So, I know that you wrote the shifter!AU fix last summer but I wanted to know if 1) Tony (in any state) makes the "yum yum yum" noises like a kitten and 2) how soon does Bucky die of cuteness afterward
Tony tends not to eat in the full kitty!shift state, but when he is half shifted is a whole other story!
Neither one of his mates let him eat without them being right there to feed him, especially breakfast because partial shifted Tony loves milk and oatmeal for breakfast and Stucky has no problem scooping that onto their fingers and letting Tony lick it off.
One morning, they were out of brown sugar for his oatmeal, so Bucky added Honey instead, and when he scooped some up and fed it carefully between Tonys lips, their tiny little shifters eyes closed, a tremble ran through his body and he full on purred for them, sucking Buckys fingers further into his mouth greedily.
Steve of course, wanted a chance to make Tony make THAT noise again, his eyes shooting to gold as his Lion woke up, instantly interested in his mate making satisfied noises.
Steve drizzled more Honey onto his fingers, and offered it to Tony, who started making little yum yum yum noises as he ate, the purr getting louder as he did, his tongue lapping greedily over Steve’s fingers and knuckles and down to his palm.
“Holy shit.” Bucky breathed, and his skin started rippling a his Wolf tried to come forward. “Tony, this is cutest— how are you doing this— baby you are so precious—I can’t even handle—“
“Pretty little shifter.” Steve croons and Bucky crowds into Tonys other side, wrapping his left around Tonys waist and holding him closer.
“Pretty perfect thing.” He growls and this time Tony shivers for another reason.********************Later, MUCH LATER, after Tony has finished his oatmeal and Bucky has carried him off to bed, with Steve trailing behind carrying the jaw of Honey, Tony is making satisfied noises again.
But it’s Bucky and Steve licking Honey of their darling little shifters tummy.
Tony is licking something ELSE off his fingers and lips, but he is still purring and still murmuring yum yum yum as he does and Bucky can’t hardly control himself, pushing his nose into Tonys neck and licking over the bond mark, with Steve moving restlessly against Tony again as his Lion growls, wanting another turn with their mate.
“What’s with you two?” Tony giggles as he finishes cleaning his face. “Why are you—“
“You making yummy noises while you eat is the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.” Steve states and Bucky moans in agreement.
“Every day.” He demands. “I want to hear that every day. All those purrs, all those yummy noises. Every day.”
“Give me something yummy to eat.” Tony says with a wicked glint in his eyes. “And I’ll see what I can do.”
Catch all the other chapters HERE.
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“If I watch this anymore I'm going to be sick.” Rhodey made a face, but didn't bother looking away. “Is this really happening?”
“You should be pleased, Colonel.” Wanda said disapprovingly. “Seeing your best friend so happy like this? You more than anyone know that Tony needs this sort of love.”
“Yeah. No, I am happy for him.” Rhodey admitted. “But come on. This is…. this is… they do this every morning? Exactly like this?”
“Every. Single. Morning.” Natasha emphasized. She was the only one in the group not watching the, studiously reading her magazine and ignoring the three mates in the kitchen.
“It's the cutest thing in the world.” Clint interjected. “How long have we waited for each of those guys to be happy? And now they are happy together , what could be better than this?” He calmly lifted his phone and snapped a picture.
“Clint, what the fuck ?”
“For science?” He offered with an embarrassed smile. “Maybe blackmail. But come on. It's adorable.”
“I believe Hawkeye is correct.” Vision said smoothly. “To see our Captain, Sergeant Barnes and Anthony so happy after they have all been through so much… perhaps we can allow them this unorthodox display of affection.”
“Well I still think it's gross.” Rhodey huffed and crossed his arms. “Really, it's almost indecent. I can't believe I'm actually still watching this.”
******************************“
I think they are talking about us.” Steve said softly, scooping up some oatmeal and feeding it to Tony slowly, completely enjoying the way Tony thoroughly cleaned every bit of food from his fingers before releasing them.
“I think they can suck it.” Tony responded primly, and turned to Bucky, who offered him half a strawberry from his own mouth, and Tony grinned, flicking his tongue out to taste the fruit and and all over Bucky's lips before taking it and eating it happily.
He was perched on the kitchen counter, both the soldiers pressed against either leg, feeding him in small bites between kisses and nuzzles. He wasn't even wearing a shirt, preferring to have both his bonding marks on full display, as well as to allow his mates to touch all over as much skin as they wanted.
“I think maybe we gross them out a little.” Bucky took a drink of milk and tilted the glass so Tony could have some too, smiling as Steve got some more oatmeal ready.
“I think they can suck it .” Tony said again, more firmly this time.
“How's your throat, honey?” Steve asked softly. “Feeling alright?”
Tony shrugged a little.“A little sore, but I'm fine.” He rubbed at his throat, then over his reddened bonding marks with a rueful smile.
Last night, Bucky had thrown him onto the bed, taking him hard and fast while Steve had stood at his head and fucked into his throat viciously, both of them jacking him off roughly, leaving bites all over his chest and stomach, and when they had finished, each Alpha shifter had remarked his neck, breaking through the original bond mark with their teeth.
Tony had shuddered and screamed and come three separate times because his mates weren't satisfied with just once or twice.
He was sore and aching this morning, his voice raw, his ass stinging, but he didn't care. Not in the littlest bit.
“So, we've officially been bonded for a month now and I bought something fun to celebrate with you two.” He opened for another bite of the warm oatmeal, sighing as it soothed his throat.
“Oh?” Steve moaned softly when Tony let his teeth scrape over his fingers and Bucky nipped a little bite onto Tony's cheek.“Tell us what you got, honey.”
“Come and find out.” Tony teased and hopped off the counter, giving them both a kiss as thanks for his breakfast, and headed up to his their penthouse. “Give me five minutes.”
Bucky and Steve waved at him, and finished the rest of their own breakfast quickly.
“You sleep alright last night?” Bucky put his bowl down and reached for Steve, bumping their foreheads together.
Steve closed his eyes and let himself relax into the touch. “Yeah. Tossed and turned but--”
“Something on your mind?” Bucky asked, bringing his hand up to massage Steve's neck lightly, and the Lion shifter sighed at the contact, swaying a little closer.
“Nothing new. Did I keep you awake?”“No, just checking on you.” Bucky smiled when Steve stepped even closer, silently asking for more, so he dropped a light kiss on his forehead, holding him tighter.
It was good between them, like this, so they stayed close for a short while, soothing each other with barely there touches, light rumbles and growls, letting their bond strengthen.
It was several minutes before Steve cleared his throat and stepped away somewhat reluctantly. “Shall we? Don't want to keep Tony waiting.”
“High maintenance little thing.” Bucky agreed with a grin and laced their fingers together to head upstairs.
