Chest to chest, Nose to nose, Palm to palm. We were always just that close. Wrist to wrist, Toe to toe, lips that felt just like the inside of a rose. So how come when I reach out my finger, It feels like more than distance between us?
Tony rolls over, the bed feeling a bit warm. He is two inches away from smacking his head into the chest of one James Buchanan Barnes, who is still lightly snoring away. After a drunken escapade, they finally slept together! Tony has been nursing a crush on him since he got to this tower.
Steve had brought him down to the lab.; the poor man looked afraid of his shadow. He seemed resigned to the fate that everyone here would be cautious and maybe even afraid of him. But not Tony. No, he was going to show he’s not afraid. Once Steve introduced them, Tony wiped his forehead with his arm and said, “It's it hot in here, or is it just you?”
Steve’s affronted “Tony!” was silenced by Barnes’s grin. Without missing a beat, he’d replied back. “With you in here, too, it’s hotter than a sauna.”
James seemed so glad that Tony wasn’t afraid of him and didn’t expect him to be anyone. They ended up spending much time together. Tony tamped his feelings down for so long but he must’ve gotten drunk enough to let them out. Too bad he can’t remember last night at all except his body is feeling the aftermath of really good sex. James must feel the same way about him if he’d agreed.
He lies there, looking at James' peaceful-looking face. You know what? I’m probably being creepy right now. Knowing he won’t be sleeping anytime soon, Tony gets up to make coffee. Humming away in the kitchen, he drinks a cup and reads emails from Pepper. Twenty minutes later, he is back in his bedroom with a plate of food, but James is nowhere to be found. Huh. I guess he doesn’t like me enough to stick around. I kind of just thought we'd talk about it.
In this California king bed, We're ten thousand miles apart. I'll be California wishing on these stars For your heart on me. My California king
Bucky wakes up in a bed way more comfortable than his own. Where am I? Then he remembers. Oh, I must be in Tony’s room.
He remembers last night. They’d all decided to get trashed after a long and grueling victory against giant, bulletproof ducks. Like what is their life?
Bucky can’t get very drunk because of the serum, but alcohol does affect his senses. He’s been pining after Tony for months now, and when Tony started coming onto him while they were both a little buzzed, well, he is only human. Now he has to deal with the aftermath of a hookup.
The first thing he notices is that Tony is not in his room, which can only mean that it was a one-night-stand. Maybe Tony isn’t embarrassed or regretful, but he definitely doesn’t want to deal with the “where is this thing going?” conversation. It’s fine. Bucky understands. He will do Tony a favor by leaving asap. He climbs out of the huge bed, puts his clothes back on, and makes his way to his room.
Eye to eye, Cheek to cheek, Side by side. You were sleeping next to me. Arm in arm, Dusk to dawn With the curtains drawn, And a little last night on these sheets. So how come when I reach out my finger, It seems like more than distance between us?
They didn’t really talk about it, but Tony and James regularly fell into bed together, usually after a battle or after one of them had had a bad day. Tony loves the night but can’t help feeling dissatisfied in the morning.
Some days, he would wake up before James and would discreetly watch him sleep. James is right beside him but so far away emotionally. He wishes he could just reach over and touch the man, but Tony knows how that will end – James would wake up, get disgusted, and they’d never do this again.
Other days, James wakes up first and leaves. Tony wakes up to an empty bed, feeling sad. James is always very vocal during, but he obviously only sees Tony as an easy lay, which, for a certain one armed ex-assassin, he’s not wrong. They have even started avoiding each other on a day-to-day basis. He’s a little undecided – he loves their closeness on these nights, but he really wishes he had his friend again.
In this California king bed, We're ten thousand miles apart. I'll be California wishing on these stars For your heart on me. My California king
It’s awkward. Bucky keeps going to Tony more and more. He’s afraid Tony will see through this guise to see his hopeless crush, and then all this would be over.
He’s been staying in bed after he wakes up, keeping his eyes closed and his breathing even. There have been days he felt Tony watching him, but then after a little while, the man with the perfect butt would get up and start his morning. Only once did Bucky to pretend to wake up and the same time, but the situation was so awkward – both of them tried to ignore the other and get dressed as quickly as possible.
He often thinks about asking Tony out on a date, but he’s afraid of more awkwardness than actual rejection. And he desperately wants their hookups to continue. So he stays quiet and starts avoiding Tony unless they are doing the dirty.
Just when I felt like giving up on us, You turned around and gave me one last touch That made everything feel better, And even then my eyes got wetter. So confused wanna ask you if you love me, But I don't wanna seem so weak. Maybe I've been California dreaming.
Tony must have done something, must’ve screwed up somehow. James must know about his crush. It’s been a month and a half without a hookup. What’s he supposed to do? He can’t go down to James and demand he know why. Talk about embarrassing himself. James has no obligation whatsoever to make sure Tony gets sex.
After another week or so, Tony decides to give up hope that James will come to his room again when there’s a knock at the door. Tony opens and James walks in. He takes a hold of Tony’s face with his hands and quirks an eyebrow, asking for permission, to which Tony emphatically gives. Without a second warning, James kisses him, devouring his mouth. Tony can’t help but moan.
When they finish, both properly worn out and sated, Tony turns to look at James. Tonight had been so different than past nights. James was tender and… dare he say loving?
Should I ask him? Does that make me pathetic? Tony wonders. Common sense rules out because Tony doesn’t say a single word for the rest of the night.
In this California king bed, We're ten thousand miles apart. I'll be California wishing on these stars For your heart on me. My California king
Ok… Well, I guess speaking through physicality didn’t work. Making love to Tony was Bucky’s way of showing his attraction.
He had stopped coming to Tony’s room for a while, for almost two months. He wasn’t sure what he wanted, and he felt wrong just using Tony. But it seems now that’s all Tony wants. Ok, he will then give it to him. He will just dream about loving Tony. He can do this.
In this California king bed, We're ten thousand miles apart. I'll be California wishing on these stars For your heart on me. My California king
“Thank you. That felt… amazing.”
“You’re not too bad yourself.”
“Umm… would, do – do you think you’d want to go out sometime?”
“Well, not if you don’t want it to be. We could be purely platonic.”
“Tony, I would love to go on a date with you. I just though you weren’t interested in that.”
“Haha. I am basically in love with you if not fully. Oh crap. Was that too much?”
“Nope. I’m in love with you, too. C’mere. We can actually cuddle now.”
This song is based off of Rihanna's song "California King Bed."
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