For the Love of Photography | bucky barnes x tony stark
Prompt: Phantomas67′s Winteriron Bingo - Square 1 - Advertisement
Pairing: Tony Stark x Bucky Barnes
Warnings: Emotions, photography, exhibitions, some tears, fluff
Words: 1920
A/N: This is my first bingo fill, so I hope I did okay!
AO3 | REQUEST
Getting out of the car, they were immediately blinded by flashing lights as they held hands and sifted through the crowd of cameras with ease. Looking towards Tony with a smirk once they had stepped inside, he looked towards his partner, "Usually I'm the one with the camera."
“Usually I’m the main attraction, not today - that one goes to you babe.”
With a smile on his face, the two entered the room where Tony was the first person to officially view Bucky’s exhibition.
He had the advertisement that showed the time and place for Bucky’s exhibition held tightly in his hand, though he was trying not to crinkle it. Even though he knew Bucky could get a new one without hassle. It was only a small, about half the size of an A4 paper, it was a light pink colour with one of Bucky’s pictures from the exhibition on the front. It was a standard portrait of a woman's face, but there was a way that Bucky had left in the imperfections and the expression in her eyes that really sold it. There were, of course, other things on it like a little doodle of white leaves in the corner, but they weren’t all that important anymore. Not when he was standing in the middle of Bucky’s hard work.
Tony let go of the metal hand, the advertisement still in his hand as he started to walk slowly through the exhibition, taking in the overall imagery and feel before taking a closer look at each individual section. Most of the photos were just photos of peoples faces, pure and raw and Tony then noticed a few sneaky pictures that Bucky had taken of Tony when he was unaware.
Continuing to walk along the walls without Bucky by his side, Tony was starting to get overwhelmed with emotion as he realised that the theme of his exhibition was love and misfortune, something that the two had shared a lot of together. Some stories were so mixed that it was hard to tell whether it was one or the other, but it was very easy to see that every single photograph was raw, none of it was fake. Something Tony knew Bucky took a lot of pride in.
Tony started reading through some of the interview answers and his heart melted.
What's one thing you wish you could tell your partner?
That even when I can't say that I love them, I love them. It's hard for me to express emotion with everything I've faced in life and I just want her to know that she's my world. I know it’s something that she struggles with, and I’m grateful every day that she stays by my side, but some days it’s harder to say than others.
Are you happy in your current relationship?
Sometimes I'm more happy than other times. Relationships, to me, prove their strength by sorting through everything messed up and coming out alive and together. I believe that no relationship is perfect and there will always be obstacles, no matter what they are. No one is ever perfectly content in anything, and if they are, they’re lying.
Tony took extra time to study each expression in the photos. He hadn't any idea that Bucky's exhibition would be as moving as it was, though he knew that Bucky had struggled with his own emotions a bit during the process of creating it. One time, after an interview that was particularly rough, Bucky had walked into their home with tears in his eyes and had just held Tony, telling him that he was loved.
Bucky had been dabbling in photography for almost his whole life, never really taking it seriously until a few years ago. His best friend Steve had always been the one interested in photography and exploring different viewpoints, trying to see things how others would. Eventually his love for photography led to painting, which he was still doing now. Some of his works placed strategically around Bucky’s exhibition with full credit as sneak peaks for Steve's future exhibition in the same place.
What had really gotten Bucky into photography, though, was coming back from the war, down one arm and trying to explain just how he viewed different things now, not able to explain his emotions so freely when he felt too many things to place in one specific category or feeling.
When even therapy hadn’t worked completely he had picked up a camera and managed to take a somewhat awkward picture of the sky and a mountain on a gloomy day, travelling for a bit which helped to clear his mind and give him some peace. He then waited until a sunny day when his friends went to the beach, snapping a photo of everyone having fun and laughing, smiling down at the moment he had captured.