************************************
Tony's mates knocked on the bedroom door softly, then waited a moment before entering.
The lights were low in the bedroom, nothing except the bed side lamps lit. Every pillow from all the couches and chairs had been gathered on top of the bed, and in the middle of them all, sitting up on his knees was Tony.
He was partial shifted, ears up and alert, tail twitching playfully behind him, claws out and tracing little circles into his thighs.
And he wasn't wearing anything except a black velvet collar around his neck. His name was stitched in silver lettering in big bold letters, and the tag hooked around it proudly labeled him as Bucky and Steve's.
“Oh Tony .” Steve dropped to his knees just that fast, knocked nearly speechless by the sight. “Look at you sweetheart. So beautiful.”
“Stunning.” Bucky knelt too, grabbing Steve's arm to keep either of them from just jumping on the bed. “Oh what a perfect pretty little kitty you are.”
Alpha shifters or not, they were completely at the mercy of their mate like this, and were already rolling into their partial shifts, voices deepening, teeth sharpening as the need to take surged through them.
But their mate needed compliments first, compliments and flattery and so much love , so they just knelt there and said everything that came to mind, sweet words and phrases spilling from their lips even as they both reached for him, tried to edge closer to the bed, needed him more than they needed to breathe.
“God, just look at you.” “So perfect.” “How gorgeous.” “Our mate.” “ Ours.” “What did we even do to get so lucky?” “Come here, honey.” “Can we play? Oh please let us play with you.” “We need you sweetheart.” “So wonderful for us.” “Made for us.” “Look at those gorgeous ears.” “That beautiful long tail.” “Beautiful, perfect kitty.” “So perfect, sweet thing.”
And Tony just bared his little fangs and smiled.Because this was fucking purrrfect.
*****************
Epilogue
*****************
The ringtone of Steve's phone completely interrupted the mission briefing, and absolutely made Agent Coulsons jaw drop.
“Who let the dogs out? Who who who who! Who let the dogs out?”
“Oh my god.” Steve's face flamed red and he scrambled to mute it. “I am so sorry, Agent Coulson, Colonel Rhodes, its um—”
“Captain Rogers.” Rhodey was trying his damnedest to keep the smirk off his face. “Captain Rogers.” he cleared his throat. “Would I be correct in assuming that Sergeant Barnes is the one calling you right now?”
“I–I–” the Lion shifter swallowed back a growl of annoyance. “My mate changed my ringtone, I apologize.”
“Sorry, but Sergeant Barnes chose that as his ringtone?” Agent Coulson asked in that quietly, polite way of his. “Sergeant Barnes, the Alpha Wolf shifter?”
“Not that mate. My other mate, Tony.” he breathed a deep sigh.
Tony had changed his ringtone because he'd been upset Steve couldn't stay with him all day today. Not that Steve had wanted to spend his whole day locked in the conference room talking about missions and personnel.
No he would much rather be snuggled up in bed with both his mates. He missed Tony and Bucky so much he nearly ached. He needed a break from all this. A break from being Captain America. A break from being Steve. He needed to just be Bucky and Tony's mate, and let them take care of him.
Steve shook his head and pushed those thoughts away. He had been feeling down for weeks now and didn't really know what to do about it.“If you’ll excuse me.” he said politely. “I need to take this.”
“Ah. Of course.” Coulson said with a little smile. “By all means, take your mates call.”
“Thank you. Just a few minutes.” Steve stepped into the hallway and opened his phone. “Bucky, I swear to god. You know I am in a meeting, I will muzzle your–”
“911, Steve.” Bucky's voice was stressed, nearly a whine. “911, our room. Its Tony.”
“Oh shit.” Steve only stepped into the conference room long enough to snatch his shield, and took off running, no apology or explanation or anything.
“I haven't been around the compound much since this all happened.” Coulson commented mildly. “Does this sort of thing–”
“Tony is the most high maintenance person in the world. Also the most high maintenance shifter. Steve and Bucky have their hands full all the time.”
“Tony couldn't weigh more than a hundred and twenty pounds.” Coulson raised his eyebrows. “How much trouble could he possibly be?”
Rhodey just started laughing. “Phil. You literally have no idea how much of a handful Tony can be.”
“Isnt his shifter form a cat?”
“Phil. You have no idea.” The Colonel collapsed back into his chair, shoulders shaking.“But both Rogers and Barnes are Alpha–”
“Phil.” Rhodey was full on cackling now, wiping his tears away. “You have no idea.”
************
“Tony!” Steve was yelling, racing up the stairs, tearing into a partial shift as he went, a snarl burning in his throat at the thought of something happening to either of his mates, but especially Tony. Perfect, tiny, little smitten Tony who needed to be held and cuddled and protected and–
The door burst inwards when he smashed into it shield first and skidded to a stop.“Bucky, mate, are you–is everything–” His shield hit the ground with a clang. “Bucky, are you kidding me?”
“Shush.” Bucky hadn't even turned to look at him yet, kneeling on the floor and staring at their big bed. He was partial shifted, ears and claws out, tail wagging furiously. “Look at him.”
“Oh my god.” Steve dropped onto the ground next to him, his claws retracting as he pulled his Lion back. “Oh, honey, look at him.”
“I know.” Bucky reached and laced their fingers together, his claws scraping over Steves palm. “Our mate is the cutest.”
“God, hes the cutest.”
Tony, fully shifted into his tiny fierce eight pound cat, was curled in the center of their giant bed, little face buried inside his Iron Man mask.
“What is he doing?” Steve dropped his voice into a whisper, leaning closer to his mate, enjoying the physical contact after being apart all day. “Why is he–”
“FRIDAY says Tony had a rough day, didn't want to face anything so he shifted and crawled into his helmet and fell asleep.”
“Sweet, perfect thing.” Steve said sympathetically. “Why didn't he call us?”
“We were busy.” Bucky snorted. “But he should know that's not a valid reason. He knows he can talk to us anytime.” He looked over when Steve leaned against him, and hooked an arm around his mate's shoulders. “You need to be held, Stevie? Get your Lion ass over here.”
The Wolf shifter tugged Steve tighter against his chest. “You know you don't have to ask, sugar, come on. I've been missing you, come on.”
“Thanks.” Steve mumbled. It was still difficult for him, even after being mated for a month to both Tony and Bucky, to admit when he needed to be held, when he needed Bucky to be the Alpha and take care of him. “So…Tony. What are we doing about Tony.”
“Sure. Changing the subject is fine. Not that I've noticed that the past few weeks have been hard on you and want to be there for you or anything.” Bucky nuzzled into his hair affectionately. “I think we need to climb on that bed and cuddle our mate. He obviously needs some loving to make it through today, and you do too.”
