all dressed down (ao3) - halfwheeze
bucky/tony
G, 2k
Summary: Tony’s chest is a mess of scar tissue, and that’s what he has to live with.
All the Best Things Come in Threes (ao3) - Potrix
bucky/tony, steve/sam
M, 3k
Summary: “I can’t be pregnant. I’m 47 years old, it’s not possible. I haven’t had a heat in over eight months, I’m menopausal, I can’t be pregnant.”
Handle With Care (ao3) - Reioka
G, 2k
Summary: The team discovers, one by one, that Tony is more sensitive and shy than he had originally let on. (They love him for it, though.)
Hide A Heart Of War (ao3) - RayShippouUchiha
bucky/steve/tony
T, 13k
Summary: “You’ve got war in your heart boy,” Howard sneers, “don’t ever try and pretend to be anything but what you are.”
Tony feels the familiar burn of a flower mark being etched into his skin but he doesn’t look, doesn’t try and check to see what it is. Instead he keeps his eyes on Howard and his hands cupped around his bleeding mouth and nose.
Honeybear (ao3) - SpaceBearWolf
N/R, 811
Summary: When Rhodey starts spending more and more time with Carol, Tony gets jealous.
I like apples, but I like you more (ao3) - S_Horne
steve/tony
G, 3k
Summary: “Hi, James,” Steve called as he pulled off his gloves and shoved them in his pocket. “Got any of your muffins left this morning?”
“Hi, Steve,” Rhodey said as he flicked the button on the espresso machine. “There’s a whole tray just about to come out of the oven.”
“All for me?”
“Aren’t they always?”
Steve laughed as he reached the counter and fished out his wallet. “Your baking keeps me alive, James, I swear it does. I couldn’t get through the day without something from your kitchen.”
Because there was that. Steve didn’t know that Tony existed.
Steve thought that Rhodey was the one who did all of the baking of the goods – which was quite frankly laughable – whilst Tony hid in the back every time that the man walked through the door.
He also stared wistfully through the small window to the kitchen, but Tony definitely never went outside to talk to any of his customers. No way.
next to you (ao3) - ArabellaAM
steve/tony
G, 805
Summary: If anyone had asked him who was the insecure one in their relationship, Tony would have said it was him without a doubt.
Nightmares are Hard (ao3) - BWolf_20
pepper/tony
T, 4k
Summary: Tony catches Steve having a nightmare and isn’t sure how to approach it. The first time he lets Pepper handle it. The second time, he tries her approach but it’s still awkward. Tony doesn’t really do feelings, and just because Steve is currently crashing on their couch it doesn’t mean they’re close buds. So, he doesn’t really know how to…well, drop his mask long enough to provide some comfort. But he tries.
Shut Up, Tony (ao3) - FestiveFerret
steve/tony
E, 5k
Summary: Tony's sure the attractive, kind, smart, amazing alpha he's been dating is going to dump him tonight. There's no way Steve actually likes him, is there?
Summary: Tony is your typical college student, except he's not really and how come he gets really happy when he sees the barista in the campus coffee spot and oh man Tony asked him on a date!
Summary: Tony hasn't told very many people about being gender fluid and with the Avengers living in the tower, Tony doesn't have the freedom to dress how he wants. His birthday may lead him to come clean about a couple of things including his totally non-existant feelings for Steve Rogers.
Summary: After he mustered up the courage to ask the man out, he and Stephen had been in a wonderful relationship for a few months. Well, Tony wouldn't really call it a 'relationship', since the sorcerer barely had the time to meet up with him between dimension-hopping, learning incantations, meditating, training, or whatever it is he did with the other wizards. Often, Tony would wonder if Stephen was doing it on purpose; avoiding him, rejecting his offers for dates in excuse of other urgent matters, but it didn't stop the engineer's efforts to be as close as possible to him.
That last statement was proven tonight, where he stood in front of the Sanctum with flowers in hand. He meant it to be a surprise date, hoping Stephen would agree without objections.
Treasure (ao3) - SailorChibi
tony/t’challa
E, 3k
Summary: "You're not funny," Tony huffed, finally breaking the kiss. "I might be a virgin, but you don't have to treat me like I'm going to break."
"I'm not. I know exactly how strong you are. I also know that you are my greatest treasure,"T'Challa murmured. "You are the most valuable thing in the world to me. So yes, I will be treating you with delicate hands, because that is what you deserve."
Will My Angel Come Back to Me? (ao3) - holistic_alcoholic
bucky/tony
T, 2k
Summary: Bucky, a grumpy unsocial vampire who has no friends but recently turned Steve — and a memory of a beautiful angel turning him during World War II — comes to a vampire party after Steve's goading.
Author: rebelmeg
Rating: gen
Word Count: 2-5k
Genre(s): family, fluff
Film-specific: no
Tropes: second baby, freckles, insecure!tony, cuddles, domesticity
Summary: Pepper didn't even know Tony had freckles, then she learns why that is. After that, she considers it her mission to show as much love to his freckles as he shows to hers.
About this: Stuckony, college!au with older Tony. NFF. 9.4k. Minor CBT, daddy kink, spanking mentioned.
-
“Steve - 3 o’clock.”
Steve doesn’t tilt his head up from where he is looking at his phone, but behind his dark tinted sunglasses, Bucky knows that his blue eyes are scanning the crowd that crosses the southern sidewalk of the quad. Bucky knows when Steve has spotted the man in question because his mouth parts enough for a breathy exhale, tongue wetting his lower lip.
“God,” Steve murmurs. “No chance he’s a student.”
“Forties, you think?” Not that there aren’t students of all ages moving on campus today, but there are no bags by his side, no pack slung over his shoulder, no sense of eager urgency as he stands watching the afternoon sun play off the fountain that’s dead center of the open, grassy area. Faculty or family, Bucky thinks.
“Couldn’t say for certain,” Steve says. “Wouldn’t say for certain. Jesus, he looks good.”
“Better than good, come on, admit it.”
“What makes you think he’s interested?”
“No wife at his side,” says Bucky. “But more importantly, no straight man is stylish enough to wear boots like that.”
Steve gives a long suffering sigh. He slips his phone into his back pocket, and Bucky takes the moment to admire the way his boyfriend’s shirt clings tightly to his biceps. Buying Steve shirts is a chore, always too loose around his trim waist and always too tight across his chest and arms. A chore, but no crime. At least, not one Bucky’s suffering from. “Well,” says Steve. “Should we introduce ourselves? ‘S only polite.”
Bucky gives a shark’s grin.
Up close, the man is even more striking than he’d appeared across the quad. He has thick, dark hair that lays with stylish disorder, and neatly groomed facial hair threaded with gray. His eyes are hidden behind dark Ray-Bans, but they can see his eyebrows rise steadily at their approach, the corners of his full mouth slipping upward. He’s more than a head shorter than they are, but his petite stature belies a strength.
Steve, ever amiable, offers his hand. “Hi there. Steve Rogers, Art postgrad. This here is—”
“James Barnes, Criminal Justice.”
“—do you need any help finding your dorm?”
As they speak, the stranger’s smile grows wider and wider. He reaches up to push back his sunglasses, really dark eyes surrounded by healthy lines hinting at many smiles. When he takes Steve’s hand in a firm shake, Bucky feels downright jealous of his own boyfriend’s palm. Hastily offering his own, he’s treated to a calloused palm that is small in his own grip but no less strong.
No wedding ring.
“Tony,” says the man. “Boys, you should know I’ve been playing the game longer than you’ve been alive.”
“What game?” Steve asks, grinning widely. They all take note of the way Tony’s eyes drop to Steve’s mouth, the full lips, the neat lines of white teeth, the facial hair he’s taking way too much fucking pride in (though Bucky sure as hell doesn’t mind the beardburn).
“If you know the game, then you should know how to play along,” Bucky says, winking.
Tony laughs, the lines around his mouth and eyes blooming. The sound makes Bucky’s gut flutter, his chest clenching tight with fondness that feels too strong to have for a man they’ve just met. “I’m no student,” says Tony. Then, a little more cautious: “I just finished moving my son in. Freshman; bioengineering.”
Bucky’s eyes nearly roll. He reaches out to put a stabilizing hand on his boyfriend’s strong shoulder, leaning into him dramatically. Yeah, Bucky has father issues, what else was he going to get growing up with a ma who raised him and his sisters alone after their old man walked out? The gray in Tony’s facial hair had called to him, but the downright authenticity in him being a parent? Bucky can feel his cock tingling already.