When he had gone to therapy next, he hadn’t tried to talk about his feelings at any length. Knowing that would only make him frustrated and talk about his feelings of anger, rather than the others, he merely pulled out printed versions of the pictures he had taken and said, “Most days I feel like this one, grey, gloomy, uninterested with no hope. People want me to be like this, laughing, happy, vibrant, when I can’t be and it makes me feel like the skies are getting even greyer.”
It hadn’t been much of a big deal for him to say aloud. With the help of the pictures, he could easily connect the parts to himself without really having to think much about it. His therapist had merely smiled at him and told him that maybe he should look into turning photography into a hobby, suggesting that if he was feeling a certain mood, but not understanding it, he could go look for places where he might capture what explained, to him if no one else, just what he was feeling.
Listening to that advice had been hard at first, even with one arm, but he managed to take better photos and soon photos that explained his feelings turned into things he found memorable, and in no time it was simply passion that drove him to taking photos.
He had soon met Tony through getting his prosthetic arm and soon meetings about the arm and checking up on the arm to see how it was working and if it needed anything extra turned into dates and spending more and more time together, inevitably falling in love.
Their relationship was nothing without it’s hardships though, but with every fight, every time Bucky fell into his shell and refused to come out or when Tony was spending too much time working, they continued to grow stronger and love each other more and more fiercely.
They were also nothing without the help of their friends though and Tony smiled when he moved on to another part that was focused on platonic love. It featured their own friends talking about each other, along with lifelong friends and new friends that Bucky had found along the way. Tony couldn’t help the grin getting bigger as he continued to read along, finding himself relieved in the fact that instead of focusing on just romantic love, Bucky had focused on it all. He knew they were nothing without the love of their friends and Bucky knew that too.
There was also quite a large television in the middle of the room and looking closer Tony could see it was playing different sections of the interviews, Bucky mentioning it was parts that hadn't quite made the photographs but he thought still deserved a place in the exhibition as he noticed Tony taking a closer look at what it was showing.
Moving along to the last section it was completely full with photos of Tony and Bucky throughout their time together, whether they were alone or they were together. He noted some from lazy days, or when they had been out on dates. Tony’s mouth twitched when he noticed some from when they had some fights. The subtle location and pictures of Tony slouched over a couch, hands pulling at his hair made him go a bit misty eyed for a moment. The point of the exhibition definitely came across even in just the section about them. Each photo, no matter what mood they were in or what they were doing, showcasing real, raw emotion.
Tony walked back to Bucky then, who was standing in the same place as Tony had left him, and smiled as he stood directly in front of him, taking both of his hands in his own, "I love it, so much."
"I'm glad you do, you inspired me the most." Tony blushed lightly and looked down towards the ground before looking up at Bucky with a bigger smile, "You're such a sap."
Bucky let out a soft chuckle and leaned forward, whispering, "It's because I love you” before he kissed Tony. There was no hesitation in Tony’s actions as he placed his hand on the back of Bucky’s neck and held him closer before pulling away from the kiss and resting their foreheads together, "I love you."
They stayed standing for a few more moments before Tony pulled away, tears in his eyes and a wider grin on his face. He clapped his hands, “Right! Shall we open this to the public?”
“All for nothing if we didn’t.”
They started walking towards the door and Bucky gripped Tony’s hand in his own - flesh on flesh as they opened the door to the crowd waiting to get in.
----------
LOVE, PAIN, AND A WHOLE LOT OF TEARS
as we all know, the up and coming photographer James Barnes has opened his first public exhibition to the this week after releasing teasers in the past few months about what it would hold and a few select images that didn’t reveal all that much.
many were interested in going and on the night more people than expected showed up to the opening night to really see what the fuss was about and whether it lived up to expectations - and to put it short, it exceeded expectations further than any of us could have guessed.
being an art critic for many-a years now, we see that the theme of "love" has been overused in every sense possible, yet just when we thought we'd seen it all and would rather die than go to another exhibition about love, Barnes has successfully pulled us all to our senses and shown us what love is really about rather than our hollywood expectations with his theme of "love and misfortune."
with interviews from everyday normal people, along with his own take on love in his relationship with one Tony Stark - something and someone that is focused on greatly, we get a massive sense of rawness and reality, a big relief and something dearly missed to this critic after years of false expectations of love.