“I'm fine.” Steve protested, but he definitely pressed his face tighter into Bucky's chest.
“Sure.” Bucky comforted. “Sure. Up on the bed, honey. Partial shift for me, let me see those pretty gold eyes. Let your Lion out and I'll hold you.”
Steve promptly obeyed, pulling his shirt up and over his chest and letting the partial shift take him, eyes shading to gold and Bucky growled in approval watching the muscles ripple under all that perfect skin.
“Beautiful.” he said, and Steve flushed a little, crawling up on the bed and lying down next to Tony. The cat meowed a sleepily, little paws twitching, and Bucky nearly melted. “God, hes precious.”
“So precious.” Steve echoed, and ran his hand gently over Tony's soft fur. “You ok, sweetheart? Having a rough day?”
Another little meow that sounded more like a whimper, and Bucky was stripping off his clothes, shifting further into his Wolf and following his mate onto the bed, curling his big body around both Steve and the tiny cat.
“Hey, sweet thing.” he crooned. “Want to tell us whats wrong? Want to take the mask off and let us hold you?”
There was a long moment of just silence, then Tony slid away from the mask slowly, scooting across the bed until he was lying between their chests, curled into a little ball.
“There you are.” “Aw, little darling, whats wrong?” “Talk to us, honey.” “We’re right here, both of us.” “We love you, Tony.” “Our perfect little shifter. “Perfect, pretty little kitty.”
Tony sighed and stretched a little, then closed his eyes and started purring happily. Bucky glanced up and smiled into Steve's golden eyes.
“Come here.” he tugged at him and Steve pressed closer, nearly squishing Tony between them as he tucked his head under Bucky's chin, breathing in the comforting scents of both his mates. “That's good.” Bucky murmured comfortingly, his big arms circling both of them. “My mates. Mine. I love you both. So much.”
Tony purred louder then, and Steve definitely wasn't purring, but the Lion shifter was definitely rumbling in a soft purr-y kind of way, and Bucky just smiled and held them both a little closer, a little tighter.
Both his mates were perfect.
******************
Tony woke up sandwiched between his two mates, and happy as hell. He had told FRIDAY specifically to not let them know he’d been having a bad day, but he was absolutely thrilled they had found him. Nothing was better than waking up with both his mates in bed with him, Bucky's arms keeping them safe.
“Bucky.” he whispered. “Mate.”
“Mate.” Bucky replied sleepily and dropped his head to press a long kiss to his lips. “Are you alright?”
“Yeah. Better now.” Tony snuggled closer into the big Alpha.
“You should have called us. We could have come sooner.”
“You were busy.” Tony said with a shrug, and behind him Steve nuzzled his neck.“Not an excuse, honey.”
“Don't hide from us, Tony.” Steve cuddled up against him, laying soft kisses on his shoulders. “Not us.”
“Never us.” Bucky smiled. “Even though, seeing you wearing your mask was the cutest thing I've ever seen. Ever. And sweet thing, I have seen alot of cute kittens and puppies and I am telling you, you are the cutest.”
“Bucky.” Steve rolled his eyes. “Tony, his tail was wagging so fast it was like looking at a Labrador instead of a several hundred pound Alpha level shifter Wolf who had called me in a panic crying 911.”
“Did you call Steve in a panic?” Tony was trying not to laugh because Bucky looked just horribly affronted that Steve had told on him.
“It was just– you were so adorable. Tony, baby, my little kitten, so cute.” The Alpha shifter growled. “Mine. My litte shifter.” He glanced over at Steve. “Both of you. Mine.”
“Yours.” Tony whispered.
“Yours.” Steve repeated, his voice a little rough.
“Tony, if you’re alright, I think our mate needs some extra love today.” Bucky said with a soft smile and Tony leaned up to kiss him lightly before flipping over and jumping on Steve, raining kisses all over his face and neck, wiggling against him happily.
“Tony!” Steve was laughing, big hands resting on Tony's bare hips. “Honey, I'm fine.”
“Are you?” Bucky's voice dropped into that low rumble that he only used in bed with his mates. and Steve's eyes bled to gold. “Because I feel like you need some love.” He bent over Steve and slotted their lips together, humming in encouragement when Steve whined a little, and started panting.
“I love when he makes that noise.” Tony said, looking up from licking and kissing down Steve's chest. “That little desperate…”
“I know.” Bucky kissed him again, and laced a hand through Tony's dark hair, pushing him down lower. “Use your mouth, sugar, he loves that. Open those pretty lips.”
“Fuck.” Steve groaned when Tony grinned and wet his lips eagerly.“Hold him down.” Tony instructed. “He gets all jumpy during blowjobs.”
“Its perfect.” Bucky said soothingly when Steve flushed red. “Everything both of you do is perfect. I love you. My mates.”
“My mates.” Tony whispered and squeezed Bucky's hand.
“I love you. “ Steve started to say. “My ma—!!!” his voice shot to a shriek and Bucky kissed him so he wouldn't laugh, just because the way Steve reacted was so perfect, and the little giggle Tony gave was so perfect, and everything about life with his feline mates was… purrrrfect.
It was going on three weeks now of Tony being stuck in a partial shift and he was tired of it.
The longer he was in a half-cat state the more he struggled to talk normally, to have regular sleep cycles, and even to control his emotions. He had Steve and Bucky at the ready at all times to drop what they were doing and hold him, but it was really starting to wear on him.
Conversations were getting harder, Tony was spending more and more time asleep and then waking up in tears because he needed to work, and even though he never called it their fault again--
--it was very much their fault, and they felt terrible.
Bucky wasn't expecting to find Rhodes in the lab when he went looking for Tony to see if they could spend some naked time together, but there the colonel was, passed out on the couch with Tony dead asleep next to him, their arms wrapped right around each other, Tony's head buried in Rhodey's chest.
“Hey did you find-- oh .” Steve pulled up short next to him. “Those two are just friends, right?”
“Right.” Bucky nodded slowly, and motioned Steve back several feet so they wouldn't disturb the nap. “Pretty sure. I mean, I'm pretty sure that they-- yeah. They're just friends. I think.”
“And they sleep together?” Steve raised his eyebrows. “Like that?”
“You know Tony needs the extra sleep right now.” Bucky countered. “Besides, Rhodes says they used to share a bed in MIT all the time. Felines need extra cuddles, you know?”
“But… platonic, right?”
“I guess so.” Bucky cleared his throat a little uncomfortably. “I understand wanting someone in your bed for physical comfort. Like we used to, right? Whether its...platonic? Or-- or not.”
“Yeah.” Steve looked down at the floor, then out the window- anywhere to avoid Bucky's eyes. Then, “I miss you, Bucky.” he blurted. “I miss… you . You moved out of our room, and now we can hardly be around each other without Tony there, and I hate that. It's like we're barely even friends anymore and I hate it.”
