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Even though Bucky had his doubts about moving into the Tower with Steve, he has to admit that being associated with the Avengers has its perks. The huge fancy apartment. The constantly full fridge. The spa-like bathroom. Oh, and he can’t forget about the giant flatscreen in their living room. Which comes in so conveniently because, as he keeps pointing out, much to Steve’s dismay, the porn these days is phenomenal and even better in HD. Although, to be fair, what he enjoys the most about it is watching the look of discomfort creeping onto Steve’s face whenever he walks in and sees a giant high def penis on his television. Good times.
He hasn’t officially joined the Avengers’ ranks yet, mostly due to his own wishes, but he knows that’s where everyone would like him to be headed.
When they got him out of cryo, he learned that a lot of things had changed, most to their advantage, thank heavens. Steve had managed to convince Stark that Bucky was on their side and together with T’Challa, he hooked him up with a new and improved version of his arm, along with all the help he needed to try and start a somewhat normal life with Steve. Things are still tense between them and probably will be for a long while. But he knows that he wouldn’t feel any different, if put in Tony’s place. He knows the guy wants to hate him and the fact that he can’t, not with the whole Hydra-brainwash-asset deal behind this story, is what’s really making him so angry and bitter some of the time. And Bucky often can’t bear looking at him without feeling an overwhelming wave of guilt crashing over him, threatening to drown him.
But they’re working on it. Just like he’s working on getting his memory back. For the most part, he’s regained it but there are still small parts missing, mostly small details, nothing of importance, but without them, most of his memories don’t feel real. Like he’s remembering seeing it all in a movie, not experiencing it himself. He’s missing smells, sounds, what weather it was when he and Steve kissed for the first time back in Brooklyn. It was raining back then, Steve has assured him, and they were in a back alley, getting soaked but neither of them cared. But Bucky doesn’t remember the pit-pat of the rain on the asphalt, or the cold sensation of his wet shirt clinging to his skin. And most importantly, he doesn’t remember how warm and soft Steve’s lips felt against his own. What he does remember, a little too well for his liking, is how nervous and scared they were because they just couldn’t be seen. Both of them knew so well back then what happened to guys like them if they were found. And even in hindsight, Bucky can’t tell why it was so important to them to kiss right there and then, in a dark back alley in the rain, instead of making it home to Steve’s tiny apartment. But somehow they’d both considered this risk well worth it. And truth be told, there still isn’t a risk in the world Bucky wouldn’t take for another taste of Steve’s lips.
This is another thing that’s worked out in their favor, he knows. Things still aren’t ideal for same-sex partners but at least they can’t get arrested anymore and compared to what he remembers from before the war, things are pretty alright. Bucky likes going on dates with Steve. They’re both still adjusting to modern times and all their possibilities, so seeing a movie together or going out for dinner is huge for them in more ways than one. 3D is a concept that will puzzle Bucky forever, he’s sure of that.
But as much as they’re enjoying their time together now, it doesn’t make up for what they missed out back then because they couldn’t be together. Bucky can forget about the years they lost because most of those weren’t spent actively missing each other. Steve was frozen and he wasn’t himself and while it would have been nice to experience some eras together - the 50’s when rock ‘n’ roll took the world by storm, the free love and peace of the 70’s, maybe even crazy hair and neon clothing in the 80’s - Bucky doesn’t mind missing out on that as much as thinking of the things he and Steve couldn’t do back when they first found each other.
The truth of the matter is - and Bucky knows it’s unfair - they’re not the same as they were back then. As much as he regained by now, he’s never gonna be the carefree and young James Buchanan Barnes he was before he shipped out. And Steve...Steve is never gonna be the skinny kid with the big dreams and even bigger heart again. Well, he’s still got that big heart but he’s also seen enough by now to have lost some of that idealism. They both have. And while that’s shallow and makes him feel a little guilty, Bucky would really like to know what it would have been like to slow-dance with Steve in public, or feel his small frame against his side while they’re walking around the snowy streets of Brooklyn in winter.