“You hear that?” Bucky leans in to whisper into Steve’s ear dramatically. Out of the corner of his eye, he watches Tony watch them, notices dimly the flicker of anxiety that passes through his expressive eyes, the drawing of his brows together. His eyes widen with more than a little incredulity when Bucky goes on to say: “He’s not just a daddy, he’s a dad.”
Steve slips an arm around Bucky’s shoulder and pulls him close, patting at his head with theatrical indulgence. “Your weakness,” Steve sighs.
Tony snorts, turning away to stare out over the quad and pretend to give them privacy. A healthy flush rises to his face, a few shades short of a flush. Flattered, Bucky thinks. Maybe he’s been turned down recently for his age, for having a grown son. Maybe he thinks he’s getting too old to attract lovers but he’s dead fucking wrong.
Steve murmurs something else to him but it falls on deaf ears because Tony’s head has turned back towards them, eyes widening in horror. Bucky reels just in time to catch a football as it strikes him in the chest, knocking the breath out of him a little. Sprinting across the quad towards them is a familiar, dark skinned man who looks more delighted than concerned.
“Jesus Christ, Wilson!” Steve barks, demeanor changing from soft to authoritative in an instant. “What the hell are you thinking, kickin’ a ball this direction? You could have hit someone!”
“Just Barnes,” Sam pants. “No great loss.”
“I’ll remember that next time we’re in a sociology class and you’re begging for my notes, buddy,” Bucky says, throwing him the ball. Sam catches it with a dry thud, tucking it under one arm to greet Steve with a pat on the back.
A hand touches his shoulder and he turns to see Tony, eyes flickering between his sternum where the ball made contact and Bucky’s face. “Are you alright? I’m sorry I didn’t notice it sooner. Fuck, I thought it was going to take your head off.”
“I’m alright, doll,” Bucky says, realizing a little too late the endearment slipping off the tip of his tongue.
Tony snorts in a way that makes Bucky feel silly for falling into familiarity so soon. “I’m hardly a doll; I’m twice your fucking age, James.”
“Bucky,” Bucky supplies. “Friends call me Bucky. Twice my age, huh? Does that mean you’ll call me ‘baby’?”
“Means you should address him as sir, Buck,” Steve chimes in. Tony licks his lips, a subconscious action that he and Steve can’t help but zero in on. Feeling the heat of their gaze on him, Tony reaches up to slide his sunglasses back down over his eyes, a loss Bucky downright laments. The silence that rests between them feels thick with something. Promise, Bucky hopes. Chemistry, for sure.
“Oh Jesus,” Sam mutters, breaking the moment. “Y’all make me sick with that fifty-shades of gray bullshit. If I have to hear Rogers spanking the holy hell out of you one more time I’m going to mistake it for a domestic dispute.”
“Hey, let’s not make light of domestic violence,” Steve says. When he glances over (hoping for a blush, a flush, any sign that their banter is affecting him), Tony’s head is ducked, and maybe he’s looking at the ground, politely playing spectator in the conversation, but Bucky thinks that maybe he’s looking at Steve’s hands, broad and strong and capable of delivering spanks that have Bucky’s teeth chattering.
Bucky ups the ante. “Can’t mistake it for nothing than what it is, Wilson, not when I’m thankin’ him after every spank.”
“If you were spanking him right,” says Tony suddenly, flashing eyes that burn from behind his sunglasses. “The only word he should be able to say is please.”
Bucky’s mouth goes dry, a ringing in his ears as he stares at Tony’s confident, experienced gaze where it rests on Bucky’s own boyfriend. He’s got the urge to go down on his knees then and there, to ask for a demonstration that will leave his ass aching for days. By the time his soul returns to his body, he’s missed half of whatever Sam is saying.
“—came over here to find you two fuckers because some of the other boys asked me to. Want to throw some ball? The field’s clear for it.”
“Hell yeah,” Bucky says to cover up the fact that he wasn’t listening. “Steve?”
“Sure,” the blond agrees in his calm, agreeable way.
Tony clears his throat, taking a step away from the group. Bucky and Steve share an alarmed look from behind their own sunglasses. Tony strikes them as the kind of man who always keeps a foot out the door, but they don’t want him to get away so easily. Especially if what he really wants is to be there as bad as they think he does.
“Nice meeting you boys,” he says. “Enjoy your game—I’d say stay out of trouble but if you’re anything like I was, that will only encourage you—”
“Whoa, you’re leaving already?” Bucky asks. At risk of coming on too strong too soon, Bucky reaches out to put a gentle hand on Tony’s shoulder, watching him closely. When the man’s mouth parts a little, no sign of being uncomfortable visible in the set of his shoulders or the lines of his face, Bucky squeezes a little, feeling burning skin through Tony’s leather jacket.
“We could really use a referee,” Steve offers. In a stage whisper: “Bucky cheats.”
Bucky pulls away to lightly punch at one of Steve’s broad shoulders. “That’s Steve’s way of saying I’m talented. If we have an unbiased judge for once, will that put to rest this cheating bullshit, Steve? Then Tony, you’ve got to come watch. Unless you’ve got someplace to be. Is your wife waiting in the car, maybe?”
Tony snorts softly. He holds up his hand, free of rings. “No wife. But if you’re any good at this game, you already knew that.”
“If you’re so knowledgeable, then you must know that we needed to hear you say it,” Steve counters lowly. It’s Steve’s turn to put one broad palm on Tony’s shoulder, and the size difference between them is enough to have Bucky’s throat squeezing tight like when Steve’s got a hand around it. Fuck, he could see it all in his head like the filthiest show: Steve bending Tony in half across the island in their off-campus apartment together, Tony’s smaller figure riding Steve, making eyes at Bucky across the room. But he’s getting ahead of himself. “What do you say, Tony? Help us settle an old score?”
“At your service,” says Tony, grinning widely.
-
“What the fuck are you doing, Tony,” Tony mutters under his breath to himself. The field looks lovely, even if the lines are faded and not yet repainted. The grass is lush and green, providing the perfect background for Steve and Bucky’s pale bodies. They’ve got him set up on the first row of the stands so that he has ‘the best vantage’.
The vantage is pretty fucking good. When the two grad students had joined their half-dozen friends, the two had immediately shed their shirts, giving them to Tony for safekeeping. Thank God for sunglasses, because it gave Tony the freedom to let his eyes wander over two of the most sculpted chests he’s ever seen outside of a magazine or television. It’s fucking obscene how broad Steve’s shoulders are, the way they taper to his slim waist. Neither of them has a single hair on their chests, and Steve is notably lacking the fine line of hair that Bucky has running from his navel down into his shorts.
Tony remembers those days. Waxing, working out, keeping his body firm and appealing so as to attract and delight whatever sex he wanted to go home with that night. That had changed after Pepper, her not-so-playful wondering of Why are you trying so hard, Tony? You’ve already got me. Their breakup years ago had swept all the dirt from beneath the rug, and her accusations of infidelity still stung after all this time.
Still reminded Tony that he was just a washed-up old man compared to these kids horsing around on the football field of his alma mater. If he wanted to have a midlife crisis, he could go to the nearest dealership and buy a corvette. But is that all this is? When the two had approached him like tigers closing in on a tasty meal, he’d felt flattered. Almost embarrassed. He’d done such things during his college days—volunteered to wear the ugly red shirts that would set him apart as a student underclassmen could look to to ask questions. Escorting freshmen and sophomores to their dorm rooms had been the perfect way to strike up conversations, and Tony had ended up inside those dorm rooms more times than he could count.
He’d never been interested in men like him, though, always more interested in people his own age. If he’d seen a man in his (very) late forties with so much gray, he never would have given them the time of day. Too old for the casual lifestyle. He’d been prepared to tell the boys that, to send them on their way. But the same reason he didn’t was the same reason why he wasn’t meant to have casual-sex anymore. He caught feelings too quickly. Fifteen years of monogamy has reconditioned his brain, and now he craves the connection. Wonders what Steve and Bucky do on dates together, if they want to travel, if there’s room between them for another person.
“Tony, you dumb bastard,” he sighs to himself. Then, louder, cupping his hands around his mouth: “Hey—! That was holding, Bucky! Roll around with Steve on your own time!”
On the field, Bucky has Steve pinned to the grass. His torso, damp with sweat, catches the light as he twists to listen to what Tony’s saying. The grin he gives is far from apologetic, and judging by the way one of Steve’s large hands splays against the curve of his boyfriend’s waist, Steve is hardly a victim.
The rest of the team boo at Bucky, Sam cuffing his head gently as they all set up another play.