“I miss you too.” Bucky admitted. “You're my best friend, Steve. As great as things are with Tony, this isn't easy on me to not have you all the time too.”
“You're my best friend too.” Steve said quietly. “But weren't we… weren't we trying for more than that?”
Silence, for long enough that Steve started thinking that he had said something terribly wrong.
“Yeah. Yeah we were.” Bucky wasn't looking at him when he finally spoke again. “Ain't easy, not being able to be around my best friend cause our animals are too territorial. We’ve got to figure out a way to deal with that so we don't lose Tony.”
“I don't want lose us either, Buck. Of course Tony is everything to me but… so are you. Don't want to lose that because our shifts can't deal.” Bucky grunted in agreement. “So can we try it all again?” Steve pressed. “Sharing a bed? Sleeping in the same room at least? These last few times with Tony have been… good, and I know we've been trying to get closer but--”
“Yeah.” Bucky interrupted. “I mean, having Tony between us is--”
“Right. But you and I--”
“We should try--”
They each took a deep breath, then laughed at each other's sheepish expression.
“Will you come back to our room tonight?” Steve finally asked. “We don't have to try the bed thing, but maybe just sleeping in the same space.”
“Will your Lion let me? You're awfully quick to shift anytime we get close.” Bucky said uneasily. “The last thing anyone needs is us destroying a room because we can't handle being around each other.”
“I will try to let you.” Steve nodded. “I want this, I want… whatever this is. Whatever it will be with Tony, and you might have to help corral my Lion a little bit, but---”
Bucky was smiling then, reaching out to place his left hand on the back of Steve's neck, pulling him forward until their foreheads touched, and Steve shivered at the cool metal on his skin. “This alright?” Bucky asked cautiously. “Let me know if your Lion can't handle it.”
“More.” Steve said softly, even as his eyes shaded to gold and his voice deepened.
“Yeah?” Bucky flexed his fingers, the gears in his arm re-calibrating his hold to pull Steve closer, and then closer again until their chests were nearly touching. “Alright?”
Steve made a noise that was almost a purr, his hands coming up to grip Bucky's waist. “I've missed you.” He mumbled. “I know we've never really done anything, but I missed you.”
Bucky wrapped his right arm around Steve's shoulders, pressing tighter against his forehead, their noses brushing each other. “We can do this.” Bucky breathed. “Just like this, huh?” Steve nodded and Bucky closed his eyes. “Can I have more?” Another quick nod, and Bucky started nosing over Steve's face gently until the blonde tilted his head up and their lips almost met.
“Can't go back from this.” Steve said slowly, his fingers tracing circles into Bucky's side. “This will change us and our bond with Tony.”
“It'll be alright.” Bucky murmured. “I want this too. Not gonna let you get away from me.”
“Not gonna let you get away from me.” Steve retorted, and Bucky's fangs dropped in response to the growl from the Lion.
“Not a dominance contest.” He warned. “Not between us. Not over Tony. Chill out.”
“I know.” Steve's eyes were melting gold, hot and eager. “I still kinda want to fight you. Pin you to the bed.”
Bucky growled a little louder when Steve pushed into him, forcing him back a step into a desk. “Easy, easy, we can't do this in the lab.” But his eyes lit as his Wolf stirred, glowing electric blue. “Want to pin you too, on the floor, make you submit .”
“You'll have to fight me for that.” Steve whispered. “Not gonna let you take me without a fight.”
“Alpha.” Bucky whispered the word and Steve's whole body reacted instantly, a jolt of arousal nearly pushing him into a partial shift right there.
“Alpha.” Steve returned, and the word came as a snarl as he closed the bit of distance between their lips to kiss him, to bite at his lips, to thrust his tongue greedily into Bucky's mouth, fingers sharpening to claws and digging into Bucky's waist.
The Wolf shifter rocked into him, grinding their hips together, and Steve muffled a curse with a hard kiss, a whine building in his throat because fuck he’d never even thought about how big Bucky was but now they were shoved together and he could feel Bucky thick against his thigh and... and...damn .
“Easy…” Bucky murmured and loosened his hold on Steve's neck. “Come out of your shift, we still need to focus on Tony. Come on. Don't want to stop this, but we can't do it right now. Focus on Tony.”
“Tony.” Steve agreed and closed his eyes, visibly making an attempt at pulling his Lion back. “Thank you.” he said.
Bucky just bumped their foreheads together comfortingly.“I got you.” They stayed close for another moment, letting their animals get used to the shared space, letting themselves soak up the comfort that always came with each other, and now the new that was sparking between them.
“You two done over there? Or do I have to keep pretending to be asleep?” Rhodey asked from the couch without opening his eyes, and Tony started laughing, his tail twitching in merriment.
“Thought you punks were out.” Bucky growled and Tony just laughed harder.
“Dammit .” Steve muttered self consciously. “Course they were awake for that.”
Bucky brushed a short kiss over his lips.“Stevie. We alright?”
“Yeah.” Steve nodded and Bucky smiled at him, before linking their hands and pulling him towards the couch.
“Looks like your boys more than made up.” Rhodes teased and Tony buried his face further to hide his grin.
“Like it. My boys playing well together.” Tony mumbled into Rhodey's shoulder. “Bout damn time.”
The Colonel laughed up at the soldiers.“Yeah, I hear you two are pretty whipped. I definitely got a picture from Barton that involved you guys feeding Tony his breakfast. Big scary Alpha shifters, aren't you?”
Steve started to protest but Bucky silenced him with a quick look, and they both just shrugged.“Call it whatever you want.” Steve amended. “As long as Tony's happy.”
“Oh my god, I can hear the whip being cracked.” Rhodey shouted with laughter and Tony dug his claws into his chest in annoyance.
“Don't tease.” Tony whined. “I need lots...today and I want them, um, good mood.” he cursed in frustration over the halting speech, and Rhodey petted his hair soothingly.
Bucky and Steve exchanged guilty glances as they heard Tony struggling to put sentences together. The longer he was partial shifted, the worse his speech got, the more frustrated he became. It was getting hard to understand him, and they each murmured soft, comforting things towards him.
“Well, I'm going to leave for the part where you three play together. After that little scene in the corner, I feel like this can only get worse from here.” Rhodes started untangling himself from Tony, who whined dramatically.
“But honeybear!!”
“He's a whole ball of needy today.” Rhodes clapped them on their shoulders as he passed. “Have fun with that.”
Tony sat up grumpily, scratching behind one of his black ears. “ So sick of being partial. Somebody better get over here and hold me.”
“Such high maintenance.” Bucky teased and Tony flattened his ears to hiss at him. “Scary kitty. Vicious.”
