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Chapter Text

Tony wasn’t too sure how it had happened the first time. The letters ‘P’ and ‘B’ weren’t even remotely close to one another in his contact list. In his defense, he hadn’t been getting a lot of sleep lately. He’d been working nights for a while and then had had to attend some big event the night of the mistake. He’d been kind of strung out on coffee – he hadn’t had a proper night’s sleep in 3 whole days.

So, when he sent the text that asked: ‘U up?’

The reply being: ‘Uh, yeah?’

Tony’s brain had tricked him into believing that Pepper had finally forgiven him for working so much and was willing to actually talk to him again.

Bucky was beyond confused that Stark was texting him, especially because he seemed to want to know if he was up. He didn’t think too much about it before telling him that he was in fact awake. Tony’s response?

‘What are U wearing?’

Bucky furrowed his brows and looked down at himself.

‘Uh, sweatpants?’

‘No shirt? That’s hot.’

Bucky frowned down at the reply he’d gotten.

‘Yeah, it’s hot in here, so I chose to take it off to sleep.’

It was a while before Bucky got an answer – he had kind of thought that Stark had gone to bed. He was greatly mistaken.

‘I’m touching myself thinking about you, baby.’

Bucky choked on nothing but his own surprise, but Tony didn’t stop there – another text came through before Bucky could even think of responding to the first one.

‘You wanna join me? I’ll make it worth your while. Make you feel soooo good.’

It took Bucky way too long to realize that Stark was probably drunk.

That has to be it, right? He thought to himself. He can’t really be thinking about me like this.

The next message was even more concerning. It was an elicit photo of Stark’s ‘equipment’ – a ‘dick pic’ as it was apparently called. Bucky stared at it longer than he would have cared to admit. It wasn’t bad looking, it was honestly bigger than he’d thought it’d be – not that he’d often thought about Stark’s dick or anything.

How the fuck am I supposed to reply to that?

Bucky was still pretty new to texting or using a cellphone of any kind – on the other hand, he’d never received this type of ‘communication’ before.

‘Nice.’

Bucky regretted his text back the minute he hit send, but he honestly had no clue how to respond.

Stark smirked down at his phone lazily as he typed a message out to send back to the short reply.

‘Shy, baby? You know you want it. There’s no use in denying it.’

Bucky’s mind went blank. 

Who does he think I am? There’s no way he knows this is a wrong number situation. There’s no way that he’s knowingly texting me this.

In hindsight, Bucky knew he could have told Stark that he had the wrong person, but a part of him felt as though he owed Stark for killing his parents all those years ago. Maybe Bucky could just play along while Stark got this out of his system – no harm, no foul. Stark would probably forget about all of this in the morning anyways, so none of this mattered. Bucky’s replies wouldn’t matter come sunrise.

‘I’m not denying anything. I want you to give it to me.’

Good girl, Tony thought to himself while he typed out his next reply.

‘I want you to touch yourself, too, while I do. Sucks we can’t be together right now, but soon, I promise.’

Was Bucky sexually attracted to Stark? No. Was he going to follow along and act as if he was for the other’s sake? Yes.

In all practicality, Bucky didn’t technically need to touch himself, but he figured it was like being undercover – he had to put everything in to make it real, at least for Stark.

‘Seems doable.’

Bucky sat up a bit, propping himself up against the pillows behind him. He unzipped his pants and pulled out his limp cock, using his metal hand as it was easier to text with his fleshed one. He began stroking himself as he awaited the next text from the younger man.

‘How does it feel knowing I’m going to cum with your name on my lips?’

Oh jeez, Bucky made a face but then pushed his initial feelings aside. He could do this – he knew how to talk dirty; he actually prided himself on it.

‘I wish I could be there to swallow it.’ He sent back. ‘Swallow all of you down my throat until you’re screaming my name.’

Stark was a little surprised at the response he had gotten from Pepper because usually she never swallowed his load – she didn’t like the taste, and he was completely fine with that. Nonetheless, he couldn’t deny that reading those words from her was ultimately a turn on and he pumped his cock in his hand faster. So what if she was only playing into his fantasy – he loved her even more for it.

‘You want this load, baby? Gonna be good for me and take it?’

‘Yes, daddy.’

Bucky felt awkward using that pet name in particular, but he honestly thought it was something that Stark would enjoy, so he pushed away the cringey feeling that it gave him after hitting send.

Stark’s eyes almost bulged out of his skull upon the reading of the text. Although Pepper had never called him that before, he couldn’t deny that it definitely roused up something within him. He decided to reward her.

Bucky stroked his cock slowly as he watched his phone for a reply. Some time passed before his screen lit up with a new message. He opened it at a completely normal speed and paused – it wasn’t just a text message.

Below the actual text: ‘Hope this helps you feel as good as you made me feel.’

There was an attachment – a video attachment.

Oh Christ. Bucky sat there for a long moment, debating whether to open it or not. He finally concluded that he should watch it, if only to learn the name of whoever Stark thought he was texting. Bucky tapped on the file – it was 3 minutes long.

Three. Whole. Minutes.

Stark didn’t mention a name once.

Bucky watched it twice just to make sure he hadn’t missed it – then he watched it another 4 times to complete the ‘follow-through’ part on his end. He shut his phone off after that and laid back down, his back flush to the mattress once more.

In a few hours none of this will matter, he convinced himself. One thing was for sure though, he was never going to look at Stark the same way again.

When Stark woke up his phone was dead as he had forgotten to plug it in when he had gone to sleep – though in his defense, he had ended up passing out after ‘relieving’ himself for Pepper’s enjoyment. He’d slept alright for someone who’d had at least 7 cups of coffee the day before. He had a bit of a caffeine hangover but still decided to go down into the kitchen to use the espresso machine while his phone charged up with his portable charger. Stark sat down on a stool at the island in the kitchen as he listened to the familiar sounds of the espresso machine and waited for his phone to power back up. He made a mental note to call Pepper to talk about last night – he’d been half asleep and overly horny, but he felt as though they had taken the next step in their relationship, and therefore, needed to discuss their future.

The espresso machine beeped, and Tony left his phone on the counter as he went over to grab his hot drink. As he sat back down the screen of his device illuminated, signalling that it had come back to life. He blew at the steam rising from his small mug before taking a sip – he then set it down to the side and picked up his phone. He opened his messaging app and immediately choked on what he’d been swallowing. Pepper’s name wasn’t at the top of the list – she was halfway down it. The last messages they’d sent between one another were from Wednesday when she’d chewed him out for working too much. It was Saturday, and someone else’s name was at the top.

Barnes... as in...

“No,” Tony whispered to himself as he opened the conversation. Everything was there. Everything he thought he’d been sending to Pepper was there. Every dirty text, flirtation, the dick pic and the video – and everything was replied to or read. “What the hell?”

Why hadn’t Barnes said anything? Why wouldn’t he have told Tony that he wasn’t Pepper? That he had the wrong number?

Was he doing it to mess with me? Stark frowned as he set his phone down and rubbed at the bridge of his nose, his eyes sliding shut. Shit, how could I have- how could he have-

Tony knew that he had to deal with this, and he had to deal with it now.

*.*.*

Stark was fuming by the time he tracked Barnes down – the bastard was in the training room with Steve; he probably wasn’t expecting a confrontation.

Steve, assuming that Stark had come down there to speak with him, because he knew the history between his best friend and the engineer, spoke up when he spotted Stark.

“We’re almost done here, I can find you after,” Steve told the brunet.

Stark crossed his arms over his chest, unmoving. “I’m actually here to speak with Barnes,” he started, his gaze shifting over to the man with the metal arm. “I have no problem waiting.”

Bucky briefly looked like a deer caught in headlights – Steve didn’t notice, though, or he didn’t acknowledge it. The two super soldiers finished up quickly.

“Is there a reason why you need to talk to him?” Steve wondered after they were done – he started to unwrap his hands.

“Nothing that concerns you, Cap,” Tony answered vaguely. He knew that Barnes knew why he wanted to speak with him and he had no intention of bringing it up in front of the leader of their team.

Steve glanced back over his shoulder to Bucky, lifting a brow, “Is everything alright?” He asked as he looked back to Tony.

“I just need to look at his arm,” Tony lied to Steve, though his sights remained on Barnes. “We... chatted earlier and he told me that it seemed to be malfunctioning.” Tony’s eyes settled on Steve then, “I’m sure it’s nothing, but I’d like to examine it before he goes out on another mission.”

Steve nodded slightly before looking back to his best friend, “You’re okay?”

Bucky nodded as well, “I’m fine,” he replied. “I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Sounds good.” Steve smiled at them both before leaving without another word. There were several moments of silence as Bucky rummaged through his gym bag looking for his water bottle – in truth though, he was stalling, but he knew he wasn’t getting out of this conversation.

“What’s up?” Bucky wondered nonchalantly, keeping calm as he capped his bottle, after he’d taken a sip, and slid it back into his bag. He zipped it up before turning to face the engineer.

“Where the hell do you get off in…” Stark froze as he realized what he’d just said – it was a poor word choice on his part.

Bucky’s expression shifted, becoming guarded. “As I recall, I wasn’t the one that was getting off,” he deadpanned.

It took Stark three strides to get to him when it should have taken at least seven – he gripped Barnes by the arm as he wasn’t wearing a shirt and dragged him in close, getting up in his face.

“This isn’t funny,” Tony hissed, his anger bubbling over. “Why didn’t you tell me it was the wrong number?”

Bucky’s eyes flickered down to the grip on his bicep before they settled back on the other’s face. “It took me a while to realize,” he spoke out in the same distant tone.

Tony scoffed, “But you did realize! You knew I was the one messaging you and you replied as if- as if-”

Bucky cocked a brow at him, “As if I was the one who you were wanting to fuck?”

Tony clenched his jaw – Barnes’ arm suddenly felt a little too hot under his palm and he jerked his hand away from him. Tony stepped back, creating more distance between them. “You should have said something or, at the very least, you could have just stopped replying.” Tony crossed his arms back over his chest.

Bucky sighed, seemingly bored with the conversation already. “I didn’t think it would matter. I assumed you were drunk and wouldn’t remember any of it anyway.”

Tony narrowed his eyes, “Were you drunk?”

Bucky shouldered his bag, “No, I wasn’t. Are we done here?”

“Are we done?” Tony questioned in disbelief – he shook his head. “We are far from it. It’s one thing that you didn’t tell me it was you; it’s another that you kept answering, but it’s a whole other level of weird that you- that your replies- some of them…” Tony could feel his face growing red and when he realized that it wasn’t just because of his anger, he stopped talking completely.

Bucky studied him for a long time before his gaze widened – and then he smirked. “You liked it.”

“I thought I was talking to someone else,” Tony insisted, still angry but somewhat flustered.

“Then why are you acting like this?” Bucky tipped his head back, appearing smug. “You know now that it was me, and yet…” his eyes went up and down Stark, as if he were analyzing him. Stark felt the odd urge to cover himself up, which wouldn’t have mattered in the slightest as Barnes had seen his dick only a few hours prior. Bucky stepped closer, lowering his voice, “You’re shaking, baby,” he observed tauntingly. “You need me to warm you up?”

Tony hated the way his body reacted – his cock twitched in his jeans, his hips gravitating towards the older man. He caught himself at the last second, but it was already too late.

Bucky just stared at him, the challenge clear in his expression.

“Just-” Tony swallowed hard- “just don’t let it happen again.”

“Let it happen?” Bucky chuckled darkly and it sent a shiver down Tony’s spine. “You texted me, Stark. As long as you can keep it in your pants-” his tongue flicked out across his lower lip, eyes lowering briefly- “we shouldn’t have a problem.”

Stark squinted up at him, “It won’t be problem after I delete your number from my phone. I don’t know why I need it anyway.”