This must be foreplay for them, Tony thinks fondly, working hard to keep from grinning. The two of them have basically spent the entire game with their hands on each other. Tony won’t say he’s unaffected by the sight of two attractive men grappling with each other, of the position of power he’s in. When he shouts stop, they stop. Clearing his throat, he shifts, leaning forward to plant his elbows on his knees and hide the growing bulge in his jeans. His own jacket has been removed and sat to the side, too hot to wear it in the direct sunlight.
When Steve misses a signal because he’s too busy looking at Tony in the stands, it’s a good fucking feeling.
The kiss the two of them share when Bucky scores a touchdown (even if he’s on the opposite team from Steve) is open-mouthed and deep, both of Steve’s hands cupping either side of Bucky’s face to hold them together, the searing heat between them enough for Tony to feel even so far away. One hand drifts down to cup Bucky’s ass and Tony groans under his breath, forced to turn his gaze away.
By the end, Bucky’s team has won.
“Losers buy drinks!” Sam shouts to cheers from all.
A Monday night and they’re going out for drinks, oh to be young again.
Tony meets them on the field and is roped into an exuberant, sweaty hug from the victorious Bucky. They are easily a head taller than he is, and even though Tony isn’t some twink (he works out plenty often, though warding off heart disease isn’t sexy in any way shape or form), he can’t help but feel dwarfed. The hard planes of Bucky’s body pressed flush against his own, the way Steve’s eyes glitter as he takes in the sight of them—there’s a heat pooling low in Tony’s gut.
“Congratulations,” Tony says, breathing in the masculine scent of sweat. “And Steve, my condolences.”
“Thanks,” Steve laughs.
“Enjoy your drinks, gentlemen,” says Tony.
Bucky pulls back, frowning down at Tony. “What, you’re not coming with? Steve owes you a drink too. The referee gets the first drink, as a matter of fact. Come out with us.”
“Yeah, Tony,” says Steve coming up to wrap an arm around Bucky’s waist. The look they give him leaves no room for interpretation. Tony isn’t slow—for some reason he can’t begin to imagine, these two want to fuck him. Taking him out for a drink is far from a contract set in stone, but it’s the next step to Tony ending up between their sheets. Steve lifts a hand to thread it through Bucky’s dark hair. “Do you want us to beg?”
Tony licks his lips. “That would be a sight.”
“Is that a yes?’ Bucky asks. “Or should I get on my knees? You know—to beg.”
That image spears through Tony’s gut like a lightning bolt. “I could come out for a drink or two.”
-
One by one, their friends take their leave in various states of intoxication, many of them with aching cheeks and chests from laughing. Tony is a fucking hit, witty and sarcastic and clever. He roasts the boys like he’s one of them, but Steve and Bucky are all too aware of how he isn’t. The wisdom in his eyes, the sadness of his silences when he slips out of the conversation and loses himself in his thoughts.
Sam plays the most excellent wingman. When he leaves, dragging Bucky up out of the chair to grab him in a bone-aching hug, Sam mutters in his ear, “I like this guy. Treat him good.”
“And then there were three,” Tony murmurs, voice nearly lost to the noise of the bar. “Should we call it a night, or should we order another drink?”
“I don’t know about you two,” Steve says, “But I need to slow down. Maybe we should order something with a little more sustenance than the typical bar food.”
“Burgers?” Bucky offers. “What do you say, Tony? Are you in?”
Tony’s glossy eyes flicker between them, narrowed in playful confusion but with a healthy dose of skepticism. He’s had more to drink than any of them, starting out with hard liquor (letting everyone try his expensive aged whiskey) before tapering off to beer. His body is loose, face flushed, but he’s just as quick. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you two are trying to get me...sober. Which is actually a refreshing change of pace from the people I’m usually at bars with.”
“You don’t have to stop if you don’t want to.”
Reaching out, Tony finishes off the last of his draft before pushing the glass away. The smile he gives them is so fucking handsome, none of the anxiety or self-consciousness in his gaze the way there had been at the quad. What this incredible man has to be self-conscious about, Bucky has no fucking clue. Tony rubs his hands together. “So. Burgers?”
Over burgers, the conversation changes tempo from the fast-paced, superficial topics they’d discussed among the other college boys. The three of them may as well exist in their own little world; once the bar’s busy hours began, they moved to a smaller table in the corner to free up seats for larger parties, families flooding in to have their last dinners with their college kids before driving away. Gravitating towards each other, heads always leaned close to be heard over the music, Bucky has seen the waitress turn away from them more than once, unwilling to break the spell they all seem to hold over each other.
“So your son’s going to school for bioengineering?” Bucky asks, licking grease off his fingers.
Tony’s eyes watch the movement, so Bucky plays up the action, giving a flash of teeth and tongue before sucking his fingers clean. He’s already feeling more sober, the greasy food soaking up the alcohol in his stomach. Tony reaches out for his sweating water glass and takes a large gulp that has Bucky hiding his smirk. “Peter. Yes, he’s always been especially interested in advanced prosthetics.”
“He’s in the right place then,” Steve says. “We’re number one in engineering this side of the Mississippi, and the head of the bioengineering department is top in her field.”
Tony smirks. “No need to sell me on the college, kids. I went here myself.”
Bucky leans forward. “Major?”
“Which one?”
“Ho-ly shit, Steve. You hear that? Which one. All the ones, Tony, all the ones.”
“I have a Masters in electrical engineering and physics.”
“Fuck me,” Bucky breathes. “You’re a genius.”
“It’s funny that you say that,” says Tony. “I have been called that once or twice or ten dozen times.”
“Can we ask about Peter’s mom?” Steve asks. He immediately regrets the question when Tony’s face falls from its easy smile. The crowd mills around them just outside the gravitational pull of their table, and Tony leans back in his chair to watch it for a long silent minute. Steve nudges the older man’s foot under the table. “Hey—you don’t have to answer that.”
Tony waves a careless hand, though there’s nothing relaxed about his expression. “It’s fine. Peter was the result of a one night stand during my younger less responsible days. Mary and I co-parented fine. She passed away after a terrible accident many years ago, when Peter was just a boy.”
Bucky’s heart aches, a physical weight in his chest it sinks like a stone tossed into water. “I’m so sorry,” he says.
“Me too. She was a very good woman and an incredible mother. After she died, I knew I couldn’t care for a young child on my own, so I remarried. Pepper is an awesome step-mother; when I was leaving Pete’s dorm, he was just booting up his laptop to Skype with her and show her his room. We divorced a handful of years ago because of—irreconcilable differences. It was rough on Peter.”
“And on you,” Bucky surmises.
Tony winces. He lifts his water to try and hide behind it. “That obvious?”
“Do you miss her?” Steve asks. His face is clear and open and sympathetic; Bucky knows him well enough to know that he isn’t the easily jealous type, that even if Tony said he was still madly in love with this ex-wife Pepper (and what kind of name is that, Bucky wonders) Steve wouldn’t take it personally.
“No,” says Tony without preamble. “The fighting was bad. I worked too much, I didn’t want more children, I didn’t make her feel wanted. She was convinced that if I wasn’t being intimate with her, then I was being intimate with someone else. My porn history is what really tipped her off to my changing proclivities. I thought, I’m too old to be having a sexuality crisis. She thought I’d misled her—tricked her into marrying a gay man.”
“There’s no such thing as too old,” Steve says with tenderness. “And you hardly could have tricked her if you hadn’t known yourself.”
Tony’s smile is misty, distracted. “Yeah. Well. Jesus, boys, would you look at the time?”
“Tony.”
“It was sweet of you kids to humor me, but I really should get going. It’s a long drive back to New York City.”
“Are you sure? You had a lot to drink,” Bucky says. There are a host of reasons why he wants Tony to stay—at this table, in this moment, in this bar—but more than anything, he wants Tony to be safe. And he wants Tony to want to stay.
“I’ll sober up on the walk back to the university’s parking lot, don’t worry.”
“Our place is close by,” Steve says. “We live in an apartment for graduates. It’s small and the walls are thin, but it’s clean and you’re more than welcome to stay and drive back in the morning.”
Tony frowns. Bucky wishes that he’d push those ridiculous tinted glasses back so that they could see the darkness of his eyes and whatever might be swimming in them. Face flushed with either drink or anger, the older man scoffs, pushing away his water. “I really don’t get you two. There were half-a-hundred other men and women in the quad who would have been happy to go home with you. Why the hell did you target me? Look, here’s some life advice: try to avoid picking up middle-aged men with as much baggage in their past as they have bags under their eyes.”