“Don't be mad, sweetheart.” Steve lifted Tony into his arms like he didn't weigh anything. “Let's get upstairs and lay down and get you feeling better, huh? Nice long nap?”
“Wanna take the elevator?” Bucky asked with a wicked smile, trying to make up for his earlier comment. “On the way up to the nap?”
Tony wiggled happily in Steve's arms. “Yes.”
*******************
*******************
It had been Clint's idea for Steve and Bucky to shift fully into their animals and spend some down time with Tony.
He had explained that when Natasha had a hard time shifting down from her dragon, if he let his Hawk free, then shifted slowly back into partial and back into human it could ease the way for her to complete the steps as well.
No one really understood the science behind shifting, or why it was easier for some and harder for others, but it sounded like a valid idea, and both the Alpha shifters were ready to try anything at this point.
So right now Tony was curled up on his floor, one hand buried in the thick hair of the Lion's mane, the other running absentmindedly through the Wolfs silver fur, and both the big shifters were growling and rumbling comfortingly.
“I like this.” Tony announced, speaking slowly so he could think about and enunciate every word. “Like having giant pets. Giant breathing pillows. Huge bed that will...take…me wherever I want to go.”
Too content just being touched by their almost-mate, neither the Lion or the Wolf even twitched, just sighed a little and closed their eyes. They felt awful every time Tony couldn't find the word he needed, and were willing to do anything to bring him out of his partial, even if it meant shifting to and from their animals over and over for days.
“Can we talk, like this?” Tony said then, and tightened his hold on them. “Because I--I want both of you. And now I know you both want me… I want to bond with each of you. Both of you.” The words were coming slowly, with difficulty, and Tony closed his eyes in frustration. “You guys…get it?”
Bucky's head lifted and he whined a little, glancing at the Lion, who made a huffing noise, pressing his big nose into Tony's leg.
“I don't know exactly how that would... work, but I want to try.” Tony continued. “I just can't...while partial… no good. Need to be Tony, not cat. Get everything working again.” He sighed. “Need to be human again. Yeah?”
Steve grumbled and flopped his big head back down and Tony laughed, scratching behind his ears and kissing his head. Bucky barked softly and Tony gave him the same treatment, landing a soft kiss on his muzzle.
“Sleep now, huh? Maybe a miracle…wake up human again.”
He stretched out in the middle of them on a big pile of pillows and blankets, and both the shifters scooted as close as they could without crushing him, nosing over his neck and chest with soft breaths until he pushed them away with a laugh.
Tony flopped over onto his stomach, tucking his tail close to his legs, sharp claws against pillows so he wouldn't accidentally scratch himself, and closed his eyes.
After he was asleep, Bucky lifted his head and stared at Steve.
Our mate.
It was less of a thought Bucky sent into the air and more of a feeling and the Lions gold eyes shimmered as he felt it in his mind.
Tony. Ours.
********************
The furious screaming of an animal in pain had Natasha and Clint both racing for Tony's room, Vision taking off and simply phasing through the floors in between the common area and the penthouse.
“Tony! Tony!!” Clint broke the door down, and he and Tasha ran in as Vision came through the floor, Natasha bursting into a partial shift, ready to tear someone apart for trying to hurt Tony.
But--but--nothing was wrong.
Unless you counted the two Alpha shifters still in animal form, curled protectively around a tiny black cat, who was screeching at the top of his lungs as the Lion licked all the way up it's back, leaving every piece of fur sticking up the wrong way.
The Wolf was snuffling and huffing over the messed up hair then, licking it down the other way.
“They're… they're grooming him.” Natasha actually had to cover her mouth so she wouldn't scream with laughter at the ridiculous picture the three shifters made.
“We should just be glad Tony is able to move between his shifted forms once again. He will be pleased to be human again.” Vision allowed himself a small smile before disappearing back downstairs.
It took Clint a full three minutes to get himself off the floor and back under control so he could pull his phone out and snap a picture.
For blackmail science.
Grooming habits of Alpha shifters and their house cats.
Definitely science.
*******************
That night, Bucky and Steve lay in separate beds in their room, staring up at the ceiling and thinking about Tony, trying to keep their minds from straying to what had happened between them earlier.
“I'm so glad Tony was able to shift again.” Steve finally said, feeling like Tony was a safe topic, a good segue into what they really wanted to talk about. “A real relief, you know?”
Bucky nodded. “I was starting to get worried about him. So stupid of us, setting him off like that. Getting out of control like that.”
“I'm sorry.” Steve muttered. “I'm sorry about what happened with Tony and me, Buck. I swear. I swear I didn't mean for it to go that far, and once it did I couldn't stop myself. Didn't want to stop myself. I didn't think until later how you would feel about--”
“Are we?” Steve asked, clearing his throat before plunging right over the edge into The Talk. “Because you are lying awfully far away from me.”
Bucky made a soft, hopeful noise and when he sat up to look over at him, Steve nodded quickly, just once, moving over in the bed to make room.
Bucky came over slowly, giving Steve's Lion plenty of time to adjust to his proximity as he slid between the sheets, and up against Steve's body.
“Alright?” he kept asking. “You alright, Stevie? We good?”
“I'm fine.” Steve assured him, but he was stiff as a board, trying to keep his instincts at bay. He had such a hard time with being close to the canine shifter, and he hated it. But biology was too hard to ignore, and a growl started working through his throat, his nails lengthening to claws that dug into Bucky's side.
“What can I do to make this easier?” Bucky asked cautiously. “Tell me how I can help.”
“Just… slow.” Steve grit out. “Give me a minute.”
“As much time as you need.” Bucky assured him, and settled down to wait.
“Come here.” Steve reached for him after a moment. “Can you just…I need--” Bucky ducked his head in a submission pose and Steve's eyes started turning gold. “No, no, no don't submit , I need you to make me-- take the choice out of my hands.”
Oh.
Bucky shifted, sniffed at Steve's neck lightly, then snapped his teeth shut over the crook of Steve's neck, growling low and tugging lightly on the muscle until Steve went limp, curling into Bucky's chest and rumbling in relief.
“Better?” Bucky ran his hand through Steve's hair, smoothed down his back. “Alright?”
“Thanks.” Steve forced a breath out. “Got to force the Lion back sometimes. Too quick to shift.”
“I got you.” Bucky comforted. “You good?”
“Yeah.” Steve signed and relaxed every further his arms looping around Bucky's waist and drawing him closer. “Missed this.”
ADDITIONAL CHAPTERS HERE
***********************************
Rhodes threw Steve through a window first, and the soldier partial shifted into his Lion with a snarl, his feet slipping and sliding on the shattered glass as he tried for balance on the grass.