“Fine, whatever.” Bucky shrugged, completely unfazed. “Can I go now? I’m sweaty and I’d like to shower.” The smirk resurfaced, “Unless you wanted to join me?”

Tony sputtered, getting red in the face again. “As if,” he snapped. “Just- just stay out of my way.” He pivoted on his heel and stormed out.

Bucky watched the other man with amusement until he was out of his sight. He had been willing to let this go, willing to forget it all, but Stark had stirred something up inside of him and he wasn’t going to let him go quite yet – not when there seemed to be more fun to be had.

The next few days went by without a hitch and Tony was actually surprised at how well things were going. That was until Bucky chose to sit beside him at a debriefing – he honestly should have seen it coming, he knew how problematic the other could be.

Steve was saying, “The target was Gregory Hamilton…”

After that, Tony intentionally stopped listening as Steve usually tended to drone on – he was also choosing to ignore that Barnes had sat down in the seat right next to him even though there were a handful of other unoccupied chairs. Tony’s plan was working, right up until a hand made out of vibranium settled itself down on his thigh, causing him to jump in his seat.

“I know this is boring, Stark, but it’s important,” Steve spoke out scoldingly – he had assumed that the brunet had fallen asleep in his seat.

“I was paying attention,” Tony gritted out through his teeth as Barnes’ hand slid further up his leg. “Please, continue,” he went on as if nothing was happening under the table they were all sitting at.

Steve went back to speaking, and Bucky went back to bothering Stark, who glared at him sideways.

“Don’t you dare,” Tony hissed out under his breath, only loud enough for Barnes to hear him.

Bucky leaned forward, resting his right elbow on the table to make it seem as though he was paying attention to the presentation. His eyes remained on his best friend as he answered Stark, “You seem tense, I could help with that.”

Tony, not being in the mood for any kind of games at all, abruptly stood up – his chair screeched back against the tiles and Steve glared in his direction.

“Sorry, Cap, nature calls,” Tony lied, excusing himself from the room.

It wasn’t long until Bucky went out to find him – he found Stark actually in the washroom despite what he had told Steve having been a lie at the time. Bucky leaned up against the wall by the door as he watched the engineer wash his hands. He stayed completely quiet, but he knew that Stark knew he was there. After a while, the silence started to get to Bucky – he was getting bored. He pushed off the wall and moved up behind Stark. He didn’t touch him; he did hover very closely though – close enough to piss off the one he was crowding.

Tony met his eyes in the mirror, glowering at him. “I thought I told you to stay out of my way.”

“You did,” Bucky confirmed. “If you remember correctly though, I never really agreed.”

Tony shut off the tap and turned around, but Bucky didn’t back away – it only left about 2 feet between them. “I’d like to dry my hands, so-” Tony sidestepped, but Bucky mirrored his movements, blocking him once more. Tony sighed exaggeratedly. “Do you really have nothing better to do?”

Bucky titled his head, looking down at Tony over his nose for a few seconds. He eventually stepped to the side, letting the younger man go over to dry his hands at the automatic dryer.

“Who did you think you were texting?” Bucky asked after a brief silence.

“Pepper,” Tony answered – there was no point in lying as he was sure Bucky could have found out by himself if he had truly wanted to.

Bucky waited a few beats, listening to the sound the dryer, before speaking again, “Haven’t seen her around lately – I didn’t realize you two were still together.”

“Well, we are,” Tony informed him tightly, twisting around, his hands now dry. “We just- we had a fight a couple days ago and she stopped talking to me.”

Bucky shuffled closer to him and Tony backed up until he hit the wall. “What was the fight about?” Bucky inquired, appearing genuinely curious.

However, Tony didn’t care whether Bucky really cared or not. “It’s none of your business,” he dismissed as he went to go around him again and was blocked again. Tony sighed loudly. “We should be getting back to the meeting,” he said.

“Tell me why she’s mad at you,” Bucky demanded, not budging in the least.

Tony chewed on the inside of his cheek for a long time before exhaling deeply. “She thinks I’ve been working too much and-”

“And have you?” Bucky asked, lifting a brow.

“Yes, but I’ve always worked too much, it’s what I’m used to.”

Bucky nodded slightly, “Did she... end things with you?”

Tony couldn’t fathom why Barnes would even care, though he still replied, “No… maybe, I don’t know. She won’t answer my calls or texts. She won’t tell me.” Tony leaned back against the wall, closing his eyes. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” he muttered.

“I could give you a list,” Bucky teased, grinning.

Tony looked at him once more, “She- she doesn’t like all of this. The ‘Avengers’ stuff. She’s worried I’ll get hurt.”

Bucky’s expression shifted – he appeared more serious now, the grin falling from his face.

“She’s right to. It’s a dangerous line of work we’re in,” he stated.

Tony rubbed his hand over his mouth, “I know, but I love it. I love you guys… some of you, anyway. I love being Iron Man. And I do love her, I do, but…”

“But you love everything else more,” Bucky finished – it wasn’t a question.

Tony nodded, “But I don’t want to lose her.” He pursed his lips, “When I texted you the other night- when I thought it was Pepper, I was so happy she’d decided to talk to me again.” He got off the wall, standing straight once more. “Which is why I’m so upset that you didn’t say anything. I guess I should have known that it wasn’t her.” Tony met Bucky’s eyes again, “She doesn’t talk to me like you did. She never has.”

Bucky shrugged. “I was winging it.”

“There wasn’t any kind of thought process behind it all?” Tony gave him a look.

“Like deep-seated feelings of attraction that I have for you?” Bucky’s smile wasn’t very nice that time.

Tony ran his tongue over his teeth, “That’s not what I was getting at.”

“Oh, really? It absolutely seemed to be going in that direction.” Bucky leaned in closer, his breath ghosting over Tony’s lips. “Are you really not even a little bit curious about what I told you? About what I texted back?”

Tony cleared his throat, “No, I’m not- I wasn’t.”

Bucky slowly smirked, “You sure about that?” He lifted a brow at him.

Tony’s eyes betrayed him as they lowered to the older man’s mouth – he gulped, his Adam’s apple noticeably bobbing. “We should get back,” he muttered uncertainly, and he made no move to get around Barnes again.

“Or...” Bucky purposely didn’t finish – it was giving him too much pleasure luring Stark in.

“Or?”

Bucky leaned to the side, putting pressure on one of the sinks, “I’m sure this could hold your weight,” he finished suggestively, eyes gleaming with promise.

It took Tony way too long to snap himself out of it, and even longer to remember how to breathe properly again. “We should get back,” he repeated, firmer than before. Tony honestly didn’t want to go back and listen to Steve, but he definitely didn’t want to stay here any longer – he was afraid of what he might do. Was he seriously considering this? “People might get suspicious, especially after you followed me out,” he added, keeping himself in check.

“They think we hate each other,” there was an odd look in Bucky’s eyes as he said the words. “So, there’s no way they’d think I’d followed you.”

“Right.” Tony nodded, finally getting a grip. “We hate each other.”

“Do we?” Bucky tilted his head to the side, his gaze sweeping over Tony not so subtly. “Did you even delete my number?”

“Of course I did.” Tony crossed his arms over his chest, “I don’t have any use for it.”

Bucky got really quiet for a second before he shifted even closer to Tony, looming over him – he was practically already kissing him at this point. “You didn’t answer my first question.”

Tony swallowed hard, his eyes blazing – he definitely was feeling more like himself now. “You killed my mom, Barnes – there is no way I could ever feel something else for you.”

Bucky paused for a whole minute before he nodded, “Noted, Stark.” He backed up, unblocking the other’s way out. “I’ll stay out of your way.”

Tony left without another word, and he didn’t look back.

When Pepper did finally call Tony back it was only to tell him to stop calling because they were done. She refused to keep coming second to everything and everyone else in his life. He couldn’t blame her, so, he let her go – he loved her too much to make things harder for her. Maybe someday he wouldn’t be so wrapped up in his work, and they could try again, but right now was not the time for that.

Tony did blame someone else though. Barnes had gotten his hopes up when he’d pretended to be Pepper – he had intentionally withheld the truth from Tony for God knows what reason.

Tony found Barnes in the training room a couple of hours later – this time he was alone.

Bucky took one look at him and then laughed, shaking his head. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said. “Why even tell me to stay out of your way at all when you’ve been constantly in mine?”

“I want an apology,” Tony stated, shoving his hands into his pockets.

Bucky pulled a face, “A what?”

“Oh, I’m sorry, is that not something that you’re familiar with?” Tony strode farther into the room. “You tricked me, you lied to me, Barnes, and now, you owe me an apology.”

Bucky laughed again, “Are you being serious right now?” He rolled his eyes and shrugged off his jacket before tossing it onto the bench where his bag sat.

“I’m very serious,” Tony told him. “And I’m not leaving here without one.”

“Guess you’re staying then.” Bucky lifted his shoulders, “‘Cause the way I see it, you should be apologizing to me.”

Stark’s gaze narrowed, “I beg your pardon?”

Bucky smirked, “Begging won’t help you out here.”

“Why in the hell would I be the one that needs to apologize?” Tony questioned.

“You’re the one that was sexually harassing me.”

Tony laughed that time, his anger growing. “Are you insane? I was not!”

Bucky reached up and tugged his shirt off by the back of his collar before beginning to fold it – he talked while he continued getting ready. “You’re the one that texted me late at night. You’re the one that spoke about touching yourself. You asked me to touch myself. You’re also the one that sent the more than suggestive photo and video.”

“You replied to every message,” Tony countered. “You looked at the photo, and I know you watched the video more than once.”

Bucky froze, his demeanor changing, “How did you know I watched it more than once?”

“I didn’t.” Tony smiled at him unpleasantly. “I do now though.”

Bucky straightened with a sigh. Suddenly, he grabbed Tony’s arm and spun him around, thudding him back up against the wall. He pinned the smaller man in place, looming over him as he had done a couple days ago. “What’s your goal here, Stark? You tell me to stay out of your way and I actually agreed. Then you decide to... what? Come down here and piss me off?”

“Get off me,” Tony gritted out through his teeth as he struggled in the super soldier’s tight grasp.

Bucky leaned in closer, his breath hot on the side of the other’s face as he breathed out, “Make me.”

Tony ground his back molars together in frustration – he couldn’t make him, not like this, not without any tech or weaponry. That only left one thing really, something he was dreading to ask. “Why did you watch the video so many times?”

Bucky squinted, “It was so I could figure out who you’d meant to send everything to,” he said – it was at least half of the truth. “I thought you would have said a name or something, but you didn’t, and then I had to double check.”

“Only twice then?” Tony wondered. Barnes’ fleshed hand was holding both of his wrists while his metal one was wrapped around his throat. As Tony tipped his face upwards, because he was losing a little air, he watched Bucky’s eyes settle on his mouth. “3 times?” Tony pressed on, then when he still didn’t receive an answer, he asked, “More than 5?”

Bucky’s gaze lifted to meet his again – his expression unreadable. “I needed something to finish myself off with,” he admitted in a low voice.

That was when the doors to the room swung open abruptly and Steve stepped in. “What’s going on in here?” He questioned, his eyes immediately landing on the pair. “Bucky, what are you doing? Let him go.”

Tony was still in shock when Bucky backed up, grabbed his bag, and hurried from the room. The brunet blinked as if he was just waking up from a deep sleep – his mind still very frazzled by what Bucky had told him.

Steve frowned after his best friend retreated, but turned his attention back to Tony, “What the hell was that? I thought it was another episode, but then he never would have done what I had asked.”

“We just had a disagreement, that’s all.” Tony shook his head and rubbed at his neck – Bucky hadn’t been holding him harsh enough for there to be bruising, but he could still feel the coolness of the vibranium pressed up against his skin. A reminder he was sure wouldn’t be going away anytime soon.

“A disagreement about what?” Steve asked as he crossed his arms over his chest.

“Nothing that concerns you, Cap.” Tony rotated his shoulders, “I have to go.”