He’s stretched out on the enormous couch in the living room of their apartment, watching some show on Netflix. Huge comfy furniture is another perk of living here and Bucky has made good use of that since moving in. It still puzzles him how modern living spaces have so many seats. Armchairs in every corner of every room, random dining room chairs spread out all over the apartment, the couch alone comfortably seating at least six people. It’s weird to him but he’s still snuggled up everywhere by now, making his own private study of the most comfy place in the house - only to find out that the answer to this was Steve’s lap. Okay, so that is a perk of Steve’s new appearance, he has to admit.
He’s into the third episode and well on his way to a maybe not deserved but very much appreciated nap when the door bursts open and what sounds like a huge excited puppy barges in. Not surprisingly, it turns out to be Steve. The guy has a difficult relationship with doors now that he’s big. They’ve talked about this but the truth of the matter is, he keeps underestimating his strength. Bucky knows he’s trying but he still ends up almost running doors in or at least slamming them too hard. And when he’s as excited as he seems to be right now, there’s just no holding him back.
Shooting up to a sitting position, Bucky looks at his boyfriend over the backrest of the couch. He knows that expression, eyes all big and round and shiny, cheeks flushed and glowing, smile bright and showing almost the entire upper row of his teeth. He looks like a happy chipmunk, and given that it’s three days before Christmas, there’s a real threat that he might actually burst into the Chipmunks song. Having only been out of cryo since the beginning of the year, Bucky hasn’t witnessed it first-hand, yet, but Clint has played the song to him and assured him that they caught Steve at least humming it under his breath for two weeks straight.
Instead of breaking into song, though, Steve says, “Buck!” and crosses the room to lean over the back of the couch, cup Bucky’s face and kiss him in greeting. They always do this, a silent agreement that they are gonna enjoy their being together to the fullest, now that they can. They kiss in greeting or in parting, and sometimes also when they’re just passing each other in the hallway. Somehow, it never feels chaste or meaningless. Steve’s kisses are always so soft, no matter how huge and strong he has become, and they frequently leave Bucky swooning.
Like right now, when he notices belatedly that Steve is talking to him and blinks a few times to make sense of what he’s saying.
“...so we can head out and I’ll show you.”
Okay, that didn’t go too well. Bucky still has no idea what’s going on. “Uhm, what?” he says, admitting that he wasn’t really listening.
Steve rolls his eyes but the huge smile is still present on his lips. “I said you need to get dressed because I have something for you that I wanna show you.”
Bucky still doesn’t move and that’s clearly testing his boyfriend’s patience. “Look, I know it isn’t Christmas just yet but I couldn’t wait any longer and anyway, we need time for this and I don’t know if we’ll get much of it to ourselves over the holidays, what with everyone gathered around and all the food and stuff. So c’mon, Buck, don’t make me wait so long!”
This is suspicious because Steve doesn’t really do surprises. Not for lack of trying but he usually can’t keep it together for long enough. So Bucky always knows when he’s up to something and manages to figure out most of the details before Steve’s ready to come out with it. This time he really had no idea. Which must mean that either Stark or Nat were involved in this.
Intrigued now, Bucky does as he’s told. This involves a complete change of outfit because up until now he was dressed in a pair of ridiculously comfy PJ pants (so what if they have little blue teddy bears on them?). While trying to coax some more information out of Steve, he makes it into the bedroom and dresses in some black jeans, one of Steve’s blue sweaters and a grey hoodie on top. It still baffles him that something so loose and comfortable is considered proper clothing these days but he isn’t gonna complain about that. If Steve expected anything fancier, he doesn’t say so but instead hops from one foot to the other as he watches Bucky pull on some well-worn sneakers, probably considering if it would really be so bad to jump in and tie the laces for him to hurry things up.