“Wait a minute—” says Steve firmly. Bucky can feel the tenseness in his form mirrored in his boyfriend’s body, a rising sense of alarm that the night is not turning out the way they had hoped. It happens sometimes: Bucky and Steve will pick up a person only for the night to end outside the bar. But judging by Steve’s clenched jaw and the way Bucky’s own heart pounds, this isn’t a situation they’ll be able to walk away from - not without shooting their shot properly.
But Tony makes a derisive noise to stop Steve before he can start. Reaching into his wallet, he takes out an obscene amount of cash to leave it on the table. “Please. No more. Thanks for trying to repair an old man’s pride.”
They watch his figure as he begins to shuffle his way through the crowd towards the exit.
“I don’t wanna let him go,” Bucky says. “Not right now, but not tomorrow morning, neither.”
“You really like him,” says Steve, more of a statement than any question. He takes a last drink of water before standing hastily. “Then we’d better not let him walk away without knowing.”
Outside, the air has a chill in it. People stream along the sidewalk wearing jackets to protect them from the beginning hints of the New England fall. Their height gives them an advantage as they search the crowd for a shorter head of dark, impossibly fluffy hair. Steve takes a firm grip of Bucky’s arm, pointing, whispering a breathless, there!
Bucky sees him. Tony has stopped the next building over and is leaning heavily against the brick wall, both hands rubbing at his face as if trying to wipe the remnants of sleep away. The people flooding in and out of the bar have disguised Bucky and Steve’s exit; they nearly make it to him unseen before he turns and begins to walk away back towards the university, when a knot of fear that’s tied itself deep in Bucky’s throat makes him call out, “Tony!”
Glancing over his shoulder, Tony’s face displays a complex series of emotions that Bucky can’t properly follow—but at least he doesn’t run. Stepping out of the crowd’s current, he lingers at the mouth of an alley while the two younger men catch up to him.
“I know I left enough cash,” Tony says tiredly.
“We aren’t here about the cash,” Steve says. “We really had a good time tonight, and we don’t want it to end. If you’d rather head home alone instead of with us, could we at least get your number?”
“My number?” Tony asks, eyes wide. He shoves his hands deep into his pockets. “What for?”
“To text you,” says Bucky. “To maybe set up another time to meet up whenever you’re back this way.”
“Come on, boys,” Tony murmurs, his voice nearly lost to the crowd. He looks at them with soft, sad eyes. “Come on. Let's just quit pretending.”
“Who’s pretending? What will prove it to you? You want me to beg? I offered it once before. I’m not above it.”
Neither of them can miss the way Tony’s throat bobs at the suggestion. Before anyone else can say a word, Steve’s hand is pressed to Bucky’s shoulder. When Bucky glances over, he sees the cool level gaze and immediately goes soft and spacey in the head (though hard everywhere else).
“Go on,” Steve says to Bucky. His voice is low and sure and goes straight to Bucky’s cock. “That’s what he wants. You want to give him what he wants, don’t you? Get down on your knees and beg him.”
“Steve,” Tony croaks.
The rest of his sentence is lost at the sound of Bucky’s knees connecting with the pavement. Tony looks good from down here, Bucky thinks dimly, looks good from every angle, but there’s something about being on his knees that makes Bucky see through different eyes.
“Please don’t be done with us,” Bucky begs through numb lips. Behind him, the raucous mill of the crowd melts into white noise. They’re only just inside the mouth of the alleyway. People would barely have to turn their heads to see them and the thought sets Bucky’s nerves on fire. “Please, give us a chance.”
A long breath comes out of Tony’s nose, jaw clenching and unclenching. His looks from Steve to Bucky again and again before he lets a tentative hand reach out and touch Bucky’s hair. Bucky’s eyes fall shut at the feeling. There’s a reason why he keeps his hair long. Mouth parting, he tilts his head into the older man’s touch.
“Jesus,” Tony breathes. “What am I going to do with you, kid?”
“There’s plenty you could do,” Steve offers. “But you don’t have to do anything at all, if you don’t want to.”
Then Tony is kneeling in front of him, shifting those tinted glasses until they rest in the impeccable cloud of his hair. He takes up all the space in the alley, all the space in Bucky’s vision, all the space in his brain.
“What about you, James?” Tony asks. “What do you want?”
Without any hesitation: “I wanna make you feel good.”
They kiss. There’s no preamble, no gentle exploration; Bucky and Tony are both masterful kissers after years of experience, and at the moment neither of them are sober enough to worry about finesse. Bucky takes Tony’s tongue into his own mouth and suckles, swallowing the way the older man groans. His facial hair abraids Bucky’s mouth and chin, the sting making him feel raw and hot all over. It’s one of the best kisses he’s ever had, and if it’s an omen of how the evening will progress, it’s a very fucking good one.
“Fuck,” Tony mutters, pulling back. His breath fans across Bucky’s face as he laughs, one hand coming to rest on the younger man’s shoulder. “I’m not twenty-five anymore; this kills my knees.”
Steve, who had nearly blended into the shadows while watching them with bated breath, helps Tony up, adding, “I guess Bucky and I will be the only ones on our knees tonight.”
Then it’s his turn to kiss Tony, tilting the older man’s chin upwards and cupping the back of his head with one broad palm. They are the antithesis of each other: one tall and broad, pale and blond. Bucky groans at the sight of his boyfriend’s jaws opening, the hint of hollowness in his cheeks as he licks into Tony’s mouth.
“God,” Steve mutters when he pulls back to catch his breath. “That whiskey tastes even better comin’ off of your tongue.”
“How close is your apartment?” Tony asks.
“Too far,” Steve says roughly. “Too far for me to not have my hands on you. Yes or no?”
“Yes. Yes, yes.”
The two of them coax Tony deeper into the alleyway, his boots echoing off the concrete. When they’re a safe enough distance from the prying eyes of the street, Steve leans with his back against one brick wall, pulling Tony’s back to rest against his chest while Bucky presses himself flush to the man’s front. There’s no hiding Bucky’s erection which presses into the soft cotton of the t-shirt beneath Tony’s jacket, and when Bucky shifts a thigh between the man’s legs, there’s no way to miss Tony’s erection either.
Tony sighs in pleasure as Bucky drags his thigh along his cock. When his head tilts back, Steve is there nuzzling into the side of his neck, scraping teeth along the sensitive skin.
“Fuck me, look at him, Steve,” Bucky pants. With hands firm on Tony’s hips, he tugs the shorter man up while angling his own hips down until the bulge of their cocks can drag against each other. “He’s so fuckin’ beautiful, isn’t he?”
“Like art,” Steve rumbles into Tony’s neck. “Wanna pin him up against the wall—”
“I think I can feel what you plan on pinning me with,” Tony breathes, arching his back.
“You think?” Steve asks, rutting his hips upwards. It punches a gasp from Tony’s mouth that Bucky swallows with his own.
Between them, Tony must feel like the pivot on a seesaw, dragged back and forth, both of them desperate for whatever part of his body they could touch. Steve splays a wide hand against Tony’s breastbone between his open jacket and drags his palm from one pec to the other, fingers taking one clothed nipple (hard and delicate as a glass bead where it pokes through his t-shirt) and working it over, tender and merciless.
In front of him, Bucky guides his hips so that Tony maintains a steady pace where their cocks are grinding together. He hasn’t cum in his pants since he was fifteen years old with his first girlfriend writhing against his lap, but he feels liable to repeat history tonight.
“You feel so good,” Bucky groans into the juncture of Tony’s neck. “Been thinking about this ever since I spotted you on the quad, even more at the bar. Every time you’d flirt with the waitress I’d almost pop a stiffie. Nobody’s got a right being as sexy as you are.”
“You’ve got it—ah!—wrong,” Tony pants. He’s wrapped his arms around Bucky’s neck, the fingers of one hand tangled and tugging at his hair. “Watching you and Steve roll around on that football field was like pornography. The hell do you think I had my jacket in my lap, for?”
Bucky barely manages to stifle an embarrassing sound in his throat. His balls feel tight and heavy, as if he’s been edging himself all day long. His jerking thrusts against Tony’s jeans begin to become sporadic as he chases that high. His sweatpants will be ruined—they probably already are, if he’s leaking like a faucet how he thinks he is—but all consequences and repercussions fade as the coil of heat in his gut winds itself tighter and tighter.
“‘M gonna cum,” he gasps, shivering when he hears the breath Tony sucks in at his words.