Steve caught him by his arm when Tony tried to go around him, “Does this have anything to do with what you had to speak with him about a few days ago?”

“No.” Tony frowned, confused as to why Steve would think that, as to why he’d even consider it. “The conversation before was about his-”

“Don’t lie to my face, Stark,” Steve snapped, cutting him off.

Tony actually flinched, taken aback at the older man’s tone. “I- I wasn’t going to,” he whispered after a moment. “It just- it’s really nothing for you to worry about.” Tony didn’t understand why the other seemed so angry.

He’s probably just concerned, he thought. Looking out for the team and whatnot.

Steve narrowed his eyes, “What I just walked in on definitely looked like something that I need to be worried about.” He wet his lips with his tongue and stepped forward, lowering his voice. “Has Bucky been bothering you?”

“What? No. Well, no more than usual.” Tony smoothed a hand through his hair, realizing very quickly that he was sweating. “He didn’t hurt me.”

Steve’s gaze flickered down to Tony’s neck, he could hear that his heart was racing; then up to his hairline, focusing on the beads of sweat. “Was he going to? You seem a little shaken.”

Tony hated how forced his laugh sounded, but he pushed on, “I’m fine, Cap, really. He was- he was just showing me some moves.”

Steve studied him for a few more moments – he obviously didn’t believe him at all, but eventually he nodded. “Fine,” Steve said. “But if Bucky does something else, I expect you to come to me, is that understood?”

“For sure.”

“Stark, I’m being serious.”

Tony huffed, “I will let you know if Barnes tries anything else.”

Steve nodded once more before giving him cheery smile, “Good. I don’t want there to be any bad blood between us.” He clamped a hand down on Tony’s shoulder and squeezed. “We are more than a team now, we’re a family.”

Tony smiled back at him a little uncertainly – he was still confused about the anger he’d been on the other end of only moments ago. He covered It up though, beaming brighter. “Super sappy as always, Rogers.” Tony cleared his throat, needing to get out of there. “I should be getting back to the lab; I think Banner is waiting for me.”

Steve let him go and Tony started towards the doors.

“Oh, and Stark?”

Tony looked back over his shoulder at Steve, coming to a stop, “Yeah?”

Steve stared at him for a handful of seconds – he looked like he wanted to say something, but he ended up only shaking his head. “Nothing. I’ll see you for dinner.” Steve shot him another cheerful smile which Tony returned before leaving the room.

Steve’s smile dropped the instant the engineer was out of his sight, “What do you think?” He asked.

A pause, then, in a voice just barely above a whisper, “He was lying to you.”

Steve’s eyes flickered over to the shadowed corner of the room, “Find out why,” he ordered before he left as well.

Chapter Text

Steve found Bucky in his bedroom. The blond paused in the doorway for a moment, leaning just inside of the threshold. “We had a session,” he spoke out eventually, reminding Bucky that they had made plans to train.

“Rain check?” Bucky stayed perched on the side of his mattress. He swirled the amber liquid around in his glass before downing it, swallowing hard.

Steve sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets as he finally entered the room, the door sliding close behind him. “So, you’re day drinking now?”

Bucky looked to him as he got up to refill his glass, “Now? I always drink during this time of day,” he replied.

Steve gave him half of a smile, though he really couldn’t tell if the other was joking or not. “Stark must have really gotten under your skin,” he mused, his eyes flickering to the bottle of liquor as Bucky set it back down on the table next to his bed. Steve was a little concerned about the amount left inside of it – he studied the bottle, trying to determine if Bucky had only just opened it today or not.

“No more than he usually does.” Bucky shrugged as he sat back down on the end of his mattress. He tipped his drink back up to his mouth to take a sip but paused when he saw the way that Steve was looking at him. He sighed and lowered his glass, “What?”

Steve leveled his gaze with his, moving further into the room – he didn’t like that Bucky’s answer sounded too much like what Stark had told him. “You tell me,” Steve said. “Why did you put your hands on him?”

Bucky changed his mind and drank from the glass before standing once more – this time though, he set the cup down without refilling or topping it off. When he turned back around to face Steve, his best friend had crossed the room completely. “He pissed me off,” Bucky told him casually. “I wanted- I had to make him back off somehow.”

Steve nodded slightly, his eyes lowering briefly as he considered this. When they rose back up to Bucky’s face, they were dark. “And did it work?” He chose not to mention that Stark’s story didn’t line up with the one that Bucky was telling him.

Bucky swallowed again, though it was to moisten his suddenly dry throat. “I think I got my point across,” he answered dryly despite his efforts to add some moisture.

“I’m sure you tried your best,” Steve’s voice was drenched in sarcasm. “Is there anything else I should know about?”

Bucky shook his head, “No, nothing. He just- he got under my skin, like you said, and I guess I reacted without thinking.”

“You wouldn’t lie to me, would you, Buck?”

“No,” Bucky responded instantly. “I would never. I’m not lying to you.”

Steve studied him for a few seconds before he stepped right up in front of Bucky, leaning into his personal space.

Bucky’s breath caught in his throat, his eyes widening as he froze in place.

Steve then reached out, merely picking up the drink Bucky hadn’t finished before leaning back and bringing it up to his lips. He sipped from the glass, his gaze never leaving Bucky’s. Steve swallowed and licked his lips. He then held the nearly empty glass out to Bucky even though there was only maybe a foot or two of space between them.

Bucky accepted it eagerly, spun it around, and drank from the exact same place where Steve’s mouth had been. He licked his lips as well, tasting both the alcohol and Steve.

“You better not be,” Steve told him in a low voice – there was no spoken threat, but the warning in his tone rang clear. Then, Steve smiled, his face changing back to the one that Bucky had grown up with. “We’ll train after dinner, okay? Just don’t overdo it on the bread again – that was definitely an unfair advantage,” he joked, the light in his eyes returning.

Bucky nodded, “Less bread, check.”

Steve flashed him one last smile before leaving the room, the door whooshing close behind him.

Bucky poured himself another drink, settling back down on the side of his bed. His best friend’s mood swings were confusing. He knew that Steve had and would always have his back, but these last couple months- it had seemed like more than that. Something was different with Steve, but Bucky couldn’t place his finger on what had changed exactly.

He’s just worried about me, Bucky thought to himself. As always.

Bucky sipped from his glass before placing it back down on his bedside table – he clasped his hands together in his lap. He wasn’t sure why it wasn’t bothering him more. He supposed it was because Steve and him had grown up together, but-

But this definitely isn’t the same person I grew up with...

Bucky guessed that Steve was under a lot of stress – he was the leader of this team, after all. It was his job to keep everyone safe, and sometimes, in check. Bucky was sure he had a lot to deal with. Bucky had inevitably added to that stress when he’d come back to him. He’d come back broken, but maybe that was why Bucky wasn’t too concerned about Steve’s mood swings. Bucky wasn’t exactly the same person that Steve had grown up with either. He knew that people changed – he just never thought that Steve would.

*.*.*

Steve knew he was different. For one thing, he was angrier. His self-restraint was a joke now – everything set him off. Though, he’d been doing better, or so he thought. When he’d entered the training room to find his best friend pinning Stark up against a wall, he had nearly lost it. By some grace of God, he’d kept his cool – at least he had in front of the engineer. Steve wasn’t too worried about Bucky though; he knew that Bucky wouldn’t tell anyone about their little ‘talk’.

Steve could burn this world down and Bucky wouldn’t love him any less – hell, Bucky would volunteer to set it on fire for him. Steve had nothing to worry about with Bucky – Stark, on the other hand. Steve was sure Stark had lied to him as his story hadn’t lined up with Bucky’s, and he trusted Bucky more than he trusted Stark. Steve wasn’t exactly sure what was going on between the engineer and his best friend, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t willing to try and find out.

A voice broke in through his inner thoughts, “You seem quiet,” a truthful observation.

Steve sighed, his gaze remaining directly forward as he looked out at the city below, “I’m thinking,” he replied.

A pause, then, “Are you thinking about Sergeant Barnes?”

“About Stark,” Steve corrected. He glanced back over his shoulder, “You’re free to sit down, if you’d like,” he offered.

“I’m fine standing,” an exhale, “You only have the one chair.”

Steve’s eyes glinted mischievously in the dim light coming in through the large window in his room, “Are you afraid to sit on my bed?”

“That isn’t the word I would use.”

Steve chuckled faintly before he turned to look out across the city once more – everything looked so small from up here. “I already told you that I won’t touch you.” He sighed again, “You have nothing to fear from me,” he added.

There was a shuffling as his informant moved across the room before sitting on the end of his bed – there were more noises as legs were crossed.

“Comfortable?” Steve teased half-heartedly without glancing back over.

“Immensely, thank you.”

Steve stifled an eye roll, “Sarcasm isn’t very attractive, especially not coming from someone like you.”

An amused huff, “Someone like me?”

“You know what I’m talking about.” Steve rose to his feet and shoved his hands into his pockets as he strode over to the bed. “Will you be joining us for dinner tonight?” He inquired, even though he knew what the response would be because it was always the same.

“Possibly-” a small shrug- “do you want me to?”

Steve shrugged, too, “Yes, but it’s your choice in the long run.” He sat down on the end of the mattress as well but stayed true to his word and kept his hands to himself. “I would never force you to do anything that you didn’t want to,” he continued sincerely. “You know that, right? You don’t have to do this.”

“I know – I want to, though.”

Steve smiled a bit, “Good, I’m glad we can trust each other.”

A long but comfortable silence settled in between them for a time, before, “What are you going to do about, Stark?”

“I don’t know.” Steve rubbed at the back of his neck, “I need more information.”

“I’m still working on it.”

“I figured as much as you haven’t told me anything new.” Steve did break his rule then, placing his hand down on his informant’s – he squeezed harshly, receiving a light gasp of discomfort in return. “But next time you come to me,” he spoke out in a low tone, “I expect you to have something.”

A shaky, “Y-yes, sir,” was the answer he got back.

“Good.” Steve loosened his grip and thumbed the smooth flesh in his grasp gently before releasing the smaller hand. “I’m headed down to start dinner,” he declared as he got to his feet. “Maybe I’ll see you there.” He smiled brightly – it was like the anger had never been there in the first place. He left his bedroom then without another word.

*.*.*

“I never understood why more people wouldn’t have breakfast for dinner,” Peter mentioned before stuffing a syrup covered waffle into his mouth and chewing thoughtfully. “This is the best experience of the 21^st century.”

“The best?” Steve parroted mutely, but he didn’t go on to argue about the long list of things that were better.

“People like that don’t know how to have fun,” Bucky commented, agreeing with the boy. “They’re too uptight – rule followers.”

“No one like that around here,” Clint muttered, though several people at the table looked to Steve.

The blond narrowed his eyes, “I’m not that bad. I just don’t understand why you wouldn’t have breakfast for breakfast and dinner for dinner – it makes no sense to me.” He shrugged, “I’m old-fashioned.”

“So is Bucky, but he agrees with me,” Peter pointed out, shooting a smile in the sergeant’s direction.

“Bucky has never followed rules of any kind,” Steve stated blandly.

“I follow orders,” Bucky retorted – the two of them shared a look.

“Yeah, but you were brainwashed to do so,” Natasha inputted knowingly, waving her fork at him. “Things would have been different if you hadn’t been.”

“Can we go back to talking about how uptight Steve is?” Bucky spoke out through a mouthful of eggs, “I liked that topic better.”

Steve kicked him under the table – it wasn’t gentle in any way, shape or form.

Bucky only grunted in response before grinning at his best friend. “You know I’m not being serious.”

“I was,” Clint murmured, earning a punch in the shoulder from his best friend.

“Hush,” Natasha shushed him. “Eat your dinner before it gets cold.”

That was around the time that Stark entered the room – he went by the dining table without a word, making a beeline for the kitchen.

“Are you planning on joining us, Tony?” Steve called over to him.