“Okay, big guy, let’s go,” Bucky says and the words have barely left his mouth when Steve’s already grabbed his hand and is dragging him to the elevator. He still hasn’t said much, especially nothing helpful, and that alone is giving Bucky reason to worry. What is it this big dork has planned this time?
They get into the elevator and to his surprise, Steve presses the button for the fifth floor.
“Uh...exit’s on ground level,” Bucky says and if that isn’t a smart observation, he doesn’t know what is.
Steve turns to him with this annoyingly smug grin on his face but says nothing. Bucky’s metal arm twitches. He loves this guy but he also really wants to punch him right now. Even more so when the doors slide open with a ping and he starts dragging him behind him again. And Bucky has no real choice but to follow because underneath this layer of annoyance, there’s another, much thicker one that consists of nothing but one-hundred percent pure curiosity. And Bucky knows that Steve knows that.
The first dozen or so floors of the tower are mostly Stark Industries offices and labs, then a few follow that are reserved for management and some more secretive parts of the business. The really, really secret stuff goes on underground or not here at all, Bucky knows. But that’s about as much as he’s gathered on the going-on’s of Tony’s business. He’s joined the other Avengers for meetings down here a few times but he never really cared much about what else is going on. Now he wishes he knew more about what to expect here.
Apparently, the fifth floor is nothing like he thought it was. He imagined a lot of offices. Desks, potted plants, coffee kitchens - whatever the Bobs and Barbaras of the corporate world require to be productive.
Instead, Steve leads him down a short hallway from the elevator, which seems to be a dead end until Bucky notices that there are large double doors which are made of the same metal as the walls. Jarvis’ voice greets Steve and the door open to reveal one huge empty room. Or at least it seems empty to Bucky. There’s nothing in it that could count as furniture or decoration.
The floor and the ceiling seem to be covered by some strange looking dark tiles or metal plates, he isn’t sure. There’s a computer panel on one of the walls. And the room is illuminated by what Bucky assumes are 3D laser light models of what could be furniture. The weirdest part is when Steve crosses the room to get to the computer panel and accidentally bumps into a ‘table’ with a pained “Oof!” He actually bumps into it. And feels it. As if it was a solid thing.
Bucky gapes and follows Steve with his eyes, watches him tap around on the touchscreen of the panel for a moment before he can form an actual sentence.
“Okay, listen, here’s a guy whose mind is still blown by flatscreens and smartphones. If you think I understand what’s going on here, I’m gonna have to disappoint you.”
He dares to take a step into the room, closer to what he assumes is the model of a desk or maybe a small dinner table. Figuring that Steve’s still relatively fine after coming into direct contact with this stuff, he should be alright. So he reaches out with a flat palm and puts it on the table, eyes almost popping out of his skill, when he feels something cool and smooth against his hand.
“Just a second, I’ll explain everything to you in a moment,” Steve mumbles distractedly and Bucky can tell that this isn’t something Steve Rogers simply knows how to use, either. He’s from the same era as Bucky is, when computers and the Internet didn’t exist, not even television, and he’s seen him struggle with the remote control. Whatever this is, Bucky can tell that Steve’s received intense training from Stark and his minions so he’ll be able to do whatever it is he’s doing.
A moment passes and then Steve seems to get it right because there’s a little cheer coming from his side of the room and at the same time, the cool, solid mass of the table disappears from under Bucky’s touch and leaves him with his hand hanging in the air.
“Take a little step back,” Steve instructs and Bucky complies, walking backwards until he’s standing with his back against a wall. He watches as all the other shapes vanish just like the one touching his hand did and a moment later, new ones pop up. His jaw drops when he sees random shapes made up of rainbow colored lights. But that’s nothing compared to what happens next. Because suddenly, the lights and semi-darkness around them are replaced by actual objects and people. It sounds silly, even in his own head, but to Bucky it seems like someone took up a paintbrush, dipped it into reality and then started filling the shapes around him with it. Suddenly, there are Christmas trees and booths and a small ice skating rink and...even people. Everything the room was made up of before - the walls, the tiles, the lights, the panel - is gone and Bucky is standing in the middle of what looks like a little Christmas market in the square of the Brooklyn he once knew. The people around him are also dressed in pre-war clothing, all rough materials and weird fits.
