Work Text:
“Are you sure you’re ready to tell them, doll?”
Tony gave Bucky a strained smile, looking up at his boyfriend’s concerned face.
“Yes, I’m sure. It’s just…” he trailed off and bit his lower lip, glancing at the elevator doors and clearly trying and failing to conceal his worry.
Bucky waited a couple of seconds for him to continue, but when Tony didn’t finish his sentence he sighed and moved to stand in front of the man.
“Tony, if you don’t want to tell the team about us, for whatever reason, I won’t force you. But, can you please tell me why you’re so worried about this?” he waited for a second, before a thought crossed his mind “Is it… is it because I’m a guy?”
That had Tony’s head snapping up.
“What? No! Of course not, I know our teammates won’t care, I have enough faith in them to be sure of that…”
“Then what’s the problem?”
Tony sighed and looked down, and just as Bucky thought that he wasn’t going to speak again he mumbled something, almost too low hear.
“It’s just… you deserve better than me, and don’t even try to deny it because they’re all going to agree with me. Relationships… they’re not something I’m good at, and we all know I’m going to fuck up sooner or later and you’re going to get hurt in the process. They care about you too much to be happy about this thing between us, and they’ll-”
“Shut up.”
Tony was startled by the harsh tone in Bucky’s voice.
“You don’t get to talk about yourself like that. I love you, you idiot, and so does the team: if one of us hurts the other, they’ll kick his ass regardless of who it is.”
That got a small laugh out of Tony, and he laid his head on Bucky’s chest, closing his eyes.
“I hope you’re right.”
Bucky rested his chin on top of his boyfriend’s hair, holding him in his arms.
“I know I am.”
When they reached the common floor, they found the whole team plus Rhodey, who had dropped in for a visit, cooking dinner in the kitchen. Well, Steve and Bruce were cooking dinner, while the others were just roaming around in various degrees of boredom.
Clint was the first one to notice the two newcomers, and smiled at them from his position on top of the fridge.
“Hey, look what the cat dragged in! Are you guys going to eat with us? Bruce is cooking his special curry tonight…” he leaned forward, lowering his voice in a stage whisper “while Steve over there is acting like he’s actually being productive, but that’s a lie and no one believes him.”
“Hey!”
“Don’t try to deny the truth, Rogers!”
The only answer Clint got was Steve grumbling under his breath something that sounded a lot like “Kids these days…”, but apparently the archer was also expecting some kind of reaction from Tony, because when he realized that the resident genius was silent, he looked back to him with a frown.
“Hey Tin-man, is something wrong?”
That got the attention of everyone in the room, and soon enough Tony found himself under the scrutiny of six pairs of eyes. He felt anxiety claw at the back of his throat, and swallowed nervously a couple of times.
“No, everything’s fine… uh… it’s just… we… we wanted to talk to you guys about something. Bucky and I, I mean.”
There was a moment of silence, which Tony’s traitorous brain took as a clue to start freaking out, but he was (thankfully) distracted by Clint asking “Sure, what’s up?”
Tony opened his mouth, but he could already feel his voice wavering, so he closed it again. He cleared his throat awkwardly and looked up at Bucky, who thankfully sensed his boyfriend’s nervousness and the team’s increasing concern and fondly shook his head before throwing an arm over Tony’s shoulders.
“We wanted to tell you guys that me an’ Tony are together now. In a relationship.”
There was another second of silence, before Rhodey slammed his hands on the table, turning towards Clint and exclaiming “Fucking called it!” with an enormous grin on his face while the archer spluttered accusingly, jumping off the fridge in his excitement.
“You cheated! There is no way in hell you could have guessed this without Tony telling you!”
That seemed to set Rhodey off, and soon enough they were both arguing over the validity of some bet while Thor laughed in the background.
The only ones who reacted somewhat normally were Bruce and Natasha: the doctor smiled happily and simply said “I’m happy for you”, before turning back to his stove to avoid burning the curry, while Natasha silently stood up and walked over to where Tony and Bucky were standing. Without a word, she took Tony’s head in her hands and kissed his forehead, before doing the same to Bucky.
Stepping back, she smiled at their surprised expressions.
“I’m glad you two found each other, and I’m happy that you are together. That being said, if either one of you hurts the other, there will be consequences. Understood?”
They both nodded, and she smiled softly, walking back to where Clint and Rhodey were still arguing.
Bucky smirked, leaning down and whispering in Tony’s ear.
“Told ya, doll. I’m always right.”