I mustn't say more and ruin it for those who haven't yet been or seen pictures floating online, but i for one would rate this exhibition a firm five stars.
I haven't seen a whole group of people moved to tears so quickly in my entire life, and the tears were still fresh on cheeks even as some left.
we wish Mr. Barnes much luck with his future and look forward to seeing what he does next and what he does with it.
These two have a series on Disney Plus currently. That's kind of epic considering their beginning and story. . . . #falconandwintersoldier #jamesbucky #samwilson #thefalcon #falcon #disneyplus #disney #marvellegends #legendsbucky2 #legendsfalcon #actionfigures #nikon # #thefalconandthewintersoldier #marveluniverse #iambuckydoll #buckydoll #wintersoldier #bucky #buckybarnes #jamesbarnes #mcu #marvel #sebastianstan #captainamerica #toyphotography #toysofinstagram https://www.instagram.com/p/CMqGExplRCD/?igshid=1fw6biwn8yv29
PLOT: power outage at the tower, only you and bucky are there to see it
WORD COUNT: 1,333
WARNINGS: none, fluffy and i hate myself cause of it
INSP: i like the dark and cuddling
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The tower was uncharacteristically silent. Wanda, Clint and Vision, a surprisingly good trio, were on a mission deep in the snowy mountains of Canada, Tony and Steve were on a political clean up path in Europe, Nat had decided she needed to jump back into her own past, travelling to Russia and Sam, well, Sam had decided he needed some home cooked pie and headed to his parents for the weekend. That left you and Bucky alone in the tower.
You two weren’t particularly close, but you had never taken it personally. Bucky wasn’t too close with anyone but Steve, Sam and occasionally Nat and Tony. He preferred to linger in the background, only joining the group when he was really required too.
The past few days had gone by in a comfortable silence. You didn’t press him to speak or hang out with you, and for that, he seemed relatively grateful.
You readjusted your book in your lap, eyes lapping up the disgustingly sappy love story performing on the page. Reading love stories was your secret guilty pleasure, you knew that if anyone else on the team found out it would be the end of everything for you. They would never let you live it down.
Just as the reading was getting good, the lights went out with a pop. Everywhere. You heard the heating, which you had just turned on, whirl to a stop and the red numbers on your alarm clock disappeared.
“(y/n)?” Came Bucky’s distressed call from somewhere else in the tower. “Where are you?”
“I’m in my room, Bucky!” You shouted, untangling yourself from your sheets, slipping slightly as you hastily stood up, patting down your mattress in a desperate search for your phone.
The bedroom door burst open with a bang and you could make out the dark outline of Bucky’s form.
“Are you okay?” He asked, his voice gruff. You nodded, before realizing that he couldn’t see you at all in the darkness.
“Yeah, I’m fine. Do you know what happened?” You asked, turning on the flashlight on your phone, sitting back down on your bed, getting colder with every second the heater was off.
Bucky’s metal arm glinted in the stark light of your cellphone flashlight.
“No idea,” He responded grimly, still standing in the doorway, unsure of whether or not to come in.
“Tony must have a backup generator, right? I mean, he’s got like a million dollars and he’s a genius, he must have at least six,” You mused, shivering slightly.
Bucky’s outline nodded, his arms seemingly crossed over his broad chest.
“Is it,” His voice faltered slightly, “Is it okay if I come in?” He asked, “I don’t like the dark,” He finished quietly, his voice sounding more timid than you had ever heard before. Your heart tremored for him.
“Of course, you don’t even have to ask, Bucky,” You reassured him, patting the bed beside you.
The mattress sagged considerably under his weight and you crawled under the blankets, getting comfortable in your previous position. Bucky remained characteristically stiff, sitting straight on the edge of the bed, feet planted firmly on the floor.
