts as cool as ever. My editor J. Jonah Jameson is scowling in excitement. I think he and Mr Stark will hit it off marvelously!” Kat laughed, before turning to the three men of the hour.

“So, how are you all?” she began.

“Um, good, thank you,” Steve politely replied, smoothing down his khakis.

“Okay,” Bucky said with a small nod.

“Wow,” Sam commented, looking around.

Kat laughed. “I couldn’t have said it better myself,” she agreed. “I’m going to get right down to it, no need to beat around the bush. The world has been going crazy since a certain picture or two broke the internet a few weeks ago. Guys, what was that about?”

“We were at the museum, me and Sam,” Bucky told her. “That’s it.”

“That’s it?” she challenged. “Let’s take a look,” she said, and the picture showed up on a screen. “It looks like more. Was it a date?”

“Yes,” Sam and Bucky said in unison, looking at each other.

“I see,” Kat replied. “Steve? How do you feel about that?”

Steve shrugged. “It’s a date, it’s their date. It’s not my business.”

“And why is that?” she asked.

He shrugged again. “I kind of stay out of their dates.”

“Kind of?” Kat challenged, and Steve sighed as Bucky glared at her.

“I do stay out of their dates,” Steve clarified. Wasn’t this supposed to help them, he wondered? He glanced at Peter, who gave him a reassuring thumbs up.

“Why is that?” Kat repeated.

“Sam and Bucky are Sam and Bucky, and their dating is all about them,” Steve told her.

“Bucky? Any thoughts?” Kat asked.

“No, that’s pretty much it,” Bucky agreed, but saw Nat shaking her head and mouthing “more” to him. “I mean, what we mean, is yes. I’m dating Sam. And yes, I’m dating Steve. And they respect each relationship. What I do with Steve is between us, and what I do with Sam is between us.”

“And we’re still good friends, me and Sam,” Steve said, looking over and receiving a smile and nod from Sam.

“And there’s no bad blood between any of us,” Sam chimed in. “Never has been.”

“It’s the magazines and internet riling everything up and making it into something it’s not,” Bucky stated.

“Hopefully that doesn’t include the Daily Bugle!” Kat laughed. “So you’re saying, what, you’re in a polyamorous relationship?”

“Yes, but we’re not all dating each other,” Steve agreed. “Sam and I are just friends.”

“So there is a Team Cap and a Team Sam?” Kat posed, and the three groaned, as did the other Avengers present.

“Yes, but no,” Sam told her. “There’s Steve and Bucky, and there’s me and Bucky. There’s no teams, and there’s no fighting. We’re not making Bucky pick a partner, he’s into both of us, and we’re okay with that.”

“The whole ‘team’ thing came about because people thought I had to be cheating on Steve, and that’s not the truth,” Bucky added. “He’s been aware and supportive of me and Sam from the start. And it hasn’t affected my relationship with him like people are making it out to be.”

Steve nodded. “All these headlines of heartbreak and two-timing, and ‘enough is enough’ are all lies and false. We’ve never fought about this, never been upset, never felt cheated.”

“And the team?” Kat asked. “Has this affected work?”

“No one has said that it does, and our actions in the field haven’t suffered,” Bucky pointed out.

“The team supports us, which you can see by them being here,” Sam stated.

“The world never said anything like that when it was just me and Bucky,” Steve added. “You want to talk ‘enough is enough?’ I’ve had enough of people not understanding us and judging us instead. They don’t have to understand us, or support us, but that doesn’t give them the right to judge and make up lies. Who we love is who we love. It seems like people are still trying to tell me what to do and how. Guess what? Some people didn’t - still don’t - like me being with Bucky for a number of reasons, but I don’t care.”

“We’ve been meant to be since we were scrapping in the streets of Brooklyn, so who cares about jerks these days?” Bucky laughed, looking at him. “And if people want to judge me for also being with you,” he said to Sam, “they can go f–”

“Language!” Steve hissed, and Bucky sighed.

“They can go to hell,” Bucky continued.

Sam laughed. “Yeah, it’s really not anyone’s business but ours. Though it is nice that the team has accepted and welcomed this, as has my family,” he acknowledged. “And like they said, that’s all that counts.”

Kat nodded, a small smile on her face. “So haters gonna hate?”

“Something like that?” Steve agreed, slightly confused.

“Well, the world now knows the truth, straight from your mouths to their screens!” she said, before turning to her camera. “Steve and Bucky are dating, Sam and Bucky are dating, and no one hates each other. Or are moping, depressed, or heartbroken. Except for some of your fans, I’m sure,” she said, looking at the three again.

“I would hope a true fan would want us to be happy, no matter what,” Steve commented, and the others nodded.

“Not that we can control that,” Sam sighed. “Just, let us live our lives, okay? Protecting the world is hard enough some days, we don’t need all the attention our private lives have been getting.”

“Some would say it’s part of the job, being a famous face,” Kat countered.

“And we get that,” Bucky agreed. “But our love lives don’t need to be front page news or trending on twitter all day every day. Pick Team Love, like Clint says.”

“There you have it, folks!” Kat said with a smile, looking at the camera again. “Team Love for the win!”

Off screen, they could hear Clint cheering that his mug name had been picked, and they laughed.

“Anything else you want to say to the world?” Kat asked them.

“Be kind to yourselves and others,” Steve said.