Tony valiantly tried to stop the blush from rising to his cheeks, hiding his face in Bucky’s chest and muttering “Oh, shut up, you asshole”.
Still, he could feel happiness bubbling in his chest as Bucky laughed and straightened up. Some of the tension he had been carrying for hours finally left his body.
“Bucky, can I talk to you for a moment?”
Steve’s voice was cold, colder than Tony had ever heard it when talking to Bucky, and just like that silence fell on the room again. Bucky felt Tony tensing up under his arm and tightened his grip around him, cursing inwardly.
With a calmness that he wasn’t feeling at all, he shrugged and stared into his best friend’s eyes.
“Sure thing Steve. What’s up?”
Steve’s eyes narrowed further, and with a displeased expression he pointed at the door that lead to the balcony. “I’d rather talk to you alone. Do you mind?”
Bucky was about to answer that yes, he did in fact mind, when Tony squeezed his arm, startling him. Bucky looked down at him, silently asking for his opinion.
Tony smiled sadly and shook his head, whispering “It’s fine. Go talk to Cap, I’ll wait here.”
Frowning, obviously displeased, Bucky bent down to tenderly kiss Tony, moving back just enough to murmur “I love you” before following Steve outside.
“What the hell was that?!”
Bucky was fuming. He could feel anger rushing through his body, and he distantly realised that he couldn’t remember another time when he had been this pissed at Steve.
In the back of his mind, he could feel the remnants of the Winter Soldier stirring awake, but he viciously stomped down on that feeling. He hadn’t lost control in months, and now that he was in a relationship and sleeping with another person he very much wanted to keep it that way.
Turning towards his best friend, he could see the stubborn set of Steve’s jaw that meant the captain was getting ready for a long speech.
“What the hell was that? Bucky, I think I should be the one asking that! Really, dating Tony? How is that a good idea?”
Bucky could feel his jaw dropping, and he knew that disbelief was just as clear in his voice as it was on his face.
“Is that what this scene is about? You not liking who I date?”
Bucky clenched his fists, taking a couple of steps towards Steve. He planted a finger in the middle of Steve’s chest, and bit out in a voice that would have made lesser men run for their lives: “You don’t get to decide who I do and do not date. My private life is none of your business.”
“It is when the possibility of you two breaking up will affect the team. It is when not one, but two of my closest friends are those involved. I was here when Tony and Pepper broke up, and let me tell you something-” Steve straightened up, looking quite intimidating in all his angry rightfulness “I will not stand by and watch yet another person breaking Tony’s heart. He deserves better that that”
For a couple of seconds, Bucky just stood there, staring at his best friend.
“Wait, what?”
Steve’s jaw clenched even more, if that was possible.
“You heard me. The others may not know, but I remember you from before the war. Always a different gal at your arm, and always losing interest after a couple of dates. So let me ask you again, and let me make myself clearer: what intentions do you have with Tony?”
Again, all Bucky could do was stare. A faint “what” was all that came out of his mouth, and he kept watching in silence as Steve fought between feeling confused or angry.
But, before the Captain could start with another rant, he was interrupted by Bucky’s laughter.
“Oh… oh my god, y-you weren’t worried about him” Bucky broke down laughing again, holding his stomach with tears in his eyes, feeling dizzy with relief.
Still laughing, he grabbed Steve’s arm and started to lead him inside, wiping away his tears. Taking a deep breath, he turned towards Steve without stopping.
“Steve, buddy, you have to tell him what you just told me, and then apologize for being a moron”. Bucky could see Steve starting to protest, but he held up a finger, effectively cutting him off.
“Whatever you’re thinking, keep it for yourself and listen. I’m in love with Tony, hell, I have never loved anyone as much as I love that man, and I still can’t believe that he not only seems to feel the same way about me, but that he also decided to give me a chance with his heart. You don’t need to tell me how many shitty people have hurt him, because I know all too well. And I also know that if I were to ever do the same, the entire team would have my head on a plate.”
Bucky heard Steve mutter “damn right” under his breath, and involuntarily smiled. He quickly sobered up again though, looking at Steve straight in the eye. His next words were spoken slowly and clearly.
“No matter your intentions though, you fucked up earlier. You need to go to Tony and explain what happened, because I can guarantee you that right now he thinks you don’t believe he’s good enough for me.” The way Steve paled would have been funny in any other circumstance, but Bucky was too worried to find it entertaining. “Do you understand now?”
Steve nodded, looking guilty and vaguely embarrassed.
“Bucky, I-”
“Cut it. Talk to Tony now, you can apologize to me later.”