Bucky was next, destroying the rest of the window and smashing into the ground, but he was fully shifted into his Wolf before he even stood back up, baring his teeth furiously at Rhodes.
Then both of them were scrambling backwards, shifting down into human as fast as they could and yelling at the top of their lungs as the twelve foot tall black bear came crashing through the wall and onto the lawn, each step of its massive paws leaving a dent in the ground, jaws open in a roar that shook the soldiers to their very core.
And stalking behind the bear, nose in the air, tail twitching irritably, came Tony.
Turns out he wasn't as alright with being rejected as he had originally thought.
That would teach those stupid soldiers to hurt his feelings.
Honeybear to the fucking rescue .
*****************
*****************
“Now boys .” The Colonel crossed his arms over his chest. “I want you to tell Tony exactly what you told me. Don't leave anything out or I'll put you through a wall again.”
Bucky and Steve, both dressed again and looking more than a little terrified, nodded in unison.
“It wasn't that we didn't want to be around you after shifted down, Tony.” Steve began awkwardly and the black cat just twitched his tail.
“It's just that--” Bucky rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Just that you were naked , and both our animals got--got--um--”
“Got??” Rhodes thundered and Bucky jumped. “Finish your fucking sentence!”
“We both got possessive and were afraid we couldn't control our shift!” Steve blurted. “Bucky and I have been getting… closer but---”
“But feline shifters and canine shifters don't ever really get along and we both want you, so seeing you naked--”
“--both our animals wanted to claim you, and of course, fight the other shifter in the room so--”
“-- so we left so we wouldn't do anything stupid.” Bucky finished lamely. “And we are really really sorry if that hurt your feelings.”
“Of course it hurt his feelings!” Rhodes growled, and the Bear was still so close to the surface that it came out as more of a rumble and less of a sentence.
Tony stood on his hind legs and pressed his little face into Rhodey's, meowing softly until the man calmed down.
“I told I would kick your asses if you upset Tony.” he warned. “Consider yourself lucky I only scared the living hell out of you today. If it happens again, I will crush you, Super soldiers or not. Pretty sure I can carry your shield, Cap, you ain't all that special. And Bucky, wolves are about a dime a dozen so don't fucking test me, or I will toss your mangy hide away and find another one for the team, do I make myself perfectly clear?”
He scooped Tony up into his arms and left the room, leaving Bucky and Steve shaking on the couch.
“I have never been more scared in my life.” Steve admitted, and Bucky couldn't even laugh about it.
“Somehow this was more terrifying than any flashback I could ever have.”
“Heya pals.” Clint and Natasha appeared in the doorway. “Met Rhodey's bear, did you?”
“Um--um--”
Clint's lips twitched into a smirk. “Yeah, so story time. Back before Tony was Iron Man, and he was just rich and obnoxious and hot--” two sets of eyes snapped up to meet his. “-- what? You think just because Tasha and I are together I'm blind to how gorgeous Tony is? You two are all brawn and no brain aren't you?”
“Clint.” Tasha murmured and he coughed.
“Right. Anyway. So I meet Tony, ended up trying to be flirty and funny and offended the hell out of him without realizing it.”
“Imagine that.” Bucky muttered and Clint glared at him.
“So anyway. Later that night, I shift into my hawk and go to take off, and a partial shifted Rhodey-bear reaches into the sky and snatches me back to ground. Surprised he didn't break my wings. Tells me in the most terrifying voice in the world, that if I ever upset Tony again he'd pluck all my feathers and roast me for dinner. Then let me go. It took me six months to even be able to look him in the eye again.”
“He's intense.” Natasha nodded. “I wouldn't feel comfortable going up against him, even in full dragon form. I feel like he could rip my wings off without blinking.”
“How is he so big?” Bucky stammered. “His bear is twice my height. And Rhodes is like, half my height in real life. I've hardly even heard him raise his voice but--”
“It's because he's such a good person.” Clint said decisively. “Not only is he fairly high ranking military, and War Machine, which would make his bear big anyway but he's genuinely the nicest person I've ever met. Maybe nicer than Phil, but I would never say that out loud. The strength of his heart, his soul. That's what fuels his bear.”
“That makes it worse. Makes it scarier.” Bucky complained. “I can't compete with a guy who's animal is directly proportionate to the goodness in his heart!”
“Well maybe next time you don't piss Tony off.” Clint snapped, and Bucky popped his teeth right back, bursting into a partial shift and growling at him.
“Down boy.” Clint waved his hand in a bored fashion. “I've heard you scream like a child, you don't scare me anymore.”
****************
A week and a half later, both Steve and Bucky were snappish and irritable with each other and everyone else.
Tony had barely spoken to them the last ten days, and certainly hadn't called them to help with his shifts at all. Their almost daily dose of snuggles and cuteness had completely disappeared, and tensions were so high between the Lion and Wolf that they couldn't even share a bed anymore.
When Bucky had walked into the bedroom the other night, Steve had partial shifted almost instantly, eyes flashing gold, a warning snarl building in his chest. Bucky had had to partial shift himself, and they had spent a restless night unable to relax around each other at all, even in separate beds.
This morning they couldn't even sit together.
Bucky was pacing anxiously in the living room, Steve tapping his claws on the kitchen table, physically unable to bring himself out of a partial shift because he was so stressed out. Neither of them had realized how much they had counted on Tony being with them to keep them level until the little shifter started refusing to be around them.
It was tearing them up mentally, throwing them out of sync emotionally, and driving a wedge into their friendship, effectively putting a stop to anything romantic that had been blossoming.
And it was making the rest of the team insane .
“Enough .” Wanda yelled, when Bucky got too close to the kitchen and Steve jumped to his feet in a clear challenge. Bucky had just squared up his shoulders, more than ready to accept the challenge, when Wanda pushed her chair back and sent them both a glare.
“I cannot handle the tension anymore. Bucky, come let your Wolf run with Natasha and I. You need out of the compound and away from the Captain. Tonight, Hawk and Vision can take Captain out. Let's go.”
“I don't want to go.” Bucky protested. The thought of Steve alone with Tony made his skin crawl and his Wolf furious .
“I wasn't asking.” Wanda lifted her hand, letting her power arc between her fingers and glow in her eyes and Natasha murmured in agreement behind her.
“Fine.” Bucky couldn't even look at Steve, turning away as he started undressing so he could shift.
In the entirely creepy way of shifting unique only to Snakes, Wanda took two steps forward, and let her entire body shimmer and melt away, her human skin seeming to shed itself, leaving her as her Constrictor, thick coils tensing and moving as she curled her body close together to avoid being stepped on.
“Come on.” Tasha sighed and stepped out of her dress, treating everyone to a quick flash of perfect curves before the scales starting climbing her body, smoke puffing from her mouth when she exhaled.