Stark flinched, though he wasn’t completely sure why. He thought back to the last interaction he’d had with the captain – it had been a little weird to say in the least. Nonetheless, he plastered a smile on his face as he turned around to properly acknowledge the group at the table.

“I’m still working on Sam’s wings down in the lab with him and Banner,” Tony told Steve. “It shouldn’t take much longer, but it’s already taken a while, so I figured I’d grab something for us all to eat.”

Steve’s eyes bore into his for too long – the expression in them was off-putting. Then Steve blinked and the dark look disappeared, the one that replaced it was much more soft. “Alright,” he replied, returning Tony’s smile with one of his own. “Don’t work too much,” with that said he focused back on his own meal, beginning to eat again.

Tony swallowed then twisted, about to look away to get the food, when he realized that Bucky was staring at him. Tony lifted a brow as if to ask: ‘Can I help you?’

Bucky only peered at him for a few more seconds before focusing on his food once more, shoveling eggs into his mouth.

Tony packed up some of the leftovers on the stove and left, heading back down to the lab where Bruce and Sam were waiting for him.

“Here,” Tony said as he offered the warm containers of food out to both of the men that we’re in the lab. He sat back down at his own desk with his own meal, preparing to eat.

“How is it going up there?” Banner wondered without opening his Tupperware – he thumbed at the lid absentmindedly, distractedly, his mind busily working away.

Sam, on the other hand, was already eating – he hadn’t had anything to eat since breakfast and he was starving. However, he stayed clued in to their conversation.

“Everyone is good-” Tony scooped some scrambled eggs up onto his fork- “they were wondering how much longer we were going to take down here.”

“Who was asking?” Banner hitched a brow. He was curious to know who seemed specifically interested in wanting to know how long they were going to take. It wasn’t like they were down in the lab hanging out and playing video games or something.

“Steve was. I guess he wanted to have dinner with the whole team.” Tony shrugged, attempting to appear unbothered. “But this is more important,” he added.

“Yeah, I’d rather not drop thousands of feet mid-air, thanks,” Sam mentioned, talking with his mouth full.

Tony nodded, “That’s why this is important. We don’t know when we will be called out next, and I don’t want to risk any accidents. We can’t afford another mistake – not like last time.”

“What mistake?” Sam asked, furrowing his brows.

“Oh, right, you weren’t here for that mission.” Banner frowned, “Uh, there was a prototype thing I- we had been working on for Cap. It was meant to help him in battle, but...” he grew quiet, his expression sobering.

Tony picked up where the scientist had left off, “The device wasn’t completed, except we thought it was – we had tested it several times and were sure it would work. It should have worked.”

“But it didn’t?” Sam spoke out questioningly when Tony didn’t continue. “What happened?”

“It malfunctioned,” Bruce stated. “We still don’t know how or why, but it did.” He pursed his lips and set his Tupperware down on the desk beside himself. “Steve almost died. He would have if Sergeant Barnes hadn’t been...” Bruce exhaled, shaking his head. “That was a couple months ago though, it’s in the past.” He picked his food back up but didn’t open the lid.

“Why did no one tell me about it?” Sam had slowed down in his eating quite a bit – his face had fallen.

Tony shrugged again, “Steve doesn’t really talk about it, and as you’ve probably noticed, he’s fine. He didn’t die, everything’s gone back to normal, for the most part anyway.” With that said, Tony began to eat, assuming they were done speaking to one another.

Sam was, but Bruce was not. “Does Cap seem a little off to you?” He wondered, not talking to anyone in particular, letting the question hang out in the open air.

“What do you mean?” Sam glanced sideways at the scientist.

“I’m not sure.” Banner made a face, “He seems- I don’t know if stressed is the right word, but he’s almost agitated or something, but all the time. I think it may have something to do with what happened to him.” He crossed his arms over his chest, “I mean, we still don’t know what really went down when the device failed. Barnes won’t talk about it either.”

Tony swallowed the food in his mouth, trying to decide whether or not to bring up his own anxieties. Even when Steve had spoken to him up in the kitchen in front of everyone else, he’d seemed upset, but Tony couldn’t fathom why. It wasn’t like he and Banner had sent Steve out with a defective device on purpose or anything – it hadn’t been their fault. No one else at the dining table had even seemed to notice, except possibly Barnes, but the sergeant could have been staring at Tony for a whole other reason. Tony pushed the thoughts away from his mind as he felt his face heat up, remembering everything that was currently happening between him and Barnes.

“Tony?” Banner’s voice cut in, “Do you have anything to add?”

The engineer shook his head, “Steve is probably just tired,” he replied, not voicing his concerns. He didn’t really have any solid proof anyway – nothing that was tangible enough to bring up. “I’m sure he’ll be fine in a few days,” he said. “He needs sleep or whatever.”

Though, Tony didn’t know what the ‘whatever’ part would entail – he just hoped Steve would sort his stuff out fast before it became a real issue.

Banner opened his mouth as if he was going to say more, but after a quick glance in Sam’s direction, he pursed his lips together. He knew how close Sam and Steve were and didn’t want to risk his observations getting back to the captain. Bruce’s eyes settled on Tony for a moment – it had seemed like the engineer knew more than he was letting on. However, he knew it wouldn’t be smart to pressure him now, not while they had company that was completely loyal to their leader. Bruce would have to wait and speak with Tony later when they could be alone. He opened his container of food and began eating, trying to focus on his hunger – though his eyes did keep going back to Tony who didn’t look back up.

Tony could feel the scientist watching him, but he didn’t mention anything about it. There was a moment when Sam turned away to search for a napkin or something, where the two older men caught each other’s gazes.

Bruce nodded and Tony returned it. They would speak at a different time without prying eyes – later, most likely, when it was safer to talk.

*.*.*

Steve and Bucky trained together after dinner and then went their separate ways. Before Steve went back to his room to shower, he decided to go down to the kitchen to refill his water bottle.

Peter was sitting at the island doing homework – he looked up as the older man entered the room. “Hey,” he greeted. “How did training go?”

“It was good.” Steve swept by him a little too closely – close enough that Peter could feel his heat. “We still on for Thursday?” He asked.

“Yes, sir.” Peter nodded, his sights remaining on Steve as the blond stopped beside the water dispenser that was built into the fridge.

Steve unscrewed his lid, “Isn’t it a little late for you to be up?” He inquired as he filled his bottle up to the brim before capping it. “It is a school night after all.”

“I’m almost done,” Peter told him with a smile. “I just have a few more questions to get through – it shouldn’t take too much longer.”

“I thought you and Wanda were working together?” Steve peered around the room, but he didn’t see the other teenager. “Where did she run off to?”

Peter shrugged, “She finished before I did and then went off with Nat.”

“So,” Steve tilted his head to the side, inquiringly. “You’re alone down here?”

Peter’s body visibly tensed up, but he attempted to keep his cool. “Uh, yeah, I guess so, but I- I’m almost done, so it- it’s no worries.”

Steve raked his eyes over the boy slowly, thinking, “Do you need any help?”

“No, I’m alright. I just was procrastinating earlier and didn’t realize how late it was.” Peter pursed his lips as his gaze lowered back down to his homework. “I’ll be okay, Cap.”

Steve nodded but still shuffled over to him, sliding up behind the boy sitting on the stool. He leaned over him, his chest nearly touching the other’s back as he read over what Peter was working on.

“I’m really okay, it’s easy stuff,” Peter insisted, assuming that Steve was getting ready to help him even though he had just informed him that he would be okay. He hoped that was why. “I’m not sure you’d be able to help me even if I did need the assistance, if I’m being honest,” he added with a forced laugh.

Steve’s hands came down on the counter on both sides of the boy, caging him in, but he didn’t say anything. He breathed out against the back of the brunet’s neck, causing Peter to physically tremble.

Peter had a sneaking suspicion that Steve wasn’t reading over the schoolwork anymore, but he didn’t say anything either. He tried to stay focused on the papers in front of him, but he was growing more and more aware of Steve’s closeness.

“Are you tired?” Steve wondered after what seemed like an eternity of silence – his breath tickled the side of Peter’s earlobe as he had leaned in even closer. “Too tired?”

Peter bit his lip, flushing as he recognized the tone. “It is late.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

Peter stayed quiet as Steve shifted against him – the teen’s fingers tightened around his pencil as the vibe between them changed. “I’m very tired,” Peter whispered, struggling to form words. “I- I should go to bed after this. Like you said, it’s a school night,” he added.

There was a whole moment when Peter thought that Steve wasn’t going to accept his answer because he didn’t receive a reply right away. He knew that Steve was considering his options – he was also probably debating whether or not Peter had just lied to him. Peter hadn’t though, he really was tired. Plus, they’d be training on Thursday anyway, and that was only a couple days away.

“Alright.” Steve finally nodded, accepting the answer. “Don’t stay up too late,” he told him before he finally backed off.

When Peter looked back eventually, Steve was already gone. The boy’s shoulders dropped as he relaxed in his seat. Maybe he could finish the rest of his work up in his room.

Less distractions that way, Peter thought as he gathered up his papers and headed off towards the elevator.

*.*.*

When Bucky came out of his bathroom with one towel wrapped around his waist and one in his hand drying his hair, he wasn’t completely shocked to see Stark standing there.

“Jeez,” Bucky said. “Twice in one day? One might think you don’t actually want me to stay out of your way.”

Tony didn’t appear amused in the least, “I wanted an apology earlier and I never got one,” he started. “Though now I have some questions.”

“It’s late, Stark, I’d like to go to bed.” Bucky hung up the towel he’d been using to dry his hair on the back of the bathroom door before shuffling over to his closet.

“This can’t wait.” Stark crossed his arms over his chest, trying to ground himself before speaking. “What did you mean before?”

Bucky pulled a face, “You’re going to have to be more specific than that.” He pulled out sweatpants from the closet before tossing them onto the bed, but he made no further action to get dressed.

“You told me the reason you watched the video so many times was because you- you needed to-” Tony cut off and swallowed hard – his mouth had gone dry. “You needed something to finish you off,” he finally got out. “What did you mean by that?”

Bucky narrowed his eyes and crossed his own arms over his chest, “I think it’s pretty obvious what I meant.”

Tony rubbed at the back of his neck where he had begun to sweat. “Were you- when I asked you to touch yourself like I was- you actually... did it?”

“Yeah, why not?” Bucky lifted his shoulders before dropping them. “I figured I’d take on the role completely.”

“You didn’t need to though.”

“I’m aware.”

“Then why did you?” Tony asked again. “Did you... like it?”

“Why do you even care?” Bucky cocked a brow at him.

Tony chewed on the inside of his cheek, his eyes dropping to the floor as he scuffed his feet against the tiles.

Bucky watched him for a moment, “What? Do you miss it?” He teased, not serious at all. Though when Tony didn’t reply and didn’t look at him, he scoffed. “You come here and accuse me of liking it, but it’s pretty obvious that you’re the one that liked it.”

Tony lifted his gaze, meeting Bucky’s once more, “I got in contact with Pepper,” he stated. “She told me to stop calling.” He uncrossed his arms and shoved his hands into his pockets. “She ended things with me.”

“And?” Bucky was confused as to why Stark was telling him this. “I’m failing to see how I’m connected to all of that.”

Something flashed across Tony’s face momentarily before he averted his eyes again – he felt his face heat up. Why was he telling Barnes this?

“Christ, Stark. I made a bad judgment call when I didn’t tell you that you had the wrong number, but I didn’t make her break up with you.” Bucky shook his head, his wet hair whipping back and forth.

“I know,” Tony snapped. “I don’t blame you for that.”

“Then why are you telling me all of this? What makes you think I care?”

“A part of you has to!” Tony blurted out. “Or you wouldn’t have done any of that in the first place.”

Bucky appeared smug. “I thought it was easier to hate each other?”