With a final nod, Steve steeled himself and moved past Bucky to get back inside.
Tony watched in silence as the door closed behind Steve and Bucky’s retreating backs. There was a beat of silence, broken by Rhodey's impressively calm voice asking “What the hell was that?”
No one seemed to have an answer. Clint and Thor were staring at the door in silence, confusion clear on their faces, while Natasha's expression was blank and unreadable. Bruce also seemed puzzled by the situation, and Tony thought that the doctor was looking a bit green around the edges.
Of course, he couldn't be too sure, since he had other more important things to focus on. Like trying to breathe through the knot in his throat without hyperventilating.
All of a sudden, someone was holding him by the shoulders, the pressure steady and familiar. Looking up through blurry eyes, Tony was met with Rhodey’s determined face.
“I’m going to go out there and kick his ass”
The sentence was spoken with such finality and seriousness that Tony couldn’t help but snort
“Honeybear, please don’t kick Captain America, you’ll break your leg. Besides…” Tony shrugged, avoiding Rhodey’s gaze “I can understand where he’s coming from, you know? It's okay.”
Again, silence. Everyone was looking at him now. Tony tried to muster up the Tony Stark™ press smile, but he was unsure of how well it came out.
“I mean-” he startled as five voices cut him off, saying “no” in almost perfect unison.
He raised an unimpressed eyebrow towards his team, grateful for the distraction from his steadily increasing anxiety.
"Have you guys been practicing that, or have you always been this creepy?"
That made Clint snort, and Natasha elbowed him in the side to shut him up. Still, it helped Tony in getting rid of some of the tension in his body. Rhodey, who still had an hand on Tony’s shoulder, squeezed gently to get his attention.
“You know, I was serious before. Just give me the word, and I’ll kick Steve’s ass. Don’t think I won’t.”
Tony smiled fondly, covering Rhodey’s hand with his own and patting it softly.
“Thank you, Prince Charming, but I’m sure I can survive through Steve’s disappointment.” He smirked, waggling his eyebrows. “Besides, I’m supposed to be the knight in shining armor here”
Rhodey huffed and rolled his eyes, and slowly the tension in the room started to fade. The silence was still slightly uncomfortable though, and Tony was about to make some sort of sarcastic comment to try to lighten up the mood, when the door to the common room opened again.
Or, well, it slammed open, immediately followed by Steve marching into the room and heading straight for Tony. The genius barely had the time to start freaking out before he was enveloped in a strong hug.
He froze for a moment, unsure of what to do, before tentatively returning the gesture.
“I’m sorry. I’m an idiot.” Steve's voice was muffled by Tony’s head.
“... okay? That was not what I was expecting to be honest. I have to admit, I’m a bit confused right now.”
Steve tightened his hug for a second before letting Tony go and taking a step back. He took a deep breath, and Tony automatically prepared himself for the worst.
“I didn't realize how my reaction would make you feel, before, and I apologize for that. But Tony...” the man was staring at Steve like a deer caught in the headlights, but the captain kept going “if you’re sure you want to date Bucky, then I'm not going to stop you. But if he hurts you, I swear that I'll personally kick him out of the tower.”
Steve turned back towards Bucky, who was trying not to laugh at the look on Tony's face.
“Don't get me wrong,” Steve continued “I'm incredibly happy for both of you, because you really do deserve love. But I know that your reputation-” he pointed an accusing finger at Bucky “was true, while the press likes to make things up about Tony. So, don't mess this up, okay?”
Bucky raised his hands in a placating gesture.
“I promise. Can I kiss my boyfriend now?”
“You don't need my permission” Steve said, sounding amused.
Smiling softly, Bucky walked over to where Tony was still standing astonished.
“What just happened?”
“Stevie gave me the shovel talk, apparently.” Bucky bent down to tenderly kiss Tony. He leaned back, looking over his boyfriend's shoulder and smirking “Also, Rhodey just punched Captain America.”
Tony turned around so fast he probably got whiplash.
“Rhodey!”
The man in question was rubbing at his hand, looking completely unabashed by his actions.
“The jerk deserved it. Also, that hurt me probably more than it hurt him.”
Tony’s lips twitched unwillingly as he laid his head on Bucky’s shoulder.
“Thank you for defending my honor, Honeybear.”
Rhodey puffed out his chest, looking proud of himself. There was a mischievous twinkle in his eyes.
“Damn right I did.”
Tony's laughter was almost drowned out by Bruce's yell of “Dinner is ready!”
And if Tony’s eyes were a bit teary during dinner, well, that was surely because of the curry, wasn't it?