There are sounds, too, and even smells. People are talking around him and at a booth nearby, a guy seems to be burning a hot dog while he’s busy nipping on a mug of hot egg nog.
But despite all this, Bucky can suddenly hear Steve’s voice above the other sounds. Somehow it seems just that little more present, or maybe that’s just his mind playing tricks on him because this is Steve, after all. Of course he’s more important than any of this.
He looks over to where he thinks his voice came from and jumps at what he sees. This is Steve, and yet it isn’t. This isn’t Captain America. The big arms, the broad chest, the six foot-something...it’s all gone. In their place, Bucky sees a scrawny little guy. All thin limbs and protruding bones. He knows this man, remembers him from another life. And even though he and Steve have found each other time and time again after believing the other was dead, this is the first time Bucky truly feels a little spooked, as if he was really looking at the face of a dead man.
Because this Steve Rogers can’t exist. He knows this, has been assured of this time and time again. His very boyfriend, also Steve Rogers, with his ridiculous height and strength, is proof enough of that.
And yet, here he is.
“You are…”
“I know,” Steve cuts him off, and there’s still this big grin on his face. This proves that this new Steve is somewhere in this body because the old Steve never used to have that carefree look on his face. “I didn’t think I’d get to see this Bucky again, either?”
“Wha…?” This Bucky? Out of all the things that puzzle him right now, this has got to take the top spot. That is, until Bucky looks down and the first thing he notices is that he isn’t wearing the hoodie anymore. Nor the sweater, the pants or the sneakers. In their place are a thick brown wool coat, pants in a slightly lighter shade of brown that feel scratchy against his legs, heavy black boots and a bright red scarf. He remembers that scarf. His mom made it for him when he was ten or eleven. Back then, he almost drowned in all that wool and now it’s still wrapped around his neck a few times. He also remembers losing it the winter before he shipped out to Europe. Which is why he really shouldn’t be wearing it right now.
Wait a moment.
His hand flies up to his hair and finds it short and kind of fluffy on the top of his head, not long and pulled into a bun like before. His face feels smooth, no trace of the rough stubble he knew he should find there.
And now that he thinks of it...he’s feeling all of this with his left hand. The hand that should be made of hard metal and that shouldn’t be feeling so many details. But now, as he looks at it, he sees slightly tan skin, warm flesh, nails that need a cut.
“Steve!” His own voice sounds alarmed to him. He isn’t scared, per se, but he doesn’t like feeling so out of his depth.
“Relax,” Steve says and the smile on his face grows softer as he steps closer, reaching for both of Bucky’s hands. “None of this is real. We can stop this anytime if it’s too strange for you. But I was hoping you’d like to do this with me.”
Steve’s voice is calm and that has a soothing effect on Bucky. He trusts Steve, has always done that, even when this was real, when he was the stronger and bigger one and when he’d protected Steve. “What is this? How did you do that?”
“Binarily Augmented Retro Framing,” Steve says, expression so smug and proud it almost makes Bucky laugh but before he can do that, it’s Steve who cracks up first. “Sorry, Tony taught me how to say that. I have no idea how it works and what exactly it is. I just know he’s been working on this thing for a good long while now. Used to work kinda like a 3D movie, he says. You could watch but not participate. And now, well, it’s...this.” He brings Bucky’s hand up to the branch of a nearby Christmas tree and Bucky feels the rough needles scratching his fingers. “See? You can touch and listen and smell...it all seems real.”