“You want that, Tony?” Steve asks. “You want him to cum or do you want him to wait? You get to decide tonight—”
“Steve,” Bucky says, voice strained. “Don’t make me stop, please don’t make me, he feels so good, Steve—”
“Stop him,” Tony gasps, though his own hips offer no help considering he arches them to rub the burning line of their cocks together. “Don’t let him cum.”
Steve reaches out to press firmly on Bucky’s chest until he stumbles back away from the warm cradle of Tony’s hips, an undignified noise slipping past his lips. From a distance, he’s treated to the incredible sight of them: Steve holding Tony flush against him, the way Tony’s eyes are dark and heavy-lidded, the obscene bulge in his denim and the way his entire body jerks when Steve thrusts his cock against the lush curve of Tony’s ass.
“Jesus, you all aren’t making it easy on me,” Bucky says, palming his eyes.
“Tony’s right,” Steve says firmly. “He deserves better than this. We need more room.”
“Apartment?” Tony wonders through swollen lips.
“Apartment. Let’s go, sugar, we’ll take a shortcut.”
-
What the hell am I doing? Tony wonders for the thousandth time that day as they walk briskly down alleys and jaywalk across streets. The thought replays in his head like a track on repeat. His own erection wanes quickly thanks to a heart condition and as a lovely perk of aging, but he hardly minds when he sees how ridiculous the two younger men look trying to hide their half-hard cocks while navigating the downtown area. Tony removes his jacket and offers it to Bucky who has a tell-tale patch of darkness where the head of his cock has rested. The sight makes his heart pound.
What the hell am I doing, he thinks again when the two of them pin him to the wall in the elevator of their apartment building, both of them grinding their respective erections into his hips while teasing the sensitive skin of his neck, hands creeping up under the hem of his t-shirt to trace his quivering stomach.
He feels infused with some sort of youthful madness. The three of them stumble out of the elevator with swollen mouths and tented pants and he feels young again. Even for just a moment while Steve takes the time to unlock their apartment door. Then the three of them are tumbling over the threshold and Tony remembers—right, he’s on the wrong side of forty.
“Goddamnit,” he hisses when his knee cracks against the doorframe. The twin expressions of horror on Bucky and Steve’s faces have his pained groan turning into laughter, even as Bucky leans down to wind one of Tony’s arms over his broad shoulders and help him to the couch.
“Jesus, you okay?” Bucky asks, kneeling down between Tony’s spread thighs and tenderly running his fingers over Tony’s clothed knee.
“Fine,” Tony laughs. “Still a little drunk.”
Bucky’s eyes flash upwards, pale, liquid heat. His fingers trail up, up, until they trace the seam at the crotch of Tony’s jeans. “Too drunk?”
“Not that drunk, kid,” Tony smirks. “Not by far.”
“Good,” Steve says from where he’s locking up the door. “Do you want Bucky to suck you off?”
The idea, spoken so casually as Steve pauses to rifle through the drawer of the foyer table, sends a bolt of electricity down Tony’s spine. He’ll never get used to it—that flippant way Steve speaks about Bucky, as if Bucky is just an item Steve feels welcomed to loan out. Sure, you can take him home, Tony. Just rewind him before you bring him back.
“I think he likes the thought of that,” Bucky says lowly, his mouth curving upward to hint at wickedness.
Steve stops, rustling papers falling silent as he glances over his shoulder at them. “Tony? What do you want?”
“I’m amenable,” he admits, far more breathlessly than he’d like.
“Then get to it, Bucky, I’m looking for our papers we got from the clinic.”
“Lookin’ in the wrong place,” Bucky teases. “On top of the ‘fridge.”
Then he leans forward and licks a broad line up over Tony’s denim-covered cock. It barely registers as pressure on his dick, but it’s the imagery that has the blood rushing from his head in a torrent so strong he feels dizzy. Bucky keeps his eyes cracked open, glittering as he takes Tony apart, laving him from outside his jeans, dragging the line of his teeth down the growing bulge to laugh at the sound that slips past the older man’s lips. He opens wide to mouth at Tony’s balls, the heat from his breath and tongue seeping through the denim.
“Finally,” Steve breathes, drawing Tony’s attention. He holds out two pieces of paper—how the hell he expects Tony to read given the lack of blood in his brain, Tony has no idea. “Bucky and I get tested regularly. Here’s our most recent screening, and we’ve only slept with each other since then.”
“I don’t have mine,” Tony says. His voice sounds strained from the effort it takes to keep his hips still and not fuck up into Bucky’s mouth. “Condoms okay?”
“More than fine,” Steve says. “God, look at you, Bucky. Makin’ a mess of him.”
“Get me something and I’ll blow him proper.”
Steve retrieves condoms while Bucky unfastens Tony’s jeans. He gets distracted by the sight of Tony’s cock straining against the fabric of his boxer briefs and leans forward to nuzzle against it. It takes all the breath from him. When was the last time Tony felt desirable? To have Bucky looking at him this way, refusing to withdraw his mouth from Tony for longer than a moment at a time—it fills up an empty, wounded part inside of him that he had avoided acknowledging in the first place.
“Finally,” Bucky breathes, snagging a condom up from where Steve drops them on the couch cushion beside Tony. Tony wants to mirror the sentiment, but his throat is shut tight while he watches Bucky tear open the condom with expert fingers.
Steve kneels down next to his boyfriend. One hand cups Bucky’s jaw and briefly turns his head so that their mouths can meet. If Tony thought he was breathless before, he knew differently now. It’s pornography in person, it’s erotica come to life watching both of these hopelessly attractive young men kiss each other so filthily, tongues flashing pink when they adjust the positions of their mouths.
The aching of Tony’s cock is painful. When he reaches down to rub the heel of his palm over it, it offers only the briefest reprieve, his eyes fluttering shut. Then Steve’s fingers wrap gently around his wrist and his eyes open to see the both of them watching him, flushed with swollen mouths.
“Sorry,” Steve rumbles. “We are easily distracted.”
“Then you’re among like-kind,” says Tony.
“May I?” Bucky asks, holding up the condom.
“Please.”
“Hips up, sugar,” Steve murmurs. There’s a fluttering of embarrassment at the endearment—in some ways Tony feels infantilized—but it’s been so long since he was called any sweet name (besides Peter’s fond, exasperated dad’s) that a larger part of him feels choked at the name. Swallowing hard, Tony shifts upward so that Steve can work the jeans and underwear down and off.
Bucky reels off a line of expletives at the sight of Tony’s cock: long, cut, flushed. It jerks under their gazes, the head slick and sticky. He can’t help but laugh under his breath at the expressions on their faces. The laughter ends when Bucky reaches out to trace his fingers up his shaft, thumbing at the sensitive skin beneath the head.
“You’re perfect,” says Bucky.
“It’s a cock.”
“Yours,” says Steve. “Is there anything about you that ain’t perfect?”
“I’m positive there is, but I really can’t think of them right now,” Tony says, thighs tense from the effort it takes to keep still under Bucky’s explorative touch. When a warm palm cups his balls, rolling them tenderly, feeling the heft of them, all semblance of language leaks from Tony’s ears.
“God, you need to cum, don’t ya?” Bucky asks. “It’s been too long, hasn’t it? Bet you don’t like to cum with your kid in the house, but he’s been hanging around night and day to spend time with you before he went away to school. Has there been nobody since your ex, Tony? It’s like you were saving it up for us. It’s okay, it’s okay, we’ll take care of you. Just how you deserve.”
With careful fingers, Bucky places the condom at the tip of Tony’s cock before rolling it down his aching shaft. Then Bucky is chasing the edge of the latex with his mouth, heat and pressure enveloping him. Tony makes a guttural sound, fingers scrabbling at the cushions of the sofa for purchase.
“Don’t be greedy, Buck,” Steve says. With a hand on the nape of Bucky’s neck, he coaxes his boyfriend back off of Tony’s cock so that he can lean forward and lap at it with his own tongue.
“Holy shit,” Tony slurs drunkenly. While Steve sucks on the head, Bucky places open-mouthed kisses along the shaft. They urge Tony’s thighs wider and wider so they can comfortably take turns rolling his balls in their palms, tugging softly, hurting him in the best way. It helps to keep his orgasm at bay, though he still feels it creeping over him. It centers in his lower gut, a liquid heat relocating to his balls.
“He’s getting close, Steve,” Bucky breathes, his lips brushing against Tony’s shaft. “His balls are drawin’ up. Feel—”
“God, you’re right.”
“Don’t want to cum yet,” pants Tony.
“Do you want us to stop?” Steve asks.
