Chapter Text
A litany of peculiar collisions and metal grinding could be heard ringing throughout the research facilities claimed by Tony Stark as his own.
This in and of itself wasn’t all that note-worthy. The fascination that came along with such a spectacle was instead rooted in the sight of a Tony Stark who was apparently not wholly within his own element. The man was hardly ever harried in a way that couldn’t be interpreted as peculiarly cool and contained, but today was different.
Today, Tony was almost frenetic as he scrambled around in what appeared to be a sudden cleaning spree.
Raised eyebrows and furtive glances were all but the new uniform of the Stark Industries employees.
Tony almost asked JARVIS to enable the blackout protocol, but was thankful he hadn’t given how thoroughly entertained he was by the befuddled faces of his employees as they tried to catch a glimpse of whatever he was doing.
Normally, the hall outside the workshop would be relatively abandoned. Only those with the proper clearance to actually enter ever bothered coming that way. Everyone else knew to seek Tony in his office.
Tony shimmied under one of his workbenches, only to be distracted by Dummy’s concerned beeping.
The bot’s arm tried in vain to shift down and out towards Tony who was firmly squished between benches as he gathered the assorted detritus that had accumulated there.
“I’m okay, buddy,” Tony soothed as he ducked his head out to meet the bot’s frantically swiveling camera. He gave a little wave only to be given a plaintive beep in response.
“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Tony crawled out, findings grasped tightly to his already well-stained shirt.
Dummy reared back before reaching to relieve Tony of his assorted pieces of metal and tools. Only a portion of it ended up in the bot’s hand, the rest knocked out of Tony’s grasp entirely.
Tony sighed as he stroked Dummy’s arm. “Thanks, kiddo.” The bot followed Tony to one of the large bins he’d wheeled into the workshop.
As Dummy busied himself with pushing around a stray basketball, Tony took in his surroundings. The benches were as clear as he could get them, schematics and tools tucked away neatly. Any prototypes or larger creations he’d been working on were shelved or stored in the back.
He could hardly recall a time in which his workspace was truly spotless, but he wanted to tidy things up a bit nonetheless.
“What do you think, Jar?” Tony asked as he crossed his arms, lips pursed in contemplation.
“I find your efforts admirable, sir,” JARVIS provided haughtily. Tony thought he could hear a smirk somewhere in there.
Tony scoffed as he worked at a scuff mark with his shoe. “I’d like to see you do any better.” He shot back with an eye roll. Dummy made a sound of approval.
“I merely mean to say that, if memory serves, Master Barnes did serve in the military. As such, his understanding of cleanliness may differ from yours somewhat, sir.”
“You act as if I damn you to living in a pigsty, which is just hurtful and wholly inaccurate. I don’t know where you learned to be so ungrateful.” Tony shook his head in mock dismay.
“I will endeavor to expound on my errors at a more appropriate time given that I feel compelled to inform you that we have a visitor,” Jarvis chimed in.
Tony stood stock still before bounding over the (relatively neat) pile of gears he’d accumulated in his cleaning rampage.
“Tell him I’ll be right with him, Jar.” Tony tried to keep his voice level as he felt his false sense of calm wash away.
“Of course, sir.”
Once he reached the closet in the far corner of the workshop, he began rifling through it, ultimately settling on a fresh shirt and jeans. He pulled them on haphazardly, only taking the time to make himself more presentable when remembered that he’d installed a mirror in the workshop as well.
He buried both hands in his hair in an attempt to force it to take on some form outside of bedraggled mayhem. He quickly settled for simply keeping it out of his face given that the ends curled in seemingly all directions with no intention of giving in to his own hurried coaxing.
Tony finally gave into the pervasive urge to hop up and down a few times as a means of expelling any excess energy that could result in wildly unattractive jitters on his part.
Tony used the time it took to personally open the door to regain some of the collectedness he’d woken up with that morning.
At the door, Tony was greeted with a mop of shiny hair. He only barely noticed that Jarvis had apparently blacked out the windows and walls of his own accord. Bucky’s back was to the door, neck craning in several directions as he tried to catch glimpses of the buzzing scientists, technicians, and associates around him.
Tony found himself staring at the other man as he took in a large piece of machinery being hauled through a nearby corridor, mouth gaping a bit. This guy was absurdly cute.
Tony willed himself out of whatever trance he’d fallen into.
“James?” He touched the other man’s shoulder, causing him to startle as he whirled around to face Tony. Tony took note of the brightness in Bucky’s eyes as he hastily removed his hand.
Tony offered a welcoming wave accompanied by a smile that felt awkward, but was well-received nonetheless.
Bucky’s smile was warm, if not a bit sheepish. “Hey,” He murmured before leaning in and giving Tony a kiss on the cheek. He was already visibly more relaxed.