“Respect people, treat them how you want to be treated,” Sam suggested.

“My life is none of your business anymore,” Bucky said, and Steve rolled his eyes.

“Buck, be nice,” he chastised.

“Yeah, Bucky, don’t be a jerk,” Sam agreed, and he smiled at Steve.

Kat laughed. “Well, if there was any doubt about the three of you getting along, I think that’s shown them. Thank you for your time, gentlemen.

“Thank you for letting us speak the truth ourselves,” Steve said.

“And thank you to the Avengers for hosting us, and to all of you for joining in! For the Daily Bugle, this is Kat Farrell. Goodnight.”

The producer announced they were off air, and the room relaxed.

Kat shook their hands and took a picture for the newspaper and her own social media, as did Pepper for the Avengers’ one.

“Now what?” Sam asked Kat, and she shrugged.

“We’ve done all we can, it’s up to the world to care or not. But, I’ve seen this before. Most will probably move on, some newspapers and magazines, sites, whatever, will continue a bit, maybe see if it’s all lies, but you’re genuine, so I wouldn’t worry. This was a good step,” she assured them.

They thanked her and left, as the event had been at a secret, secured location.

“You really think this will work?” Tony asked as they got into their cars.

“Hopefully,” Steve sighed.

“We’ll know soon enough,” Pepper agreed. “Get some rest, guys, okay?”

They nodded, deciding to sleep in their own apartments that night, all too exhausted to want to do anything but sleep alone, slightly nervous of what was to come.

___

Over the next three days they were still big news, unfortunately. It was, admittedly, more curiosity and intrigue than anything else. Some more adventurous sites had body language experts analyze every detail of the live stream to deduce this or that.

Steve, Sam, and Bucky weren’t happy, though Steve was hopeful that their plan would eventually work out and things would go back to normal.

“As normal as it can be, now that the whole world knows,” Sam sighed, but had to admit Steve’s optimism was contagious…hopefully…

Soon enough they were called on a mission, and while the whole team knew that it didn’t really require everyone, they were all itching for some time away from New York. Hell, time away from social media, news, the internet. An electronic detox, almost, as they wouldn’t be able to resist on their own.

And if they stayed on site to make sure everything was more than okay when the small fight was done after three days? Well, they were just doing their duty to be in the area another several days to keep an eye out, offer support, lend a hand.

Eventually they had no choice but to fly home, silence falling over the quinjet as they napped or stayed in their thoughts.

Steve, Bucky, and Sam decided to spend the night separately, and agreed to not check any news sites or even turn on their phones until the next morning, together.

One fitful sleep later, they stumbled, bleary eyed, into the floor’s lounge, nervously making coffee and putting a few bites of food onto plates that just sat in front of them, too anxious to eat.

Fortunately, the team had given them space, and it was just the three, looking at each other.

“Might as well do it,” Steve sighed, biting his lip.

Sam nodded. “Better to know than not to.”

Bucky frowned. “Yeah, we’re not cowards or anything…”

Still, they paused, hands hovering over their phones, before nodding at each other and turning the devices on.

“This is taking forever,” Bucky groaned, as the phones ran through updates after not being on for over a week.

“Let’s just bite the bullet,” Sam suggested, grabbing a remote and turning on the large television. It was early enough for morning news shows, who, somehow, didn’t feature them. That channel, this one, that one, none mentioned them.

“Did it work?” Steve asked, excited. “Did it actually work?”

They grabbed their phones, looking at news sites, gossip magazines, and a range of social media, but they were not trending.

“We did it?” Bucky asked, surprised. “We did it!”

“We did it!” Steve agreed, nodding and smiling.

“We’re not trending! We’re not on the top of anything!” Sam crowed, and the team piled into the room, having clearly waited in the hallway for news.

The room was full of excited chatter and more than a few “told you so,” including Tony taking all the credit.

“I don’t even care about correcting him,” Bucky said, shaking his head and running a hand through his hair. “I’m just relieved we’re not big news.”

“You’re not jealous?” Wanda asked as she grabbed toast.

“Why would we be?” Sam asked.

“You’re not the focus anymore,” she told them.

“Yeah, some other celebrity couple is breaking up and I think someone’s pregnant,” Bruce stated, and the table looked at him in surprise. “What?” he asked, eating eggs. “News is news.”

The others laughed and continued eating, and Sam, Bucky and Steve sighed in relief again.

“You think everything is good?” Sam asked, as he began to eat again.

Steve and Bucky exchanged a look.

“For now,” Steve commented. “You know how things can be, there’ll be more gossip, eventually.”

Bucky nodded. “It’s how this is. Does that change us…should we talk about it, now that we can finally breathe?” he asked Sam, still realizing that the other man may not be as used to the public eye as they were.

Sam considered it but shrugged. “Man, who cares about what the world thinks anymore? We know,” he said, looking around at the team. “My family knows. I don’t care what others say. Just promise we won’t have to do another talk show about it,” he added, and the other two men laughed.

“I promise to keep us from that, but Tony? Well….” Steve said, and the three looked down the table at the billionaire, before shaking their heads.

“Next time we’ll go off the grid and just leave it to him,” Bucky suggested, and Steve and Sam nodded. “In the meantime, I think I’ve got dates with both of you to plan, it’s been far too long. And somewhere public, really public, would be nice.”