Tony ground his teeth together, “It is,” he gritted out.

“Then why are you here?” Bucky stalked across the room, closing the distance between them. “What? Are you looking for a rebound?” He taunted, his voice lowering an octave. “I’m touched, really, but I didn’t mean any of what I said. I was only doing it because I thought I owed you for what happened in the past. Though you’ve made it pretty clear that you want nothing to do with me.” Bucky paused then snorted, shaking his head once more. “Well, not really clear as you keep confronting me.” He loomed over the engineer, but Tony didn’t back up. “So, which is it, Stark? Tell me now, because I don’t know how much more of this I can take. Do you want me to stay out of your way?” Bucky tilted his head to the side, “Or do you just want me?”

Tony wet his lips with his tongue, “None of it was real?”

Bucky smirked slowly, mockingly he asked, “Aww, does that hurt baby’s feelings?”

“No, I don’t care, and why would I?” Tony tipped his face up to his, “I hate you,” he hissed out icily.

“You’re free to leave then, no one is keeping you here,” Bucky informed him. His eyes lowered, lingering on the younger man’s mouth. “And you can hate me all you want,” he went on. “But I’m not going anywhere.”

Tony swallowed, “You’re an asshole.”

The smirked returned, “Are you gonna do something about it?”

Tony wanted to wipe the smug look off the other’s face – he just wasn’t really sure how to. It did eventually come to him though. “Drop the towel,” he instructed levelly.

Bucky’s expression didn’t waver, “Why?”

“I don’t give free shows,” Tony replied. “I showed you mine, it’s only fair that you’d show me yours.”

“Will you leave me alone then?”

“Cross my heart.” Tony nodded.

Bucky considered this for several moments before shrugging, “Fuck it,” he decided. He loosened the towel around his waist and dropped it to the floor.

Tony glanced down, taking in Barnes’ body as a whole. He didn’t say anything.

“So, we done here?” Bucky asked after a minute or so of silence.

“Not quite.” Tony’s eyes lifted back up to the other’s face, “You got to see mine erect,” he pointed out. “It’s only fair that I get to see yours in the same state.”

Bucky furrowed his brows, “You- you want me to... what? Touch myself for you?”

Tony nodded, not breaking eye contact, “It’s only fair,” he reminded him.

Bucky rolled his eyes but obliged – he wrapped his fleshed hand around his limp cock and began stroking it. As Bucky’s member hardened, it brushed up against Tony’s leg, but he remained standing where he was. Bucky didn’t move away either, he just continued to pump himself in his hand until the organ could stand up by itself.

When Bucky took his hand away, Tony looked back down between them. Bucky watched him as he licked his lips, his eyes darkening.

“So...” Bucky cleared his throat. “Satisfied? Or did you want to see me cum?”

“What?” Tony blinked, startled.

“Well, I saw you cum,” Bucky reminded him. “It’s only fair, right?” He was already wrapping his hand back around his cock – he gripped firmly at the base before beginning to stroke up and down his shaft.

“Uh, yeah,” Tony breathed out, his eyes locked on what was happening between them. “I- I guess so,” he stuttered – his mouth had gone dry again.

Bucky’s teeth dug into his lower lip as he fucked his fist faster, his hips bucking forwards. Some precum smeared across Stark’s pantleg, but neither of them moved to create more space between them. Bucky reached out with his metal hand, gripping Tony’s shoulder to stabilize himself. “Fuck,” he murmured, his eyelids fluttering shut as he tightened his grasp on both the engineer and his cock.

Tony could only watch – his mind completely blank. He hissed slightly as Bucky’s hard fingers dug into his shoulder, but he stayed where he was and made no move to shove him away. In fact, Tony moved closer to Bucky, so close that the back of Bucky’s hand was suddenly rubbing up and down Tony’s member as the front pumped his own – simultaneously pleasuring both of them at the same time.

Bucky’s eyes opened slowly, his breath hitching as he parted his lips, “You’re hard,” he breathed out.

“I am,” Tony confirmed.

“For me?” Bucky asked in an airy voice.

Tony nodded a bit. He then slid one of his hands around the back of Bucky’s neck and dragged him in, pressing his mouth to his. He kissed him hard and deep, slipping his tongue in past the other’s lips.

Bucky reciprocated, kissing Stark back just as fervently as he pitched his hips forward, adding more pressure to Tony’s growing erection. He panted into his mouth as he jerked against him, “I’m close,” Bucky informed him, speaking against his lips.

Tony pulled back a little so he could watch, “Let’s see it then,” he directed, a bit teasingly.

Bucky went to bend down to pick up the towel, but Tony stopped him. “Well, where am I supposed to unload then, genius?” Bucky cocked a brow at him.

Tony didn’t miss a beat, “On me.”

“On you?”

“It’s laundry day tomorrow,” Tony told him with a casual shrug. He reached down between them, taking a hold of Bucky’s erection, stroking it for him as he aimed it at the front of his pants.

Bucky growled softly and pulled Tony back in, kissing him again. He slid his now free hand down Tony’s body and began rubbing his member through the slacks.

Tony moaned into his mouth, his hips stuttering, “I was going to ruin them anyway,” he mumbled before deepening the kiss. “This way is more enjoyable.” Tony tightened his hold around Bucky’s cock, stroking him faster.

Bucky groaned against his lips, pulling back a bit, but staying close enough for Tony to feel his breath on his face. “Just like that, sweetheart, just like that,” he breathed out, bucking his hips.

Tony brought his free hand up to grip at Bucky’s opposite shoulder, steadying himself as he neared his peak. Despite him getting attention after Bucky had started before, he arrived first. Tony’s body jerked against the older man’s as he came in his pants – his arrival didn’t slow his actions down though. He continued to pump Bucky’s leaking erection with good pace – his hips shaking as he came down from his orgasm.

Bucky’s hold on him tightened, metal digging into flesh as he moaned loudly. His body convulsed as he ejaculated, shooting his load across the front of Tony’s pants and staining the dark fabric. A part of him truly hoped it would never wash out.

“Christ,” Bucky murmured, bowing his head forward to rest it on Tony’s shoulder. “That was definitely better than a few nights ago,” he half-joked.

Tony chuckled, nodding his own head slightly. “I suppose I’ll head off to bed now and let you get some rest.” He hesitated for a moment, biting his lip. “Could we talk tomorrow about all of this?” He asked eventually, trying not to sound too hopeful.

Bucky leaned back, still catching his breath. “Yeah, sure,” he agreed. “Uh...” he glanced down at the large stain on Tony’s pants then bent to retrieve the towel off the floor. “Here,” he muttered as he wiped at the semen.

It made it worse, but Tony appreciated the thought behind the action. “Don’t worry about it,” he told Barnes. “It’s late, it’s unlikely I’ll run into anyone on my way back to my room.”

“Well then, good night.” Bucky gave him half of a smile as he went over to his bed to pull on his sweatpants.

Tony nodded once more, “Night, Barnes.” He left then, going out into the hall. About halfway down the corridor, Tony got the weird feeling that he was being watched, but when he turned around to look, there wasn’t anyone else in sight. The brunet shook his head, sighing at his own paranoia. Steve must have really gotten to him earlier.

It’s nothing a little sleep can’t fix, he thought to himself before continuing down the hallway.

Unbeknownst to the engineer, there did happen to be someone else in the hall. Someone small enough to hide in the shadows, someone who had heard everything that had just unfolded between the pair in the bedroom – someone who now had something to tell their fearless leader.

Chapter Text

Tony hadn’t been sleeping well, and tonight was no exception – though it wasn’t the same, only similar. He slept crappy, but this time it was because of bad dreams. He had a particular gruesome nightmare about Steve’s bloodied corpse laying at his feet, limbs distorted and eyes whiter than blue. When Tony woke up the next day, it was nearly noon. For some reason he had assumed he would have slept better, mostly because of the interaction between him and Bucky. They’d figured some things out, hadn’t they? Of course, Tony had more questions now, but they’d come to some sort of understanding, right?

That wasn’t all he was thinking about though. He still needed to speak with Banner – the conversation they’d had before about Steve was nagging at him. Tony had been starting to feel like he was going crazy because no one else had picked up on Steve’s strange behavior, so it was a relief to learn that he wasn’t the only one who had noticed. As it turned out though, it was very difficult to get Banner alone so they could continue their conversation. The first roadblock was Sam, who wouldn’t leave their sides down in the lab.

“They’re my wings you’re working on,” he’d argued. “I’d like to make sure everything is in order.”

Tony couldn’t really blame Sam for wanting to be certain, not after what he and Bruce had told him about Steve’s accident. So, Tony didn’t argue with Sam as he didn’t want to raise any suspicion. Their work went on until nearly dinner time, and Tony had been hoping to sit and talk with Bruce down in the lab for a bit before the meal, but Peter had come down to get them, saying something about Steve wanting them all to eat together.

Then Tony was quietly eating with the rest of the team, except Nat and Wanda, who were off doing something else he hadn’t bothered to ask about. Tony eyed Steve from across the table as the blond joked with his best friend. In this moment, Steve seemed like himself, he wasn’t acting differently at all. Tony chewed on his food slowly, watching both of the super soldiers.

He can’t be faking, right? Tony frowned down at his half-eaten plate. Why would he need to? His eyes flickered over to the sergeant and paused. Although Tony still wanted to talk to Banner about his concerns, he realized that speaking to Barnes might actually do some good as well. Tony did already have to talk to him, too, after all.

*.*.*

Later, Tony went to find Barnes, who unlike Banner, was usually alone. The sergeant more than often kept to himself, unless he was with Steve, but Tony had passed Steve watching TV with Clint and Natasha in the living room earlier, so he knew Barnes would be alone.

Tony stepped up to the door and knocked lightly – all of the doors in the building were automatic except for the bedroom ones, though there was a switch inside each room to change that setting, if one wanted to.

Bucky opened the door, “Oh, hey.”

“Hey.” Tony nodded. “Can we talk?”

“Sure.” Bucky walked away from the door, gesturing for Tony to come in.

Tony entered, “So, I wanted to-” was all he got out before Bucky was on him, his mouth swallowing down whatever other words that Tony had been going to say. Tony pushed him back, hands flat against his solid chest as he gasped for air. “What are you doing?”

Barnes appeared confused, “You asked if we could talk.”

“Yeah, with our mouths.” Tony backed up, separating them.

Bucky smirked, “I was using my mouth.”

Tony rolled his eyes, “I meant- I actually want to talk. Talk-talk, not-” he huffed. “Wait, why did you think I came here for that?”

“Last night?” Bucky spoke inquiringly as he tilted his head to the side, “Don’t tell me you didn’t enjoy yourself.”

“I- I did, but that’s not why I’m here.” Tony circled around him, still keeping his distance in case he got jumped again. “We should talk about that. Actually talk. But right now, I’m here for a different reason.”

Bucky’s dark eyes tracked Stark as he moved by – like a predator stalking its prey. “I’m not a big talker,” he mentioned.

“So it would seem.” Tony chuckled softly, shaking his head. He sobered then, turning to face the other completely. “I’m here to speak to you about Steve.”

If Bucky was surprised, he hid it quite well. “What about him?”

“Does he seem off to you?” Tony wondered – he placed his hands on his hips. “Like more stressed than usual? Temperamental?”

Bucky paused to think about it for a moment before he shrugged again, “Not really. I haven’t noticed anything different about him – nothing like that.”

 “You’d know better than anyone else if he was acting oddly.”

Bucky settled down on the side of his bed, “I don’t know what to tell you, Stark. Steve seems fine to me.”

Tony studied him for a few seconds – he couldn’t tell if Barnes was lying to him or not. He had no doubt in his mind that the sergeant was loyal to his captain, that he wouldn’t ever throw him under the bus. “You two spend a lot of time together,” Tony went on. “Like a lot. If I’m being frank, it’s a little unhealthy how close you are to one another.”