That idea is painful in a way Tony can't tolerate.
“No, just—” His hands release their death-grip on the sofa to bat their hands out of the way. Using one hand to press his cock towards the flat of his stomach, his other hands slaps at his heavy sac. Gasping in pain, he doubles over on instinct to protect his most sensitive parts while the pain lances bright and sharp through his gut. As he catches his breath, he feels how his erection has waned. Still hard, but not in the danger zone. Had he been any closer, the blow to his balls might have made him cum, no matter how bad it had hurt. Tony’s always been one of those people to enjoy pain with his pleasure.
“I don’t like that,” Bucky says, frowning as Tony uncurls and leans back to his original position. “Don’t hurt yourself. We coulda just put a ring on you—”
“Rings will only do so much,” Tony laughs, still trying to catch his breath. Then, with surprising diffidence, he mentions, “Sometimes, I like to be hurt.”
Steve groans, collapsing forward to rest on Tony’s thigh. Muffled, he says, “Don’t tell me that, Tony. Have mercy on me.”
“Steve’s a sadist,” Bucky admits, grinning. He leans forward and laps at the latex covering Tony’s cockhead.
Tony lets out a shaky breath through his nose. “Is that so?”
Steve lifts his head and pins Tony in place with the heat behind his gaze. “Can’t help it,” he says, voice rough. “I love...confusing people. Take Bucky for example: the first few spanks, he flinches away, right? Puts up a real fuss. But position him so his cock’ll only brush against my leg if he’s arching his back, and he’ll be thrusting out his ass for me to spank in no time at all. Work a person over with pleasure and pain and they’ll start cravin’ both.”
“Work me over enough so that it doesn’t hurt so fucking bad when you’re following too close at the grocery store and step on my heels, will you?” Bucky deadpans.
“You're doing too much talking,” Steve says. With a firm hand, he cups the back of Bucky’s head and coaxes him down until Tony’s cock bumps his cheek. “Go on, baby. Choke on him.”
Tony gives a groan that is mirrored (though muffled) by Bucky. That impossible heat and force of suction surrounds his cock as Bucky’s lips slide lower and lower, tongue working against the thickness as best as it can. When Tony’s cockhead brushes the firm back of his throat, Bucky’s dark eyelashes flutter shut. Steve is just as enraptured as Tony, watching with hooded eyes even as he presses down with more force on the back of Bucky’s head.
Bucky gags, the back of his throat spasming around the most sensitive part of Tony’s cock. Tony moans long and low, reaching out to brush away the stray strands of hair in the younger man’s face. Bucky’s eyes flutter open at the touch. The whites are flushing red, tears at the corners as he continues to gag and gag and gag, massaging Tony’s cock with his throat.
“He loves it,” Steve whispers over the wet, obscene sounds of Bucky choking.
“That true?” Tony grits out. “Do you love choking on cock, Bucky?”
Steve relents his grip so that Bucky can pull back, mouth wet and red and gasping for breath. “Your cock,” he says with a cracking voice. “Love choking on your cock, daddy.”
“Fuck,” Tony groans, legs shaking. “Don’t call me that, you shouldn’t call me that—”
“He shouldn’t call you that, or you shouldn’t like it?” Steve wonders.
“Both.”
“He loves it too,” Steve whispers. He’s the devil on Tony’s shoulder, feeding him everything he needs to hear to drag him deeper to sin. “Look at him. If you bent your leg and gave him your shoe to rub against, he’d cum quicker than you could blink. It’s the power imbalance. He’s getting off on it, so why can’t you?”
Bucky pulls back. His voice is throaty when he laughs and says, “Steve, I think you’re usin’ your mouth too much.”
The blond man laughs. “Yeah, maybe you’re right.”
Then both of their mouths are back on Tony’s cock, licking and sucking, making sure to run their lips over every last inch of him. Sometimes they are distracted enough to pull back and kiss for a moment, mouths swollen. Sometimes they refuse to part from Tony, instead lapping at each other’s mouths from around Tony’s cock. The heat in him builds slow like water turned from simmering to boiling. He reaches out and pets his hands through both of their hair, Bucky’s so fine and dark, Steve’s so thick and golden. When one of their thumbs drifts to the sensitive skin behind his balls and rubs in a slow, firm circle, all at once he feels like he’s vaporizing.
“I’m going to cum,” he warns.
Steve pulls off, nuzzling wetly at Bucky’s temple to say, “Go on baby, you’ve earned it. You finish him off.”
Instead, Bucky pulls off too, looking at Steve with mournful, sulky eyes. “I want his cum, Stephen.”
“Don’t talk to me, talk to him!”
Bucky turns that heated gaze on Tony instead. He looks absolutely debauched: face flushed, sweat gluing strands of dark hair to his pale temples, mouth red and swollen. Leaning forward, he drags his smooth cheek along Tony’s throbbing cock. “Why can’t I have it,” Bucky mutters with all the morose energy of a teenager. “Come on, daddy, lemme have your cum. I'd strip this condom off of you and drain you, suck you dry."
It’s, fuck—what, like it can’t tempt him? It does. He hasn’t cum in anyone’s mouth since Pepper (and as per her preferences, she’d then spit). He’s never had someone acting positively thirsty for his cum. It's a heady feeling, something he could get drunk off of, could get used to. But Tony was a young queer man during the AIDS crisis. He knows that safety matters more than the heat of the moment.
“You’ll take what I give you,” he says. “And I will give it to you, once we all know it’s safe and we can enjoy it properly. Now—be a good boy and, and suck daddy off.”
If Bucky notices that the words are stilted coming from Tony’s mouth, he doesn’t show it. A noise slips from his throat, raw and high and desperate, and then he is leaning forward and taking as much of Tony’s cock past his lips as he can, groaning wetly when it chokes him. Tony’s fingers tighten, pulling harshly at Bucky’s roots as the heat in his balls builds back to boiling point.
A warm hand reaches out to push Tony’s shirt up, baring the long line of his soft abs. He places his palm just beneath Tony’s navel just in time for the muscles there to clench up tight as Tony cums.
For a moment the pressure builds and builds, leaves him standing at the precipice and looking over the edge for so long that he thinks it might last forever. Then one firmer press of that thumb behind his balls snaps the tether that held him back from plummeting down. His entire body tenses as his balls draw up tight. No sound escapes until his cock finally begins to release its spend, and then the only sounds in the room are Bucky’s wet gags and Tony’s choked groans as one of the best orgasms of his life is wrung out of him. Maybe it’s a good thing he shoots into a condom instead of down the kid's throat, because it seems to last forever. Steve presses him firmly to the couch even as his body spasms in the throes of pleasure, a comforting weight.
“Jesus,” Tony whispers to the ceiling, body wracked with aftershocks.
“Did you hear that?” Bucky rasps letting Tony’s softening cock slip from his mouth. Tony blinks down at him, unsure if there was something he as supposed to hear—a knock on the door, the wet sounds of the best blowjob of his life—but then he realizes that Bucky is speaking to Steve. “He said he will give it to me. That means we’re not finished, right? There’s gonna be more between us, right Tony?”
Tony breathes out, his heart soft. Now that he’s cum, he feels the post-coital exhaustion coming over him. Christ, it must be late. The best way to spend his evening (if they’ll let him) would be to spend it pressed between their stacked, warm bodies.
“I’d like there to be more,” he admits. The blood returning to his brain brings back all of his doubts, his fears, his insecurities. What the hell is he doing, letting two young men take him home, letting two young men work their way into his heart like this? Surely it is doomed. But if there’s even the slightest chance of otherwise, then Tony feels obliged to follow it down, to see it through right to the end.
“We can take all this slow,” says Steve, the voice of reason. “Exchange numbers. See each other next time you’re in town to see Peter. See what happens.”
“I’m an exclusive kind of guy,” Tony admits. Realizing the irony of having such a conversation with his pants down, he works them back up over his hips, tying off the condom and depositing it in a trash can Steve produces from beneath one endtable. “Fifteen years of monogamy will do that to a man. If I’m talking with you two, I won’t be talking with anyone else.”
“That’s fair,” Bucky says, leaning his cheek against the denim of Tony’s jeans. One side of his mouth quirks upwards. “Besides, you’ll have your hands full with the two of us, anyway.”
“We’d extend that same courtesy,” Steve says, poking Bucky in the ribs. “Besides—I don’t think anyone is going to be peaking our interests. Not if they aren’t you.”
“That’s sappy.” And everything he’s ever wanted.
“It’s true, though.”