This is amazing and nothing he’s ever experienced before but there’s something else Bucky finds far more interesting than the tree. Letting go of Steve’s hand, he brings his to his chest, his shoulder, his neck. He feels exactly like what Bucky thinks he remembers from back then, definitely exactly like he looks. Smaller, scrawnier, edgier than the big Steve he’s used to. “How is this even possible?” he mumbles, half to himself as his hand keeps exploring, fingertips tracing jawlines and cheekbones and eyebrows.
“I’m not sure myself. Has something to do with what your brain expects when it sees or remembers things and...I dunno. Honestly, Buck, you gotta ask Tony but isn’t this amazing?” Steve sounds so excited but he still holds still and lets him explore as much as he likes, even closes his eyes so Bucky can touch his eyelids and brush a fingertip over his long lashes.
“I thought…” Steve interrupts himself with a little shake of his head. “Listen, Buck, I know how much you keep thinking of our time together back then. I know you’re not unhappy with how things are now. But I also know that the memories we have from back then aren’t always the nicest. And I know that you miss the old times sometimes. And I don’t blame you ‘cause I do, too. We won’t ever be like that again but when Tony showed me all this, I thought we could go back for a couple hours. Take some of our memories and replace them with better ones. And maybe that way you could also re-live some of the things that I know you’re still missing. I’m sorry if that’s a bad idea but…”
Steve shuts up because all of a sudden there’s Bucky’s mouth on his own, cutting him off. And while this feels amazing, like every time they kiss, they’re both completely stunned by the circumstances. Not only is there the height difference between them now, they’re also surrounded by people. They may not be real people but they feel and sound like it. They’re surrounded by their old life, all the familiar sounds of it, but they’re standing here kissing and they needn’t be afraid of being seen.
Steve is the one who breaks the kiss and pulls away, but only just enough so he can talk. “We can do all the things we wanted to do back then…”
For a moment it seems like a sweet thing to say to Bucky but without much of a deeper meaning, until a memory sets in. He remembers this place. Maybe not exactly as it is now but this little Christmas market was there, back in…’38? ‘39? He can’t tell exactly when but he remembers the lights not being quite so bright, the smells not quite so delicious, and him not being quite so warm. Without Steve in his arms, too. Which is not to say they weren’t together here, just always an arm’s length apart, all secret smiles and secretly coded language, never giving anything away.
So that’s what Steve meant when said they could replace their memories with better ones. Bucky likes that.
He also likes it when Steve takes his hand and guides him over to a little booth selling caramel apples. Did they even have those back then? Another thing Bucky doesn’t clearly remember, aware that even if they were a thing back then, he probably never got to have one himself. Now, though, he watches Steve buy two of them with money that’s probably as real a everything else here.
He turns back around and hands of the treats to Bucky with a grin, who says nothing but immediately bites off a chunk and closes his eyes as he savours the delicious mix of sweet and sour. When he opens them again, he watches Steve do the same and takes a moment to just marvel at what he’s seeing. Steve was so beautiful back then. He still is a gorgeous human being today, and Bucky wouldn’t want to be with anyone else, and don’t get him started on the personality to match all this beauty. But back when he was small, there was another flavor to his beauty, something softer and at the same time edgier. And even though Bucky knows this isn’t something he’d ever tell Steve, out of fear of being misunderstood and accidentally offending him, he liked that he wasn’t mainstream attractive back then. Of course, it made him feel sorry that Steve couldn’t feel so positive about himself back then, but secretly he liked that most people didn’t see what he saw back then. It made him feel like Steve was his alone, his secret, something only he could see.
Now he’s sharing Captain America with the whole world. And he’s so proud of Steve, yes, but jealousy can be a bitch and Bucky Barnes is nothing if not jealous, and maybe even a little possessive at times. Who wouldn’t be, after losing their soulmate not once, but twice?
“What?” Steve’s voice drags him out of this thought bubble and there’s a little laugh that’s slightly tinged with uncertainty. Bucky blinks a few times in confusion, so Steve adds, “You were staring at me. Is it really so weird?”