Tony squeezed his hip with one hand before wrapping his arm around Bucky’s waist. Bucky leaned in and Tony attempted to breathe him in covertly. Bucky always smelled of mahogany and cinnamon with just a tinge of motor oil.
“Didn’t mean to be a creep just now,” Tony replied airily as he ushered Bucky inside. He was only referencing the shoulder thing, but figured it would cover all the bases if Bucky noticed his weird sniffing.
A low beep sounded in opposition, but the culprit was nowhere to be found. Tony’s eyes narrowed at that, but Bucky didn’t seem to notice as he chuckled lightly.
“Nah. I just got a little lost in my head,” Bucky replied with an eye roll before continuing. “This is some tower you got here.” He whistled his appreciation, wriggling a little in Tony’s grasp as he took in the workshop around them.
Tony beamed at him. “This old thing?” His voice was dubious, but his eyes surely gave him away.
Truth be told, Tony was proud of this building. He’d handpicked everything according to both his comfort as well as all the research he could find on productivity and creativity in the workplace.
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” Bucky shook his head, eyes wide.
Tony quirked an eyebrow at him.
“I just heard someone talking about taking some big ass slide instead of the elevator.” Bucky’s eyes were bright as they tried to make contact with Tony’s. “A slide,” Bucky reiterated in a dramatically hushed tone.
Tony shrugged. “That’s just a project I have going. Little experiment.”
“Yeah, okay.” Bucky acceded, brow crinkling adorably. “But maybe, just maybe, you’re a big softie who wants to make work as fun as possible for his employees?”
Tony automatically made a sound of indignation. “Absolutely not. I’m a hard ass who is very particular and impossible to work with. Or haven’t you heard?”
Bucky seemed to consider this before eventually shaking his head. “I’m just not seeing it.”
Tony hip checked him before dragging him onto the sofa. “Well, if there is any truth to your outlandish allegations, you won’t hear it from me.”
“I guess I’ll just have to investigate it myself,” Bucky said before pulling Tony into a kiss. Bucky buried his flesh hand in Tony’s hair, stroking gently as he pulled him closer to his chest.
Tony sighed into it as he tasted Bucky, the cinnamon all at once more powerful. Bucky obliged, lips giving in to Tony as he leaned in and licked inside.
Tony moved one leg to bracket Bucky just as he felt something prodding at his back. It felt metallic, but couldn’t have been Bucky’ hand given that he only had the two.
He got his answer when Bucky jumped, his grip on Tony tightening as he took in something somewhere behind Tony’s head.
Tony studied Bucky’s look of shock mixed with something else before turning to frown at Dummy.
Dummy responded by pushing at Tony with his hand, dislodging him from Bucky’s hold.
Tony sighed as he crossed his arms at the bot before turning to Bucky. “James, I’d like you to meet Dummy. Dummy, as I am absolutely positive I told you already, this is James.”
“Hi there.” Bucky was only a little breathless from the kiss, but his face was definitely flushed from the exertion.
Dummy let out an angry stream of beeps and buzzes, prompting Bucky to raise his hands in the universally placating, mean-no-harm gesture.
Dummy reared back before moving closer, camera focusing in on Bucky’s left arm.
“Dummy, don’t-” Tony started with an internal wince.
Bucky held a cautious hand out towards the bot’s arm. Seeing that the bot wasn’t cowering or attacking, Bucky touched the bot’s arm.
At the sound of Dummy’s happy, more drawn out beeping, Bucky grinned as he started to stroke the metal arm with his own.
“Aren’t you something?” Bucky gushed as he took the bot’s form in better. “This- he, she is amazing, Tony,” He added as Dummy crowded into his space even more.
Tony’s brow crinkled. “He,” He responded dazedly.
Suddenly, Dummy started pulling on Bucky, tugging him up from his seated position. Bucky looked at Tony in concern. “I- I’m not hurting him, am I?”
Tony shook his head, eyes traveling from Bucky to Dummy in fascination. “Nuh uh. Dummy’s pretty strong. Probably too strong, if I’m being honest. He just wants to play with you.”
“He can play?” Bucky’s eyes widened even more. “What else can he do?”
“Well, Dummy is an AI so he learns, observes, helps out in general. I built him with the intentions of having an extra helping hand, but he’s always been too ornery for that alone.”
JARVIS spoke up. “If I may, sir. I believe dear Dummy’s unruliness is a derivative of his creator.” The AI’s voice was steeped in amusement, causing Bucky to let out a startled laugh.
“That sounds about right to me.” Bucky agreed, just barely dodging Tony’s indignant swatting.
“That would be JARVIS. He’s another AI who doesn’t listen to me,” Tony huffed out a long-suffering sigh before continuing, “How dare you all try to team up on me.”