Bucky grumbled a little a more, but dropped his pants and let his Wolf take over, growling at the pain that always accompanied his left arm changing. Hydra had managed to design the arm to shift with him but it always hurt and he hated it. Hated the reminder of his Winter Soldier days. He even kind of hated how close his Wolf came to emulating the Winter Soldier, all brute strength and and barely checked power and killer instinct.
But he couldn't deny how much he loved the freedom being in Wolf form brought him, and he knew a hard run would do wonders for his state of mind.
“We will see you in a few hours.” Vision said calmly, running his hand over several feet of Wanda, and the Constrictors eyes glowed red at the gentle touch. Vision couldn't shift, for obvious reasons, but he loved Wanda just as much in her Constrictor form as he did human, and she loved that.
Raising her coils to push more of them through his hands, she sent him another soft look before heading out the door, closely followed by Bucky, and then Natasha.
Once they were gone, Steve was finally able to pull himself from his partial shift, breathing a sigh of relief, and Clint clicked his tongue in sympathy.
“Why don't you go paint or something. We’ll run you ragged later, so go get some rest. Can't imagine you sleep well with the canine shifter in your room. Go sleep, we will come looking for you when they get home.”
Steve didn't answer, just sent both Clint and Vision a jerky nod and headed up to his room.
*****************
He'd only been asleep a few minutes when the door to his room banged open, and a very disgruntled Tony stood there glaring at him.
“I haven't hardly slept all week.” Tony spat. “Haven't been able to shift alone. It's making me crazy. Both you Alpha shifters are so stupid and it pisses me off, but I need you anyway so get your asses down to my lab and--- hey, where's Bucky? I came looking for both of you.” His face fell and Steve sat up on his elbows.
“Bucks out running. Needed a break from all--” he made a circle motion with one hand. “You know?”
“Oh.” Tony looked even more upset and kicked at the carpet self consciously. “I came in here all ready to yell at you guys and demand a little attention but now I'm not really sure what to do.”
Steve bit back his laugh and held out a hand hopefully. “Well… I'm here, if you want.”
Tony eyed him curiously. “Without Bucky? We've never done that.”
“Being close to Bucky isn't the part of this whole thing I have been missing.” Steve said, feeling a twinge of guilt as he said it, because shifter biology aside, he was missing Bucky.
Just not as much as he was missing Tony. “I miss you, Tony.” he murmured, and and Tony's eyes lit warmed.
“Oh.”
“Come on.” Steve urged. “I'll close my eyes and you can shift and we can just lay here, huh?”
“Yeah. Alright, that sounds good.” Tony nodded quickly, and was already unbuttoning his shirt, so Steve dropped a pillow over his face so he wouldn't stare.
Within a minute, he felt tiny laws pressing at him lightly and he opened his eyes again.“Hey there, beautiful.” He turned on his side, making room on the bed and Tony curled into a little ball next to him, nose pressed into his stomach. “Yeah, we can nap like this. This is fine.”
Without a second thought for what might happen if Bucky walked in on their little scene, Steve closed his eyes and fell back asleep to the little purr coming from his favorite shifter.
Things were… a little awkward between Steve and Bucky for the next few days after the talk with Colonel Rhodes.
Bucky was sure he'd never been so aware that Steve only slept a few yards away in their shared room, and spent most of the night trying not to think of how easy it would be to just jump onto the other bed and start something with the Lion shifter. But then again, he didn't think he had ever wanted Steve like that, so maybe it was just the idea of Tony wanting both of them that suddenly drew him to his best friend?
Steve on the other hand was positive he had never noticed how thick Bucky's thighs were, but when the soldier crouched to pull a pan out of a cupboard Steve nearly spit his coffee out as a jolt of awareness went through him. Never in his life had he looked at Bucky more than once-- alright, maybe two or three times before the war, and maybe a few times since bringing him home, but he had never thought about doing anything about. And all these new thoughts certainly hadn't been there a week ago so… so where were they coming from? Why the sudden urge to see how well he and Bucky would fit together? It had to be because of Tony.
Damn cat.
Things were tense between them, neither shifter sure of how to broach the topic, neither one willing to be the first one to say anything--
--and then everything was made worse, much much worse when Tony sashayed his perfect pert little ass into the kitchen the morning of day four and pinned both of them down with a stare.
“My Honeybear is telling me that I need to shift more, to keep myself balanced.” he announced loudly and Steve and Bucky raised their eyebrows in unison. “He is also telling me to make sure I don't shift alone because my animal form is needy and suffers when it's alone. Or some…” he waved his hands around. “--other form of spectacular bullshit. So here's what we are going to do.”
He cleared his throat and folded his hands on the table. “I will be in my lab fully shifted, in about fifteen minutes. I would like both of you to come down and sit on the couch with me. You don't need to talk to me, just be there and available for some physical contact. That is all. Thank you for your time.”
Without waiting for an answer, Tony turned on his heel and swept back of the door, leaving the soldiers fairly perplexed about what had just happened.
“Honeybear?” Steve questioned. “What the hell is a honeybear?”
Bucky groaned out loud. “Remember Rhodes threatening us? How much do you want to bet Tony calls Rhodes eight foot tall partial shifted animal honeybear ?”
“Of course he does. Of course Tony has a stupid nickname for an Alpha level shifter.” Steve stood to his feet uncertainly. “So-- shall we?” He motioned towards the door and Bucky stood just as slowly.
“I guess. I mean, we don't want to leave him waiting right? After he was brave enough to ask us?”
“I feel like we weren't so much asked as we were informed, but sure.”
A deep breath from Bucky. “So. Stevie. Will this will be sharing--”
“Don't.” Steve's eyes snapped closed. “Do not finish that sentence. Do not. We will talk about that if the time comes.”
“Been thinking about it?” Bucky asked as they headed down the stairs.
“Damn it Bucky. Shut up. ”
“Yeah. Me too.”
***************************
There were only a few lights on in the lab when they opened the door, all the computers shut down, the windows turned opaque so no one could see in. There was music playing from somewhere, and when the door slid smoothly shut behind them, the locks engaged to make sure that no one else came in.
And on the couch in the far corner, resplendent in all his six or seven pound glory, was Tony's tiny black cat, whiskers twitching as they came closer, eyes narrowing in warning when their faces lit with excitement.
Bucky actually had to bite back a whimper because Tony was the fucking cutest cat, and Steve elbowed him in annoyance.
Sitting next to Tony was a folded piece of paper addressed to both of them and Steve grabbed it first, scanning the contents quickly.
Steve and Bucky,
You can imagine I'm not very comfortable with this whole thing, but I'm willing to try it. I'd never admit it to his face, but Rhodey is absolutely right that I need to be shifted more often, and with someone around to help me.