Bucky’s gaze narrowed and he abruptly rose to his feet, his demeanor changing completely. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

Tony held up his hands in front of himself in defense, “It’s just an observation. I’m simply pointing out that you two, well, you do love each other, don’t you?”

Bucky’s expression didn’t soften, “Of course we do, we’re best friends.”

“Is it possible that there could be something you’re not seeing because you care for him so much?” Tony crossed his arms over his chest. “Maybe you’re too close to this.” He pursed his lips, “I want you to tell me what happened to him.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Barnes shuffled over to his bedside table and picked up a bottle of amber liquid before pouring himself a drink.

“A few months ago-” Tony started to creep closer to him, watching as Barnes’ back became rigid as he undoubtedly remembered the time that Tony was referring to- “when the device malfunctioned and he got hurt-”

“It almost killed him,” Bucky snapped, twisting around to face him again. “He would have died if-” he shook his head.

“If what?” Tony wondered, continuing to close the distance between them. “That’s the part I’m asking about. We don’t know what happened to Steve because he won’t tell us, but you were there with him. I was hoping you could shed some light on the accident.”

Barnes stared at Tony for a moment before he drank from his glass – after swallowing, he said, “If Steve wants to talk about it, he will, but I’m not gonna pressure him.”

“That’s why I’m asking you,” Tony told him gingerly. “You know what happened, you could tell me and-”

“If Steve wants to talk about it, he will,” Bucky repeated in a low voice. “It isn’t my place to tell you. If you really want to know, you can ask him.” He drained the glass, but remained holding it, swirling around the last couple of droplets in the bottom. “But you won’t be getting any answers from me.”

“Why the hell not?” Tony questioned, his frustration getting the better of him. “Was it really that bad?” He asked when Barnes didn’t reply.

“I’m not talking about this with you, just leave it-”

“What are you two hiding?” Tony exclaimed, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. “What are you so afraid of?”

“Nothing!” There was a loud noise as Bucky’s hand closed around the glass, shattering it in his hold, and splintering the shards into his flesh. “Shit,” he muttered.

Tony went to take a step closer to see how badly Barnes had cut himself, but the older man glared at him, and Tony froze on the spot.

“Just forget about this, Stark. Steve is fine, I am fine. There’s no need to dig any deeper into this.” Bucky shook his injured hand, sending both blood and glass flying.

“I- I just want to know-”

“Promise me you will leave this alone,” Bucky hissed, partly out of annoyance and partly out of the pain that was throbbing through his fingers.

Tony clenched his jaw. He couldn’t leave this alone, especially not now when it was clear that the two of them were hiding something. However, he was sure if he refused, Barnes would tell Steve about this conversation – he would warn him. So, Tony nodded, sighing, feinting defeat. “Fine, I promise I won’t look into this any further,” he lied. “But I hope you two know what you’re doing.”

Bucky grinned widely, his anger vanishing – it reminded Tony of Steve and not in a good way. “Good, I should take care of this. I’ll see you later.” He moved around him, “Maybe then we could talk about the other night?”

Tony forced a smile, “Sounds like plan.”

Bucky nodded before leaving the room.

Tony still wanted to go speak to Bruce, but he wasn’t sure where Steve was now and it was getting a little late – Bruce had probably already gone to bed.

Tomorrow, he decided before he headed back to his own bedroom.

It was around 6 o'clock in the morning when Bruce woke up to a knocking at his door. He dragged himself out of bed, rubbing at his eyes before sliding his glasses up the bridge of his nose. He didn’t always use them, but it was early enough in the morning for the extra help to have been of use. He shuffled over to his door and pressed the button at the side. He was expecting Stark, so he was a little surprised when the door slid open to reveal Steve.

“Morning, Doc,” Steve greeted, his expression unreadable. “Can I come in?”

Bruce stepped back to let him enter, uncertain as to why Steve was here so early in the morning. “Is there a problem, Cap?” He asked, running a hand through his ruffled hair.

“I just got back from my run,” Steve told him.

Banner blanched but turned away so it wouldn’t be noticeable. He knew Steve usually ran in the mornings; he also knew that he usually went out with Sam. “How was it?”

“Good, I learned some new things,” Steve went on in a tone that was almost too casual. “Sam seems to think you think there’s something wrong with me.” He leaned to one side, crossing his arms over his chest. “I just don’t know why you didn’t come to me in person,” he said. “Instead of choosing to talk about me behind my back.”

Bruce didn’t miss the undertone of anger in the captain’s voice, “It wasn’t really anything,” he insisted. “I was only worried about you.”

“Then you should have come to me.” Steve moved further into the room, coming closer to the scientist.

“I didn’t think-”

“You’re right,” Steve interrupted sharply. “You weren’t thinking.”

Bruce pursed his lips, bowing his head slightly. “I’m sorry if I overstepped, Cap. I really am just worried about you.”

Steve studied him for a moment before nodding, “Of course, of course,” he murmured. “I’m fine though, there isn’t anything for you to be concerned about.”

“But-”

“But nothing,” Steve snapped, his eyes icing over. He took a moment to calm himself before sighing. “I don’t understand why you seem set on making something out of nothing – there isn’t a reason for you to look into this any further.” Steve clasped a large hand down on Bruce’s shoulder, “I’d hate to see you get hurt.”

Bruce swallowed hard, startled at the barely veiled threat. “I- you’re right. It- it wasn’t my place. I’m sorry.”

Steve smiled brightly, squeezing Bruce’s shoulder before letting him go. “I’m glad we had the chance to talk about things,” he uttered before pivoting and starting to walk back over to the exit. About 5 feet from the door, Steve came to a skidding halt and gripped at the side of his head.

“Cap? Are you okay?” Bruce furrowed his brows, taking a step towards him.

Steve waved him off, dropping his hand to the side, “I told you I’m fine – leave this alone, Banner,” he hissed before stumbling out into the hallway. Steve leaned against the wall by the entrance to Bruce’s room as the door slid shut – he closed his eyes, breathing shallowly as he waited for the headache to subside.

That was when Tony rounded the corner and spotted him, “Hey, everything alright?”

Steve blinked his lids open and nodded, “I’m fine.”

Tony studied the bags under Steve’s eyes for a moment – when he was sure it wasn’t an act, he came closer to him, “You don’t look fine,” he commented. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I- I just haven’t eaten yet,” Steve informed him as he pushed off the wall. Steve staggered to the side and Tony somehow caught him before he collapsed. “Damn,” Steve muttered. “Maybe I should have grabbed something before the run.”

“Are you sure that’s what this is?” Stark wondered, grunting slightly as he struggled to hold up the larger body.

A small voice floated over to them, “Is he okay?”

Tony twisted around, bringing Steve with him, to see Peter standing in the hall. “Hey, kid,” Tony panted out. “Uh, could you do me a favor and make sure he gets something to eat?” Stark didn’t believe for one second that Steve’s only problem was low blood sugar, but he still needed to speak to Banner and couldn’t leave the blond slumped out in the hallway by himself.

Peter nodded, “Of course, Mr. Stark.” The boy shuffled over and took Steve from Tony – Peter had more luck holding him up, he was stronger than the engineer after all.

“Thank you,” Tony beamed at Peter before heading to Bruce’s door and going inside.

Peter helped Steve down the hallway and to the elevator, “I have to leave for school soon, but I can make you cereal or something before I-”

“No,” Steve refused, his voice a little hoarse as he shook his head sluggishly. “Take me back to my room.”

Peter frowned, “But Mr. Stark said to-”

“I know what he said, Peter, I was there.” Steve groaned softly, his head throbbing. “Take me back to my room – I’ll sleep it off.”

Peter was conflicted for a moment but then chose to follow Steve’s instructions instead of Stark’s. He brought Steve back to his bedroom, helping him to his bed. “Do you need anything else, sir?”

Steve shook his head slowly, “I should be alright now,” he told him, lying down on the mattress. “Thank you, Peter.”

Peter hovered for a minute more, his eyes dropping down to the patch of skin that had been bared when Steve had leaned back.

“You’re staring,” Steve said.

“You’re stare-worthy,” Peter retorted, his gaze remaining on the older man. He bit his lip, “Could we maybe-”

“No,” Steve hissed, stern and clear, sitting up to face the boy properly.

Peter frowned but didn’t argue, “Thursday, then?”

Steve shrugged, “Depends.”

Peter accepted the vague reply before leaving the room so Steve could get some rest.

Steve exhaled deeply, resting his head in his hands. He then lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes. It wasn’t long until he heard the unmistakable sound of someone crossing the room, then there was the feeling of his mattress dipping, and within moments the back of his skull was resting on a pair of thighs. Steve didn’t look up as he asked, “It’s getting worse, isn’t it?”

Soft breath tickled his face as delicate fingers pressed against his temples, massaging gently, “Yes, it would seem so.”

“Awesome,” Steve scoffed in annoyance. “Just one more thing I have to deal with.”

“You’ve been dealing with it for a while now, ever since-”

“I know, I know,” Steve cut in. He sighed as the massage went on, “That feels nice,” he mumbled – his headache was already subsiding.

“It could feel better.”

Steve stiffened when he felt lips ghost over his, “We’ve already talked about this,” he warned.

“Let us talk about it once more.”

The soft lips pressed to Steve’s more firmly and he tangled a hand into soft hair, deepening the kiss. He ended the lip lock seconds later, turning his face to the side to separate them.

“How’s your hand?” Steve murmured.

“It works.”

Steve nodded a bit, “Can you- can you do what you did before?” He wondered after a few seconds of silence.

There was a smile laced into the voice that responded to him, “Of course, sir.”

*.*.*

Tony went into Banner’s room without knocking – he was half expecting to see the scientist beaten to a pulp on the floor. Steve had been in here speaking with Bruce only seconds ago, he was sure of it. To his surprise and relief, Bruce appeared to be alright.

“Hey,” Bruce greeted as he sat up in his bed, rubbing at his eyes again – he’d taken his glasses back off to get some more sleep. “Why is everyone up so early?” He asked in a joking tone.

Tony shuffled over to Bruce before sitting down on the side of the mattress next to him and clasping his hands together in his lap. “Steve spoke with you,” he stated – he wasn’t asking.

Banner averted his gaze, trying to cover it up with a yawn and more eye rubbing. “Yeah, he just wanted to know if I was making breakfast or not.”

Stark’s brows furrowed, “Was he really? Or are you lying to me because he told you to back off?”

Banner ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it down, “He’s fine, Tony, he-”

Tony jumped to his feet abruptly, “He literally collapsed on me outside in the hallway,” he informed him, interrupting. “I had Peter take him down to the kitchen to get something to eat as Steve blamed it on not having any food in his system.” He fiddled his fingers together, “I need to know what he said to you – the truth please, if you don’t mind.”

Bruce leveled his eyes with his, “I’m sure he’s just tired, like you said the other day, remember?” There wasn’t an ounce of truth in his words, but he could still feel Steve’s tight grasp around his shoulder. “Let’s give it a few days, that’s something else you suggested.”

Tony frowned. Banner had seemed so certain that something had been wrong with Steve the other day – where was all of this coming from? A moment later it clicked.

“He threatened you,” Tony realized.

Banner laughed, shaking his head, “What? Maybe you’re the one that’s off the wagon. Why would he do that?”

“Because he’s hiding something, they both are.”

Banner cocked a brow at him, “Both? As in…”

“Him and Barnes.” Tony lowered his voice, “I spoke with Barnes last night and there is definitely something going on. He wouldn’t tell me, and he got super defensive when I kept pestering.”

“Then maybe we should leave this alone.” Bruce yawned once more, “I have to get up to make breakfast in a bit, but I’d like to get some more sleep. So, if you don’t mind?” He waved him towards the door.

Tony ground his teeth together, “Are you really going to accuse me of being the crazy one here?”

“If the shoe fits,” Bruce mumbled as he closed his eyes.