“Steve’s a big softie,” Bucky teases. Throwing his voice in a poor imitation of his boyfriend, he adds: “I’m Steve and my childhood asthma left me with a huge complex—I want to make you crave pain and then make you vegan pancakes in the morning.”
“That’s it—” Steve slaps Bucky upside the head. “No pancakes for you in the morning. None.”
“What about for me?” Tony wonders softly.
Steve’s smile, when he turns it on Tony, is bright as the sun. “For you? All the vegan pancakes.”
Bucky mutters something foul under his breath, and all at once Steve is towering over him, chest nearly pressed against Bucky’s shoulder, a solid disapproving wall of muscle. The brunet has to turn his face into Tony’s thigh to hide his smirk. Tony watches the display of dominance with raised brows.
“You’ve been pushing me all night, Buck, and I’ve just about had it.”
“Just about?” Bucky asks.
Steve’s eyes cut to Tony. “You said something earlier today, about the proper way to spank somebody. Care to show some pointers, daddy?”
Tony’s cock, spent as it is, gives a valiant jerk. At his feet, Bucky’s entire body shivers. He turns to look up at Tony, his eyes like molten silver with all the heat and desperation packed behind the irises. It’s been so long since he spanked anyone properly (or was spanked in return); surely it would take him a few swings to get back into the hang of things.
He has a feeling that Steve wouldn’t be the only one learning a thing or two tonight.
Clearing his throat, he says, “I think I can help with that.”
Relationships: Tony Stark/Pepper Potts, Tony Stark & Peter Parker, Peter Parker & Pepper Potts
Characters: Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Peter Parker, Nick Fury
Still, Tony knew his the kid was brilliant. Hell, he saw his brilliance nearly every day since he woke up from his coma. That, however, doesn't explain why his the kid was currently telling him to create boundaries.
Tilting his head questioningly, Tony asked, "What exactly do you mean by that, kiddo?"
Staring at him with a deadpan tone, Peter gave it to him in black and white, seeing as telling him indirectly didn't work at all, "It means stop taking everyone's bullshit."
"For the last time, I'm not swimming, and that's final," Tony half-snaps, unable to keep the distress from leaking into his voice.
Steve stops for a moment and pulls back, tilting his head as he looks at Tony in that careful, scrutinizing way he does whenever Tony becomes defensive, as if he can pick at all the layers Tony's covered himself with with the intensity of his gaze alone.
The sand suddenly feels too cold under Tony's bare feet, and he's all too aware of the gentle sloshing of waves, a few feet behind them. He tries to ignore the fact that Steve could just pick him up and dunk him in the water.
He's not afraid of the water. He just doesn't want to take his shirt off.
His mouth is spewing some dumb shit about respect, but his mind is swirling in terror. He's not ready to let Steve see. He's not ready to let him pick out all the flaws and imperfections of his body, which, trust him, he knows he has an abundance of.
"Tony," Steve cuts him off, voice gentle. "Look at me."
Tony halts mid-ramble and glances up, immediately regretting it because Steve's eyes are so blue and hypnotizing and Tony just wants to-
"Tell me the truth."
Tony freezes a little. Swallows. He's overly aware of his own breathing, of Steve, chest bare, standing so close.
He opens his mouth and trails off into a hesitant stutter, and the air falls silent again.
Steve lifts a hand and brushes his knuckles against Tony's jaw, sighing softly. "You should know that I'll never judge, Tony. We don't need to swim if you don't want to, I'm just fine with staying here."
Tony's heart is thundering in his chest, and he can't seem to produce any sort of sound. He chokes a little on the tightness around his chest and looks off to the side.
"Scars," he manages, the word a breathy whisper in the wind, so quiet only Steve, with his enhanced hearing, could possibly hear.
Realization and understanding dawns on Steve's face, but he stays silent. Tony swallows again, and when Steve's fingers circle loosely around his wrist, he realizes his hands are trembling.
"I-" Tony thinks he may not be breathing. "I have these-these scars. On my chest. It's...they're-" He stares at Steve's hand around his wrist. "They're ugly," he finally forces out.
Steve takes Tony's other hand and leans forward, placing a chaste kiss on his temple. "Nothing about you is ugly."
"But-"
Steve gives Tony a look. "Tony, I love you, no matter what. Having scars on your chest doesn't change that."
"But...but what if it does?" Tony almost whimpers, unable to hide the desperation lacing his voice and hating how weak he sounds. Steve can't leave, he can't leave. Tony gave his entire heart to him, he wouldn't leave, he wouldn't.
Steve shushes him and runs a hand through Tony's hair. "It's all right, I'll wait, wait until you're ready. And I won't stop loving you, I promise."
Steve promises.
Tony gazes up at him, conscious of how his heart is practically beating right out of his chest. "I'll...I'll let you see now," he says, nervous, anxious. But it's better to end it now if Steve wants, rather than later, Tony knows it'll only hurt both of them further. His scars have always been too ugly for anyone, and this isn't going to change with Steve.
"Are you-are you sure?" Steve murmurs, frowning slightly, as if he senses Tony's reluctance.
"Y-yeah," Tony answers, a little too quickly, his hands shaking as he grips the edge of his shirt and yanks it over his body.
And then he's exposed, shivering. His arms automatically go around his torso, and he can hear loud rushing in his ears, accompanied by his rapidly accelerating heartbeat.
He-he took his shirt off, oh god, that was the biggest mistake he's ever made in his life. He took his shirt off, and now Steve, Steve will see, he'll see every inch of each pale white line-
"Hey, hey, shh," Steve surges forward and wraps his arms around Tony, pressing kisses to his hair.
Tony realizes a little late that he's fucking whimpering. How pathetic.
He must've voiced his thought out loud, because Steve hugs him more tightly, trailing kisses along his jaw.
After a while, Steve stops, glancing up. "Can I...can I look?" he asks, softly.
And Tony doesn't deserve him, he doesn't deserve him at all, because even now, with Tony open like a book, Steve is asking, he's still giving Tony a choice. He nods before he can even think about changing his mind.
Slowly, Steve's eyes travel downward, and Tong feels as if he's choking, watching Steve as he takes in the map of pale scars criss-crossed and scattered on his chest.
He's so ugly. He's ugly, worthless, disgusting. His scars look weird, strange, like cracked glass and spider webs, it's ugly.
Steve is silent for a long time, eyes wide as he takes it in, and Tony tries to stay still, tries not to run away, he tries.
Finally, Steve lifts his eyes again. "Tony, you're beautiful, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise, including you."
For a moment, Tony thinks he's joking, mocking him, but Steve's eyes are genuine, earnest, and it fills him with a fluttery, all-consuming warmth.
Tony doesn't think he's ever been called beautiful before.
The next thing he knows, he's curled in Steve's arms, shuddering in a relief, choked sobs ripping from his throat.
Steve called him beautiful.
It can't be real.
"It's real," Steve says, and Tony realizes he must've been thinking out loud again. "It's real, I promise. I love you, Tony, and you're beautiful."
Steve says it again and again, without a single doubt, keeps saying it as Tony shakes in his embrace.
You're beautiful.
I'm not lying, you're beautiful.
You're beautiful and you're perfect, and no one can convince me otherwise.
Note: Homophobic people, Fluff, insecure Tony, alcohol use, mentions of sexual themes MAH GABIES!!
Words: 1530
“Are you sure you want to do this Steve? Because once it happens there is no going back.” Tony explained, pacing around the room. Steve sat on the couch, waiting for the latest press conference about the Avengers when he looked up to Tony with an easy smile. “Tony, come here.” He said gently as Tony coaxed over and plopped down next to him when Steve pulled Tony against him, making their foreheads touch. “Yes, I am more than sure. I want everyone to know that you and I are together.” He whispered before intertwining their hands together. Tony melted into the gesture before grinning like a dork at Steve who held the same grin on his lips. “Okay.” Tony murmured before pressing his lips to Steve’s when Steve immediately kissed back.
Tony wish they would have never stepped out there and told the world of their relationship that they’ve had for almost four months now. The moment Steve let the words leave his mouth the entire room’s atmosphere changed instantly. Everyone’s questions now seemed to be hurtful whenever they were directed towards Tony, or Steve who both held brave faces and answered as best as they could. Afterwards when they were driving back towards the tower the others were reading out the hateful comments on the interview. “Who knew being made from America meant being gay. Should really pay attention more. Now who will my kids look up to.” Clint read out loud as Tony gripped his knee in anger before he glanced to Steve who held a calm expression.