I choose both of you. This doesn't have to affect our regular life, what happens here will stay here as far as I'm concerned. And as far as you are concerned, because if you spread it around that you spend half hours cuddling me I will find some way to neuter both your animals and make it look like an accident.
That being said, please sit down next to one another and don't laugh. Barnes if you call me pretty kitty I will rake your eyes out. Cap if you pick me up by the scruff of my neck I will claw your throat out.
We clear?
Sit your big asses down.
Steve wanted to laugh as he read the letter aloud, but managed not to, and sat down near the middle of the couch as carefully as he could. Bucky pulled off his jacket and right sat next to him, close enough that their thighs brushed and Steve had to cough to cover the way he jumped.
...he only jumped because Bucky startled him. That-- that was it.
It took a few minutes more of uneasiness, but finally Tony stood to all fours and delicately picked his way over the couch, hesitating just a little before placing a tiny paw on Steve's leg.
“It's alright.” Steve encouraged, trying not to sound condescending. “You can-- come on. Come sit on my lap. It's alright.”
“Come on, Tony.” Bucky added and made a coaxing motion with his hand. “Come here so we can pet you.”
Tony finally did, crossing Steve's lap to sit primly at the spot where their thighs were touching. With what could only be a suspicious glance from narrowed cat eyes, Tony gingerly lay himself down, half on Steve's leg, half on Bucky's.
“Gonna scratch your ears, alright, honey?” Bucky's voice deepened to something soothing and rumbly and Tony's ears flicked forward toward the comforting sound. Bucky smiled and reached for him, big fingers scratching behind the soft fur, and Tony's eyes started closing in pleasure. “Steve.” Bucky murmured, and Steve hesitantly reached to lay a hand lightly on Tony's back.
“Um, gonna pet your back?” Steve offered, feeling much more out of his comfort zone with tiny animals than Bucky was. Bucky had always been the one to bring home bedraggled dogs and abandoned cats so he was definitely better at this. Steve on the other hand, felt completely ridiculous.
“More.” Bucky instructed quietly, never changing his tone from that soothing low register, and Steve was surprised at how much he liked it.
“Gonna pet you a little, alright Tony?” Steve tried again. “You let me know if it's alright. Or- you know. Scratch me to hell if you don't.”
He ran a gentle hand from Tony's neck down his back, to the base of his tail, and the cat meowed softly and shivered a little, pressing tighter into their legs.
“He likes that.” Steve said in wonder. “Did you hear that?”
Bucky laughed at him.“You're a big cat, Steve, don't you meow when people give you back rubs?”
“I'm not a cat, I'm a Lion.” Steve said impatiently, and beneath his hand, Tony tensed up a little. “Nothing wrong with being a cat, of course. Nothing at all.” He hastened to correct himself, and Tony relaxed again.
“Better.” Bucky praised softly, never stopping rubbing behind Tony's ears, up and under his chin and down the soft fur on his neck.
They sat in silence for a few more minutes, and then Tony jumped off their laps and stalked away.
“Are we… are we done?” Steve asked in confusion. “That's all he needed?”
Bucky shrugged. “Cats are pretty flighty. Maybe he just needed a break, maybe he's done. Let's just wait and see.”
“Alright.” Steve slouched a little further down on the couch, and ever so casually brought his hand to rest on Bucky's knee.
The canine shifter tilted his head and growled just a little, but trapped Steve's hand there with his own when Steve tried to pull away.
“Yeah?” Steve asked, and knew his voice came out a little strangled. “Good?”
“I… think so.” Bucky replied, sounding just as awkward, and Steve wanted to say something else, but just then Tony reappeared, fully clothed in his usual jeans and long sleeve, sun glasses over his eyes.
“That's all for the day. Thanks for your time. You're dismissed.” He started turning lights and music on, machines whirring as they rebooted and Steve and Bucky exchanged a look.
“Alright. Guess we will see you at dinner?” Steve asked, and Tony just waved a hand at them.
“Uh, bye Tony.”
Feeling oddly… cheated? out of… something, maybe a hug or something , they left quickly and quietly, heading back upstairs together.
“So that wasn't bad.” Bucky commented slowly. “Not as awkward as it could have been, right?”
“No, not bad. Not awkward. Could do it again.” Steve replied.
“Right.” Bucky nodded in agreement, and as they turned to go up the last flight of stairs, Steve slipped his hand into Bucky's and squeezed lightly.
Bucky looked down curiously at their joined hands, but didn't pull away.
********************
It was almost a week before Tony called for them again, but they went right down stairs this time, both of them happy to be back on Tony's couch, petting and scratching at Tony's soft fur.
Four or five days after that, they were back again.
Sunday, which was the fourth time they had done this sort of thing, Bucky cleared his throat loudly when Tony reappeared back in human form, ready to kick them out and get back to working like he always did.
“Something you need, Buck?” Tony asked, already busy with whatever genius thing he was designing. “A throat lozenge, perhaps? You sure cleared your throat loud enough.”
“C’mere Tony.” Bucky ignored the sarcasm and reached out to pull the man into a hug, hiding his smile at Tony's undignified squawk of surprise. “Feels weird to be bonding with your cat and not with you, so just let me hold you for a minute.”
“Oh.” Tony managed, and as soon as Bucky released him, Steve stepped up and wrapped his arms around him as well.
“This is better.” Steve said quietly, and he just barely felt the nod from Tony against his shoulder. “Shouldn't be just running off after some light bonding. Feels weird.”
“Oh.” Tony said again, and Steve let him go after another minute, both of them smiling over the pink tinge to Tony's ears. “Alright. Well. See you both at dinner.”
As Steve and Bucky walked up the stairs, and Steve reached again for Bucky's hand, the gesture getting easier each time.“So getting Tony in my arms was kind of fucking perfect.”
“Hell yeah.” Bucky squeezed at his hand lightly. “Sure was.”
******************
Tony called them down to the lab the very next night, which was new, and this time he jumped right on their laps, pressing excitedly into Bucky's palm, arching his back as Steve stroked through the silky fur.
“He's happier since we told him we want to bond with him too.” Bucky whispered and Steve nodded, edging closer so he and Bucky were touching from shoulders down to their feet.
“I am too.” He admitted and Bucky grinned. “It seems more natural this way.” In their laps, Tony started kneading his claws into Bucky's pants, then dropped his head and started purring.“Oh my god he's so cute.” Steve said in barely more than a whisper. “Good Lord he's cute.”
Bucky didn't even answer this time, his light blue eyes lit with adoration and affection as he stared down at the tiny cat.
Then he looked up at Steve and the blond almost forgot how to breathe when the adoration and affection slid into something curious, and Bucky's gaze dropped down to his lips.