“You can get under the covers, I know how freezing it is in here,” You laughed, lifting up the covers for him.
“Thank you,” He mumbled, swinging his legs under your warm duvet. He spotted your unclothed legs and looked up, confused. His eyes shone like stars in the dim light from your phone’s flashlight.
“Where are your pants?” He questioned indignantly, settling down comfortably next to you.
“Hey!” You laughed defensively, “I don’t do pants when I don’t have to!”
Bucky nodded, a small smile gracing his lips.
“And now what?” He asked, looking down at you. From this angle, in this light, he looked truly angelic. His messy hair was kept in a bun as usual, but his wispy bangs fell into his face, making him look like an adonis from the cover of vogue magazine.
“I don’t know,” You faltered, hoping he hadn’t noticed you staring at him. “I think my Ipad has enough charge for us to watch a movie, but I only have the Aristocats,” You admitted, somewhat apologetically.
“What’s the Aristocats?” Bucky queried, confused.
You faux gasped, a hand clapping dramatically over your mouth.
“It’s only the best Disney film ever,” You laughed, reaching into your bedside table and grabbing your tablet.
Situating the IPad on the bed in front of the two of you, you pulled your knees up to your chest, still freezing, even under the covers.
As the opening scene rolled, Bucky seemed to realize how chilly you were and scooted closer to you, heat rolling off of his body in waves.
“You’re like a human heater,” You whispered, sliding towards him only slightly.
You watched the film silently, occasionally pointing out your favorite parts and commenting on the animations.
Your eyes drooped eventually, your head lolling to one side, snores occasionally marring the soundtrack to the film. You shivered as you slept and Bucky noticed immediately, delicately wrapping his metal arm around you, and pulling you towards him. You stirred, and he fell still, afraid that you would wake. Instead, your body molded to his like a puzzle piece, your curled legs falling into his lap, head resting comfortably on his chest. One arm snaked across his torso and held yourself to him. Bucky made sure not to stir, wanting you to sleep as long and comfortably as you needed.
The sound of a phone ringing woke you hours later.
“It’s okay,” A deep voice grumbled, “I’ll get it,”
You nodded, squeezing your eyes shut against the bright light. It was only then that you realized that you weren’t hugging a pillow or teddy bear, but a warm body. A very warm, very firm, very muscle-y body. Bucky.
Your eyes flew open and you quickly untangled yourself from him, cheeks flushing.
“I’m so sorry,” You stammered, pulling your leg out from between his. “I didn’t mean-,”
Bucky cut you off, “It’s fine, (y/n),” Bucky insisted, handing you your still ringing phone.
“Hello?” You whispered, embarrassed into the phone.
“(y/n)?” Came Tony’s voice from the other end.
“Yeah, what’s up?” You responded, distracted as Bucky rose from your bed with a clatter and you realized that the romance novel you had indulged in before the power outage hadn’t been stored back in the bottom drawer of your bedside table.
Bucky grinned mischievously as he bent down to pick it up.
“(y/n)?” Tony barked from the phone, “Are you listening to me?”
“Yeah, sorry Tony, say that again?”
“I said, I may or may not have diverted all the power to underground, but it should be fine….”
You hung up on Tony as Bucky flipped casually through the book, eyes widening as he read the more R rated sections. You reached up and snatched it from him,
“Curiosity kills the cat,” You laughed, tucking the book into its safe hiding spot.
“But don’t you know that satisfaction brought it back?” Bucky fired back, eyes glinting. You rolled your eyes, crawling out of bed towards him.
As you both walked into the hall, you heard Bucky murmur, “Thank you for letting me stay,”
“Anytime Buck,” You whispered back, nudging him with your hip. “Thanks for the cuddles,” You smiled at him, and he beamed back shyly.
“Anytime (y/n),”
He slung his arm around your shoulder, pulling you in for a close hug before you headed off and made a deliciously disastrous breakfast.