At this, Bucky can only laugh. Is it weird? Definitely. But at this point, weird doesn’t freak him out anymore. Nothing about their life is normal. If what he thought he knew about the world when he grew up applied to them even in the slightest, they wouldn’t be here, nothing and no one they know would even exist. Some kind of virtual reality altered memory experience really doesn’t take the top spot of strange things he’s encountered since coming out of cryo, but it’s definitely among the top three of his favorites.
“I was staring because you’re captivating. Deal with it,” he says in a mock stern voice and dives in to place a sweet, sticky kiss on Steve’s cheek before he can do anything to fight it off. When he pulls back, a trace of caramel is left on Steve’s skin and it sparkles in the lights around them. Bucky reaches to wipe it off with his thumb and is surprised when Steve catches it between his lips to suck the candy off. Huh, small, gorgeous Steve coupled with the slightly more confident and teasing personality of modern Steve is quickly becoming his new favourite thing.
They finish their treats and twenty minutes later sees them on the ice rink in rented skates. It took some convincing from Steve’s side because it is hard for Bucky not to fall back into his old overprotective role. But eventually even he had to admit that the risk is close to zero. Even though Steve can’t tell him if injuries will be translated into the real world, their serum-enhanced bodies will make quick work of any bruises or broken bones.
And once again, Bucky has to admit that his boyfriend has the best ideas, because this is just so much fun. He never knew Steve was so good at ice skating but then again, neither did Steve. Bucky holds himself up well and even manages a few twists and turns on his way around the rink but when he sees his boyfriend even attempting a small jump and nailing it spot on, he can only gape. For the most part, though, they ditch the act of impressing each other and spend the majority of their time on the ice entangled in each other, kissing and holding on as they’re slowly spinning around the rink. Bucky guesses they’re probably ‘that annoying couple’ to pretty much everyone else, the two guys who are in everyone’s way and downright obnoxiously happy and cheesy. And maybe he would care if those were real people. But being an annoyance to virtual reality people who don’t even exist isn’t really a big concern to him right now.
The downside of this almost real experience is that he definitely feels the cold. And he isn’t wearing gloves, so his hands feel like they’re about to freeze off. Steve’s face is the same color as his hands, so Bucky figures it’s time for them to warm up.
“C’mon,” he simply says after one last, lingering kiss, both their mouths so cold now that it’s barely more than a tingling sensation.
They make it off the rink and replace the skates with their own boots before Bucky guides Steve through the crowds with gentle pressure from a hand on the small of his back. They find a booth that sells hot drinks and this time it’s Bucky who buys a mug of eggnog for each of them, although technically nobody’s buying anything because none of this exists. But Steve’s still wearing this smitten smile on his face when Bucky hands him a mug, and if that isn’t just the greatest feeling in the world, Bucky doesn’t know what is.
Cradling the mugs in their hands to warm them up, they take slow sips and Bucky just can’t stop looking at Steve. He’d all but forgotten how cute the guy could be when something made him happy and his cheeks lift in a wide, toothy grin. He still has that face, of course, but his smiles are different these days. Maybe because they’re not as rare as they used to be back then.
Bucky watches as Steve’s face warms up a little. It goes from bright, angry red all over to flushed cheeks and a pink nose, and Bucky can’t help but pull him into a one-armed hug, crushing him to his chest with both of them holding their mugs out to avoid spilling eggnog all over them.
“Hey, careful, big guy,” Steve laughs, voice muffled by the rough, thick wool of his winter coat.
“‘s right, I’m the big guy again now,” Bucky replies, and there’s humor in his voice, yeah, but also a longing that he hopes Steve doesn’t mistake for anything more serious than it is. Luckily, he can see no trace of that in his eyes when he looks up at him. Instead, they’re overwhelmingly blue and sparkling a little.
“You are,” he says, pushing his mug into Bucky’s free hand. “Means you gotta finish this for me or it’ll make me all tipsy and there’s no telling what I’ll do then.” He laughs and nuzzles his nose against his chest, both arms wrapped tightly around his waist, clinging to him like a baby koala bear. And Bucky has no complaints about that.