Bucky snickered, dutifully being led away from the sofa by Dummy’s persistent grasp. “Oh, don’t be like that.” He spared a glance back at Tony. “JARVIS made sure to introduce himself as soon as I stepped on SI property. He’s pretty awesome, too,” He called over his shoulder, trudging along with Dummy.
Tony shook his head mournfully at him. “And this is how I lose out to my creations.”
Dummy nudged a basketball at Bucky’s feet, arm lifting expectantly as Bucky split his attention between the ball and the bot.
Bucky tossed the basketball, eyes brightening even more as Dummy jerked back to catch it before returning it almost flawlessly.
“Are you any good at dribbling?” Tony inquired as he sidled up to the newly formed duo.
Bucky shrugged before dribbling a little, feigning to the right, and leaping at the hoop installed along the wall.
Dummy spun around in a full circle, practically screeching before diving towards the ball, dribbling it, and throwing it over Bucky’s head only to catch it himself.
“Play nice with James,” Tony softly chastised the bot. Bucky glanced at him, a soft look in his eyes as Tony cleared his throat before pointing and nodding somewhere behind him. “I’ll just be over there. Somewhere.”
Bucky had just opened his mouth to respond when Dummy made yet another impressive play.
Bucky whistled lowly. “You’re gonna have to show me how to do that move sometime, Dummy.”
The bot seemed to take on a haughtier air at the comment, pleased sounds emitting from him.
Tony rolled his at them.
“Well Dee, I gotta say I’m pretty beat,” Bucky announced a while later as he sank down beside Tony. Their shoulders brushed before Bucky seemed to deflate a little as he rested his head lightly against Tony’s shoulder.
Dummy answered by acing yet another free throw from an absurdly long distance.
Tony scoffed. “Yeah, well that’s what you get for ditching me, Buckaroo.”
Tony had settled in on a nearby workbench with his tablet, looking up every once in a while with a fond look for Bucky and Dummy alike.
Bucky brought his head back up. “I’m officially all yours.”
Tony looked at the other man appraisingly. “I think I like the sound of that.”
Bucky grinned before jumping back up, tugging a little on Tony’s arm so he’d follow. “What the hell is this and can it explode stuff?” Bucky asked
“You bet your ass it can,” Tony answered as he saw Bucky had stopped in front of a glowing projection of a gauntlet with what appeared to be flames emitting from it.
“It shoots fire?” Bucky looked both horrified and mystified.
“Jar, can you send this one down for me?” Tony asked excitedly.
“Certainly, sir.” JARVIS sounded resigned to his fate. “I suppose you’d like your more discreet protocols enacted?” He suggested, undoubtedly already starting to pull the programs up.
Tony pulled Bucky towards a section of the wall that seemed to be a lot less solid than it should be.
“So, you’re seeing this too, right?” Bucky’s eyes were wider he tried to take in just what was happening.
Tony shrugged, a wicked glint in his eyes as he squeezed Bucky’s metal hand in his. “Experimental elements I’ve been playing with. It’s really like a fancy elevator for my stuff. Dummy also loves adores it.”
Just then, the section was opening up more fully to reveal the actual gauntlet. Dummy’s excited form seemed to materialize as soon as the contraption appeared, his camera waving around as he tried to take all of the details in.
Tony quickly produced two blowtorch masks just as Dummy did the same with an oversized fire extinguisher. With one look of pointed disapproval from Tony, Dummy hesitantly lowered his extinguisher.
Bucky hummed in commiseration before he too was enthralled with the gauntlet before them. He wasted no time in strapping his mask on before hurriedly reaching for the gauntlet with his metal arm.
Tony snatched it up with a tsk. “Alright sugarplum. Rule number one is let me deal with the potentially dangerous materials in here.”
Bucky watched in rapt fascination as Tony gracefully slid the gauntlet over his arm. However, the edge in the other man’s voice gave him pause. “I- Sorry. I really should know better. I do! It’s just-” His hands flailed a bit as if he could find the proper words in the vacant space around him.
“You’re an ex-military hotshot used to diving into dangerous situations headfirst?” Tony supplied airily.
Bucky rolled his eyes at that. “It’s more like I’ve always had a thing for sci-fi shit and this is incredible. The design alone is top-notch.”
Tony tried to keep his preening to a minimum before he shifted his arm just so and Bucky found himself flooded with a piercingly deep blue coming from within the gauntlet’s core.
“We haven’t even gotten to the best part yet,” Tony said as he pecked the corner of Bucky’s mouth before flipped the other man’s mask down.
Tony winked as a whirring sound emitted from his gauntlet and Bucky found himself grateful for the mask.
Granted, his gratefulness had nothing to do with safety precautions and everything to do with how rapidly his face was heating up.