“We are proud of you for telling the world of your bond!” Thor bellowed trying to lighten the thick awkwardness between the others. “Thank you Thor. I’m happy we did too.” Steve said, smiling back to him. Tony’s eyes widened for a sliver of a moment before clearing his throat as he glanced out the window. “Well let’s just get back to the tower, eh?” Tony asked. He really needed a drink right now, and that bottle of scotch isn’t gonna drink itself. Finally they arrived and everyone went their separate ways while Tony sat in the workshop before turning on the news. Bad idea. All over the news was their relationship, really they didn’t have anything else to talk about today? Like at all?? Tony sighed before watching people complain about his and Steve’s relationship.
Suddenly the remote was embedded into the screen as Tony gritted his teeth before turning away. “Is something the matter sir?” Jarvis’ smooth voice asked. “Steve and I told the world we were together and holy shit you think we set an orphanage on fire or something worse! They make it seem like we’re bad people just for loving each other!” Tony exclaimed before throwing back a shot of scotch. “Sir, there are other reasons for your anger.” Jarvis said as Tony went quiet for a moment. “I’m-I’m worried.” Tony said, biting the side of his thumb as he looked down to the table. “About Steve?” Jarvis asked. “About what might happen because of this hate.” Tony countered. “What do you mean Sir?” He questioned when Tony ran his fingers through his hair.
“That maybe Steve will finally see that I’m not good enough for him. That I’m not what he wants. Maybe this hate will hurt him and cause him to do something like stop eating, or become distant with me. I don’t know.” Tony said as tears of anger and frustration form in his eyes. He scrubbed them away before he let out a shaky breath while shutting his eyes slowly. “Then why don’t you talk to him Sir? You will solve nothing by drowning your sorrows in the bottom of that bottle.” Jarvis responded as Tony grumbled before setting it down so he didn’t pour himself another glass. He hated when Jarvis is right, but he should talk to Steve about this due to how calm he was earlier. It worried him even more at the thought of Steve trying to hide his emotions behind a smile.
He knows what it’s like to act as if you are okay when you’re to fall apart, to act like you’re happy when everything is so broken there’s no hope of fixing it. About an hour later Tony left the workshop and headed upstairs to see Steve in the kitchen making dinner while everyone else sat in the living room. “Steve.” Tony spoke softly as he entered the kitchen. “Hm?” Steve asked, turning from the cooking chicken to look at his Lover. Steve frowned at the disheveled look Tony’s attire held when he turned down the stove before looking at him. “What happened? Is everything okay?” He asked worried. “Um I think we should talk.” Tony said as Steve’s heart stopped at the thought of Tony wanting to break up with him. “About what?” Steve asked.
“About what happened today.” Tony leaned against the counter before sighing. “Steve, I know those people said some hurtful things to you, but know that I love you so much.” Tony whispered as Steve shook his head. “Wait, you’re not breaking up with me?” Steve asked, quirking an eyebrow. “What? No! I just… After what happened today I was worried that you’d want to leave me.” Tony said as Steve’s eyes widened. “Whoa whoa, what?” Steve asked. “You thought I was going to leave you because of what the media was saying?” He questioned as Tony looked down, wincing softly. “Well I mean… I’m me.” Tony shrugged as Steve shut off the stove before walking over to Tony. “And? I love you.” He whispered cupping his face, making him look up.
“I love you too, but it’s just how harshly everyone was. Because before we said any of that you were looked as a god to them, but the moment you said you were with me everything went to shit.” Tony growled. “Tony, first of all I grew up in a time where if you beat your wife and cheated on her you were better than someone who loved the same gender. I came from a time where this was oppressed, but now I’m here with you.” He said intertwining their hands together. “Second, last time I check it was just you and me in this relationship. No one else.” He whispered as Tony melts against him when Steve pulls Tony against his strong chest. Tony buried his face into the cotton material of Steve’s shirt while he dug his fingers into Steve’s back.
“I’m sorry. I just--” He was cut off when Steve grabbed his chin again and pressed their lips together. It was slow, passionate and poured all of Steve’s love into it, leaving Tony breathless when he pulled away. “Don’t ever doubt my love Tony. If this really bothered me I would have come to you, and I’m glad you came to me. I didn’t get with you because of your looks although those helped me get over that personality.” He makes a face as Tony starts to laugh. “I always knew you were a gold digger.” Tony smirks before pulling Steve back into another kiss. “Oh yes, because I’d never fall for that Iron Man. He’s nothing but trouble.” Steve whispered, leaning down closer. “And who could fall for the uptight Captain America? That guy's a tool.” Tony resorted.
“But Tony Stark on the other hand. That man reads all kinds of trouble, the kinds that a guy like me wants.” He whispered as Tony chuckles. “Yeah, Steve Rogers may look innocent out in the scene, but behind closed doors is another story that I’d love to read.” He said before they both start to laugh. That’s when Tony wrapped his arms around Steve’s neck while Steve wrapped his arms around Tony’s waist and placed him onto the counter. “But I’m serious Tony. I love you, all of you.” Steve said, placing his hand above Tony’s reactor causing his breath to catch in his throat. “And if loving you is wrong. I don’t want to be right.” He whispered when Tony tears up, letting out a laugh. “You’re such a sap.” Tony playfully nudges him with his foot to Steve’s hip.
“Only for you.” Steve grins when he leans up and presses his lips to Tony’s one more time as Tony’s hands sliver into Steve’s golden locks. He tugs gently on it causing Steve to moan softly into the kiss as he pulls Tony closer against him. Suddenly someone cleared their throat as the duo jerked from each other to see the other Avengers standing together, smirking. “Could you not defile the kitchen. We made food in here.” Clint points a finger at them as Tony his mouth to fire back. “I’ll defile Tony wherever I please. This is his tower, besides… Already did.” Steve grins with a wink as Tony looks at him in shock. “Welp his corrupted.” Clint held up his hands and left causing Steve to laugh. “Never doubt my love for you.” Steve whispered before helping him down from the counter as he returns to the stove when Tony smiles, joining him. Oh yeah, Steve is definitely a keeper.
If you're still doing crappy day fics, I've had a couple really bad self-image days, and I could use some Tony/Pepper/Rhodey where Tony feels insecure about how he looks. Thank you.
i’m sorry you’ve been feeling that way. i hope this helps!
--
“Tony?”
“Yeah, huh, wha?”Tony realizes abruptly that Pepper's talking to him and she's gotthat tone that tells him she's said his name more than once. Heblinks and drags his gaze away from his reflection in Rhodey'saviators and over to her. “Sorry, I'm listening.”
“No, you aren't,”Pepper says kindly and strokes his arm. “You're distracted.”
Tony swallows, notentirely sure what to say.
“You were staringat me,” Rhodey puts in. “And not in a good way. You were makingthis face.” He pulls down his glasses and then twists his face upin an expression of revulsion. Then he meets Tony's eyes. “Youwanna tell me what that's about?”
“It's not you!”Tony blurts, because god forbid Rhodey think that he—
The look Rhodeygives him is supremely unimpressed. “You think I don't know that?What's going through your head?” He taps the mirror reflectivesurface of the lenses of his sunglasses and Tony grimaces when itbrings his attention back to his reflection. Rhodey's eyes narrow.
“I look ten yearsolder than either of you,” Tony says without meaning to. That'smortifying.
“Oh, Tony,”Pepper sighs. “That's not true.”
Tony snorts. Hedrags a finger across the puffy skin under his eye, and the crowsfeet around the corners, the gray that's peeking out of the hair athis temples. “Like hell it isn't.”
Pepper rolls hereyes. “I didn't say you weren't aging. You look older than you usedto, yes, but you don't look any older than we do.”
“Speak foryourself,” Rhodey says and Pepper smacks him lightly on the arm. Hegrins. Then he sobers and looks over at Tony, reaching across thetable to twine their hands together. “Seriously, Tones. She'sright. You look older, but not ten years older than us. And there'snothing wrong with your eyes or your hair. The hair's sexy.”
“And the wrinklesaround your eyes are beautiful when you smile,” Pepper adds.
Tony smilesreflexively at the compliment and props his chin on his hand to hideit.
“Like that!”Pepper says, delighted and then pushes up to lean across the tableand kiss the crows feet.
“I think you'reboth delusional,” Tony says and then mumbles, “but thanks.”
Author: FeralCreed
Rating: gen
Word Count: 2-5k
Genre(s): angst, hurt/comfort
Film-specific: post avengers
Tropes: nightmares, howard stark, caring!pepper, insecure!tony
Summary: Tony has a nightmare. Pepper is there for him.