Except that now he’s stuck with two mugs and no free hand left to touch Steve. Always a practical guy, though, he makes the best out of it by leaning down to kiss his forehead, skin cold against his lips. It makes Steve hum as he tucks his face into Bucky’s neck, half hidden by the thick scarf, and Bucky rests his chin on the top of his head.
Bucky has no idea how much time passes while they’re in there but he has a feeling that several hours wouldn’t be a bad guess. They eat some more treats, enjoy more hot drinks, and just walk and talk and kiss. At some point, Steve get this playful gleam in his eyes as he pulls Bucky behind a tree and presses him against the trunk as he moves in for some seriously hungry and heated kisses. Considering the fact that nothing here is real and they would have zero consequences to fear even if they went for a quick fuck right there on the skating rink, it’s endearing that Steve makes the effort to keep up the act.
He guesses they could keep this up forever, neither of them even thinking of getting back to reality, but suddenly, the world around them starts flickering like a broken halogen lamp before it vanishes, only leaving the eerie colorful shapes of light around them Bucky has seen before. While he watches those disappear too, one by one, there’s a familiar voice which seems to be everywhere at once.
“Alright, boys, time to get a room.”
Stark. Of course.
Steve is chuckling against his shoulder and Bucky’s slowly becoming aware of the fact that the small, thin body he was holding moments before is now big and bulging with muscles again. They’re both back in their modern clothes and he feels the tips of a few loose strands of his hair tickling his chin.
Clearly, playtime is over.
A moment later, the doors open and Tony Stark waltzes in. He has one of his trademark grins on his face as he saunters over to them.
“Just so you know, I haven’t been watching your sickening lovey-dovey show here. It’s been a few hours and I really gotta take my buddy B.A.R.F. here away from you to prepare for a presentation. However, if you’re both good little super-soldiers, I’ll let you play with him again.” The look on his face suggests that he’s already imagining a few dozen things they could do with this thing and Bucky isn’t sure with Tony Stark thinking of half of them, but he has to admit it’s still tempting. Either way it’s good to know that this wasn’t a one-time experience if they don’t want it to be.
Think what you may of Tony Stark, it was a nice sentiment of him to help Steve set this up, Bucky can appreciate that. He and Tony aren’t quite at hugging level - Bucky isn’t sure if Tony’s really on that level with many people - but he still puts a hand on his shoulder and gives it a little squeeze. “Thanks, Tony, this was...really special,” he says, not wanting to give the guy a chance to ruin his gratitude by making a teasing remark about ‘Robocop getting sappy’ or something along those lines.
He does actually get a surprisingly kind and genuine smile in return but as if Stark had a reputation to maintain, it is quickly followed up by a bored, “Yeah, yeah. Just consider it a gift from God, or whatever. Now get outta here. Some people have to work.”
Steve steps up to him and he feels an arm wrap around his waist as he’s guided out of the room, both of them grinning happily, faces aglow.
“So...good surprise?” Steve implores as they exit the elevator on their floor and enter their apartment. Bucky walks in first and a moment later, he has Steve pinned against the closed door.
“The best,” he replies, not giving them both any time to adjust before he licks into Steve’s mouth, a full on assault, all lips, tongue and teeth. This is a different kind of kiss than what they shared during the simulation, hungrier, more equal, with an almost violent quality to it.
When Bucky pulls back, his eyes are sparkling with mischief. “‘s good to know I can have both when I really miss the old Steve.” He pauses, tongue flicking over Steve’s swollen red bottom lip that’s just shining so invitingly. “But right now, I really want a piece of my big, beefy boyfriend.”
With an almost predatory expression, he hooks his forefinger into the waistband of Steve’s pants and pulls him along as he walks backwards towards the bedroom. And just like he knew he would, Steve follows all too willingly.