“Unbelievable.” Tony scoffed, throwing his hands up in disbelief. “I hope you know that this isn’t the end of this. This will only get worse, and you’ll be at fault for it because you did nothing to stop it.” The scientist didn’t reply. Tony huffed, spinning on his heel before stomping out of the room.

*.*.*

Tony found himself in the den a few hours later, sitting on one of the couches. This is ridiculous, he fumed silently. I’m not the crazy one. Something else is going on around here.

“It has to be,” he grumbled out loud.

“Mr. Stark?”

Tony glanced up to see Peter standing in the doorway with a steaming plate in hand – he wondered briefly if the boy had heard him but then decided that it didn’t really matter. Even if Tony had been speaking badly about Steve out loud the entire time, he was Peter’s mentor – he could trust him.

“Yeah, kid? What’s up?”

“Doctor Banner said you missed breakfast and lunch,” Peter told him as he wandered farther into the room. “I thought you’d be hungry, so, I brought you some combination of both.” He beamed as he offered the plate out to the older man.

Tony accepted the warm plate before setting it down on the coffee table in front of himself, “Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

Peter nodded but then didn’t leave. He was hesitating, but Tony couldn’t figure out why.

“Is everything alright, kid?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” Peter admitted. “You look upset,” he went on, sitting on the couch opposite Tony’s. “What’s wrong?”

Tony pursed his lips, “Nothing really, I just have a lot on my plate right now.”

“Well, that’s because you haven’t started eating,” Peter joked.

Tony cracked a smile, already feeling better – more relaxed than he had in the last couple of days. He picked up the fork off the side of the plate and began eating the food that the boy had delivered to him.

Peter sat with him the whole time, watching quietly, but it wasn’t off-putting – it was honestly kind of comforting to have him there, even if he wasn’t talking.

Tony finished the food, and Peter handed him a napkin he’d pulled out from his pocket for him to use. Tony wiped his mouth before crumpling the cloth and setting it down on his empty plate with a small sigh.

“Better?” Peter inquired, still watching him.

“Much,” Stark responded, smiling a bit. “Thanks.”

“No worries.” Peter reached for the plate, getting ready to bring it back to the kitchen, but stilled when his mentor caught him by his wrist. The boy paused, his eyes sliding up to meet Tony’s, “What is it?”

“Could you actually sit with me for a little while?” Tony hoped – even just having someone level headed around him was doing wonders for his anxiety. Especially because it was someone he knew he could truly trust. “I’d like to speak with you about something.”

Peter’s smile was much more hesitant that time, but he nodded and sat back down without arguing. “Are you okay, Mr. Stark?”

“Hold that thought,” Tony said before he got to his feet. He crossed the room, going over to the entrance and closing the sliding doors. He chose not to lock them, as that would probably be suspicious, so having them shut would have to do. Tony came back over to Peter, who appeared uncertain and kind of a little- “You’re not in trouble,” Tony assured him. He was confused why Peter looked scared – what was he expecting to happen?

Peter nodded, but Tony watched as his eyes flickered to the doors and then back to him. “Uh, what did you need to talk to me about?”

“Just some stuff that’s been running through my mind lately, I was hoping you could help me work it out. Maybe then I’ll be more relaxed.” Tony sat down on the couch again, leaning back a bit, getting comfortable.

“Why do we need to have the doors closed while you talk to me?” Peter asked quietly – it sounded like he was dreading the answer for some reason.

“For privacy,” Tony told him truthfully, he didn’t know where Steve or Barnes were at the moment – he didn’t want them listening in. “I don’t want anyone to hear us.”

Peter nodded once more and stood up, unzipping his hoodie before tossing it onto the couch. He wore a tank top underneath – Tony figured he was warm, it was pretty warm in the den with the doors closed. “Okay, I-I understand,” Peter murmured as he rested his hands on his belt. “How are we...”

Tony squinted up at him when Peter remained standing – he was puzzled. “You can sit down, kid. This won’t take long.”

“This way then,” Peter spoke out under his breath, barely loud enough for Tony to hear. In fact, Tony hadn’t heard what he had said at all. Peter kneeled on the floor beside the engineer, not meeting his eyes.

“You can sit on the couch...” Tony faded off.

What the hell is going on? Am I actually the crazy one?

Peter looked up at him then, looking confused himself, before he got up. When he sat back down on a couch though, it was the one that Tony was currently sitting on. “This better?” Peter whispered, his eyes lowered once more.

Tony scooted to the side as the boy had chosen to sit right next to him, he’d practically been on his lap. He studied Peter for a moment, registering that his body language had changed drastically. Peter was rigid, tensed up like he was waiting for something bad to happen. He wouldn’t look at the older man.

Tony didn’t know what to make of it, so he just started talking. “Have you noticed Cap acting strange lately?”

Peter’s brows dipped as his head lifted – he stared at Stark for a long time. “I thought you said you- you wanted to talk.”

“Yes? This is us talking...?” Tony frowned. Did talking not mean what he thought it did anymore? “I’m worried that something is wrong with Steve and was wondering if you had anything to say about that.”

Peter peered up at him a while longer before his body visibly relaxed.

Jeez, what did he think I was going to do? Yell at him? Tony would have to ask about it after – his first priority was finding out more about their leader.

“Strange like how?” Peter asked.

“Angry, stressed...” Stark paused to remember what Banner had mentioned before. “Agitated,” he offered.

Peter made a face, “Uh, not really any of those...”

Something in the boy’s tone caught the engineer’s attention, “Have there been other things that you have noticed?”

“Uh, no.” Peter chewed on the inside of his cheek – it was a tell, Tony knew it was his tell because Peter was a bad liar.

“Why were you so scared before?” Stark questioned, keeping his voice soft.

“I wasn’t scared,” Peter denied, shaking his head.

“You were. When I shut the doors, when I told you I didn’t want anyone to hear us.” Tony waited, then, “You took your sweater off right away as if I was going to ask you to remove it. You assumed I was going to ask. What did you think I was going to do?”

Peter averted his eyes, “I was just warm.”

 “What happened, Peter? Did Steve- did he say something to you about me?”

“No. He doesn’t really talk about you much.”

“You’ve been around him though, you’ve talked to him?” Tony felt absolutely frazzled at this point.

‘I thought you said you- you wanted to talk.’

‘You asked if we could talk.’

Out loud, Tony continued piecing things together, “You kneeled on the floor and then you-” he cut off suddenly, his breath catching in his throat in his realization. Tony’s brain was finally catching up with him – he’d had enough therapy in his life to know the signs. He didn’t want to believe it; he had to be sure though. Tony reached out and placed a hand on Peter’s as gently as he could – and Peter flinched away from him as if he’d pressed a hot poker against his skin.

“I misunderstood,” Peter insisted, curling his knees up to his chest. “It was my mistake.”

“Did Steve do something to you?” Stark asked in a muted voice – he could feel his anger growing deep in his chest. “If he did, you have to tell me.”

Peter shook his head again, wrapping his arms around himself tighter. “I never should have said anything, I didn’t- I didn’t mean to worry you.”

“You can tell me anything, kid. I’m in your corner,” Tony promised. “But you need to tell me exactly what happened between you two.”

Peter’s head snapped up, and a moment later Tony realized why – there was someone outside the doors, they were coming down the hallway. “I have to go,” Peter announced, hastily getting up, almost tripping over his own feet in his urgency.

Stark jumped up and grabbed his arm, bringing him to a halt, “Tell me what happened with you and Steve. What did he do to you?”

“Please, Mr. Stark, I really shouldn’t-”

“Peter,” Tony hissed – his eyes flickered to the doors before they settled back on the boy. “Please.”

Peter looked panicked now, “I have to go.” He jerked away from him harshly, “I’m sorry.”

“I’ll tell him you spoke to me,” Tony threatened. He never would, it was a lie, but it did cause Peter to stop in his tracks.

“It wouldn’t matter,” Peter whispered after a few seconds, but he didn’t turn back around.

“Why not?” Tony crossed his arms over his chest, “I’m betting Cap wouldn’t be too happy with you when he learns that you spilled your guts to me.”

Peter’s head turned the slightest amount, so Tony could only see his side profile. His reply, although quiet to the point where Tony had to strain to hear, somehow rang loud and clear through the engineer’s ears. “It wouldn’t matter,” Peter repeated tightly, angrily. “Because Steve doesn’t touch me.” Peter fled out of the sliding doors then, not giving his mentor any kind of chance to reply.

Out in the hall, Peter almost immediately crashed into Wanda, who was tiny, so the collusion caused them both to fall to the floor.

“Ow,” Wanda murmured, rubbing her elbow. She frowned down at her binder which had opened up and let her notes from school escape out across the tiles. “Crap.” She looked to the other teen, “Are you okay?”

“Uh, yeah,” Peter replied. “I- I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else,” he apologized as he began to gather up the contents of her binder.

“It’s alright,” Wanda dismissed, shaking her head. She began to slide the papers Peter was handing her back into the right places. “Were you expecting someone else?” She wondered after they’d finished reorganizing her schoolwork.

“Uh, no, not really.” Peter ran a hand through his hair, “I thought... never mind. Are you okay? I didn’t mean to plow you over like that – I should really start paying more attention.”

Wanda held her binder against her chest with her uninjured arm as he inspected her aching elbow, “I think I will live,” she told him with a smile.

Peter still appeared concerned, even after letting her go, “Are you sure? It was a hard hit, I’m pretty solid.”

Wanda looked him up and down before lifting a brow, “You’re not that much bigger than I am – how much more damage could you have done?” She teased him.

Peter furrowed his own brows, glancing back over his shoulder at the doors he had just rushed out of. “Oh, you’d be surprised,” he mumbled. He was beyond thankful that Mr. Stark hadn’t followed him out.

Wanda followed his gaze, frowning, “Peter, is there anything-”

“I’m glad you’re okay, Wanda,” Peter interrupted, forcing a smile as he faced her once more. “I’m really sorry about the binder and your elbow,” he spoke quickly. “But I have to go. I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”

“I’m actually going out for dinner,” Wanda told him, causing Peter to stop halfway down the hall. “Nat’s taking me – I’ve never had Chinese food before, so she offered.”

Peter let out a sigh of relief. He wasn’t sure why, but her words had alerted his ‘spider sense.’ “Oh, well I hope you have a great time,” he called over to her before continuing to rush down the hall.

Wanda frowned then continued down the hallway towards the den where she had planned to sit and study before heading out into the city with the other redhead. She stepped into the room, her eyes finding Stark planted on one of the couches with his head in his hands.

“Peter, I-” Stark cut off as he looked up and saw that it wasn’t Peter. “Oh, Wanda, I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else.”

“Hm, Peter said the same thing to me.” Wanda clutched her binder to her chest more firmly, “Do you mind if I study in here or should I go somewhere else?”

Stark could tell that she was uncomfortable, though they didn’t really have the best history between them, so it was understandable and he took no offense to her reaction to seeing him.

“I was leaving anyway,” Tony uttered as he got to his feet. “The room is yours.” He offered her a smile as he went by her.

“Stark?” Wanda spoke suddenly.

The brunet glanced over, “Yes?”

Wanda set her binder down on the television stand before lifting a hand – red mist flowed out and around Tony and closed the doors he’d been going to leave out of.

“What are you doing?” He questioned, narrowing his eyes.

Wanda dropped her hand and fiddled with her rings for a moment before lifting her gaze back up to his. “You’re right,” she said without any context.

“About?” Tony pressed when she didn’t elaborate.

The teenager took a deep breath, “About Steve,” she went on somberly. “There is something wrong with him.”

Chapter Text

Steve tugged a sweatshirt on over his head, ruffling his hair slightly as he stepped out of his bathroom. He moved across the room to sit on the side of his bed before he bent down to pick up his boots. He slid them both on in a routine fashion as it was something that he had done many times before. He didn’t glance up as the door to his room opened and closed with a soft whooshing sound – he knew there was only one person who would enter his room unannounced.

“What is it?” Steve asked as he began to lace up his boots – he didn’t have patience for formalities.

Bucky stayed quiet, wringing his hands as he watched the man on the bed work. He was a little anxious after eavesdropping earlier.

“Buck?” Steve finally glanced over at him as he got to his feet, done tying his bows. He narrowed his eyes as he took in the expression on his best friend’s face – he knew that look. Steve sighed, “What happened?” He deadpanned.

“Where are you going?” Bucky wondered, noticing that Steve was dressed to go out – he wasn’t stalling per se. “Another... training session?”

“Answer the question,” Steve replied impatiently.

Bucky stopped fidgeting and shoved his hands into his pockets to keep his anxieties in check. “We have a problem,” he told him.

“We do or you do?” Steve moved closer to him before sidestepping and grabbing his jacket off the coat rack by the door. He pulled it on as he waited for the other’s answer.

“I do,” Bucky admitted as he turned to face him. “Peter talked to Stark. I overheard them in the den earlier.”

Steve zipped up his outwear. “About what?” His hitched a dark brow at him. “We haven’t done anything.”

Bucky felt the need to fidget once more. “The kid is a bad liar,” he started. “The way he worded it- it sounded like I had done something to him.”

“Did Peter mention you by name?” Steve inquired as he adjusted his collar.

Bucky shook his head, “No, but he told Stark that you didn’t touch him, and I’m the next choice.” He frowned, “I don’t know what you’re doing, but if you could-”

Steve closed the distance between them suddenly, causing Bucky to cut off at the abruptness of it. “Why do you care what Stark thinks?”

Bucky swallowed hard and his fleshed hand ached as he tensed up, it was still in the process of healing. “I wouldn’t, but Peter made it sound like someone had assaulted him or something and that that person had been me.”

Steve’s eyes glittered in the darkness, amusement wafting off of him. He brushed his mouth over Bucky’s jaw on the way to his ear, “Something... sweet?” The blond mused, smiling slowly, lips stretching out against Bucky’s stubble. Steve’s hand snaked around the back of Bucky’s neck, and he leaned back a bit – he stopped when his mouth was a breath away from his best friend’s.

Bucky was frozen – his gaze only dropped to settle on Steve’s lips, “Not particularly,” he muttered, a little transfixed. Bucky hadn’t seen Peter himself, but the way he had been conversing with Stark caused Bucky to believe that it hadn’t been something good that had happened to the kid.

“Oh, so, like this?” Before Bucky could react, Steve’s fingers twisted sharply in his long hair, tangled them, and jerked his head back hard.

Bucky gasped shortly in pain, gritting his teeth together. “I- I didn’t touch the kid,” he rasped out hoarsely.

Steve stayed quiet as he used his free hand to lift up Bucky’s fleshed one – he casually thumbed at the stitches before pressing a nail into one of the cuts that hadn’t completely healed yet.

Bucky twitched against him, inhaling sharply, but his other hand, his stronger one, didn’t come up to stop the assault on his weaker limb. “I swear I didn’t,” he insisted, straining. “He- he’s only a kid.”

“You better not have,” Steve spoke out – a quiet warning. “I will deal with this,” he spoke out in a gravelly voice. “What I’m really curious about is how did Stark get Peter alone long enough for him to tell him all of this?”

“It wasn’t my turn to-”

Steve tugged on one of the stitches and Bucky sputtered, leaving his sentence unfinished, as the thread pulled taunt inside of his skin. “Don’t blame the kid, Buck,” Steve hissed.

“I wasn’t going to,” Bucky lied – that was exactly what he’d been going to do. It wasn’t his fault Peter messed up.

“Don’t lie to me.” Steve loosened the hold on Bucky’s head, pushing and tipping his face down to his. He then pulled Bucky’s injured hand closer, inspecting it in the dim light. “How is it feeling now?” He wondered.

“Hurts, but it’ll heal,” Bucky grunted. “As long as I take care of it.”

Steve brushed his lips over the bleeding palm gently, his eyes holding Bucky’s. He pulled back then, releasing the hand.

“As long as you don’t mess up again,” Steve corrected, licking the blood from his lips. “Next time, I’ll open the stitches up with my teeth,” he promised darkly.

“Understood.” Bucky nodded.

“Good.” Steve nodded as well before stepping back and shuffling around his best friend. “I’m glad you chose to come speak with me, Buck. I appreciate the loyalty.”

“Of course.” Bucky bit his lip, “You never did tell me where you were going,” he mentioned, glancing sideways at the blond.

“I’m headed out for dinner.” Steve flashed him a smile, “I’ll be back later if you wanted to watch that movie. I finally figured out how to use the PVR thing and recorded it for you.”

Bucky smiled a bit, “Yeah, that sounds fun. Let me know when you’re back.”

Steve reached out and touched his shoulder lightly, “I will,” he guaranteed before he left.

 Tony stirred his spoon around his mug before blowing at the steam that was billowing up from it. He glanced to Wanda who looked a little too relaxed for his liking.

“Is there a reason we had to-”

“Shh,” she shushed him before taking a sip from her tea. “The weather has been pretty nice, hasn’t it?”

Tony blinked, “I suppose so,” he replied. “Though that’s not what I’m here to talk about,” he added.

Wanda set her mug down and clasped her hands together in front of herself on the table – her rings seemed to almost glow in the sunlight. “I know,” she said.

“So?” Tony tapped his fingers against the side of his own mug a little impatiently. He’d been waiting for an answer for the last hour. First, she had suggested leaving the tower, which made sense as Tony was sure Steve had people in the building watching them – how else would he have been getting all of his information so quickly? Then Wanda had suggested the little café they were currently sitting at, but then she’d ordered a drink and still had yet to say anything about what Tony really wanted to know. “You told me that something is wrong with Steve,” Tony reminded her quietly. “Would you care to elaborate?”

Wanda stared down at her tea, “I’ve just noticed that he’s been acting different, that’s all.” She met his eyes again. “I wanted you to know that you weren’t just seeing things or something.”

“What is exactly wrong with him?” Tony wondered. “He’s not like he was before.” He paused, waiting for Wanda to continue. When she didn’t, he sighed. “Does this have anything to do with the accident a few months ago?”

“I think so,” she told her tea, her gaze lowered once more. “But I don’t know what happened, if that’s what you were asking. I wasn’t present for that mission; I wasn’t with you guys.”

Tony frowned, letting go of his mug and crossing his arms over his chest. “Then why did you bring me out here?” He questioned. “If you don’t have any answers to give me, why waste my time?”

Wanda fingered one of her rings before leaning forwards, “I told you that something is wrong with him,” she said. “I hoped that would satisfy your concerns.”

“Well, it doesn’t.” Tony huffed before taking a sip from his mug again – the coffee tasted bitter on his tongue, and he reached across the table to retrieve a packet of sugar. He shook it for a few seconds before opening it, sprinkling the sugar into his drink. “I need more information,” he started as he placed the empty sugar packet on his small plate. He picked up his spoon and stirred the sweetness into the bitterness. Tony then leveled his eyes with hers, “I know you and I don’t get along, not really, but-” he paused to test the flavor of his coffee, nodding to himself. “Do you think you could get more info?”

Wanda furrowed her brows, “You mean- you want me to ask Steve about what happened? If he hasn’t told you, what makes you think he will tell me? You know him better than I do – he’s more likely to open up to you over me.”

“No.” Tony shook his head. Though he hadn’t talked to Steve about the accident at all, he was sure that he wouldn’t have told him anything, even if he had asked. “You misunderstand. I want you to watch him closely. You got that mind trickery stuff – it shouldn’t be too hard for you to watch him without him knowing.”

Wanda frowned as she realized what he was asking of her, “You want me to spy on him?” Her eyes lowered to her tea once more as she murmured, “What if he catches me?”

“I’ll protect you,” Tony assured her.

“What if you can’t?”

Tony gulped down another mouthful of coffee, “Well, you aren’t exactly helpless,” he mentioned. “I’m sure, if needed, you could take him down all by yourself.”

Wanda contemplated his request for a few moments – her eyes remained downcast, trained on her tea. “Okay,” she spoke out eventually. “I will do what you ask, but I have to ask you to do something in return.”

“And what would that be?”

Wanda looked at him again, “You need to stop getting in his way,” she told him. “If I’m going to spy on him, he needs to think he’s getting away with whatever he’s up to. The more you dig, the more questions you ask, the more people you talk to-” she wet her lips with her tongue- “it will only rile him up more, and he will become more secretive, which is something that we can’t afford.”

Tony narrowed his gaze, studying her for a minute. What she said made sense. Steve was already hiding God knows what – if Steve suspected that Tony was still looking for answers, shit could hit the fan very quickly.

“Alright,” Tony finally agreed. “I’ll back off and let you work, but you have to let me know the second you find out anything.” He held his hand out across the table, “Deal?”

Wanda half-smiled and clutched his hand in hers, “Deal.” They shook on it.

Tony pulled back, “Good.” He beamed, “Now, let’s eat, I’m starving.”

When Peter met Steve down in the training room he was beyond anxious. He was sure Wanda hadn’t been the only one out in the hallway the other day, which meant it had probably been Bucky, who had absolutely tattled on Peter for talking to Stark. However, when the training session went off without a hitch, Peter started to think that maybe he was being paranoid, and Steve hadn’t been informed of his misstep.

“Good work today, Peter,” Steve told him with a smile. “You still gotta work on your stance, but everything else was perfect.”

Peter blushed at the praise, ducking his head, see, he thought to himself, nothing to be worried about. They went their separate ways when Steve left to go shower back in his own room – Peter didn’t have an ensuite, so he had to use the facilities attached to the small gym. He showered quickly before going back into the change room to get dressed.

Peter dried his hair with his towel as much as he could before wrapping the same towel around his waist because it was the only one that he had. He then opened his locker to get his clothes out and jumped when he saw Steve reflected in the mirror behind him. He spun around in his panic, his towel abandoning him.

Steve caught it immediately, leaving the boy covered. His eyes lowered as he tightened the towel back around Peter’s waist – Peter watched him work in silence.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” Steve apologized once his was done – he took his hands back.

Peter rubbed at the side of his neck, “I thought you left to go shower in your own room,” he admitted. “I wasn’t expecting you to still be down here.”

“I had a quick one,” Steve informed him as he ran a hand through his damp hair. “I came back down to speak with you.”

Damn, Peter thought. So close.

Steve shifted closer, looming over the boy. “Bucky told me that you spoke with Stark-”

And there it is...

 “-would you like to enlighten me on what you two talked about?”

Peter was pretty sure that Steve already knew what he had talked to his mentor about, he knew Steve was most likely trying to confirm what had been said to him. Peter gulped, “I- I didn’t mean to say anything,” he sputtered. “Mr. Stark caught me off guard, and I wasn’t- I didn’t-”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Steve hushed him soothingly. “I know it’s hard for you to lie, especially to him because he’s your mentor.”

Peter peered up at him with wide eyes, tears threatening to spill over. “You- you’re not mad?”

“A little, but it’s not unfixable.” Steve placed his hands on both sides of Peter, caging him in as he had done in the kitchen only a couple nights ago. “You tried your best,” Steve went on. “Maybe I never should have asked you to-”

“No!” Peter blurted. “I’m glad you did, I- I want to help you.”

Steve tilted his head to the side, studying him. “You told Stark I never touch you,” he stated. “Did you tell him why?”

Peter flushed, “N-no, I didn’t.”

Steve leaned in, his breath making Peter’s eyelashes flutter. “Did you tell him you wished I would?” He whispered.

Peter bit his lip and shook his head, “No, sir.” He looked up at him again, “Are you going to now?” He breathed out, barely audible. Even though Steve had yet to actually touch him, Peter could feel his dick harden between his legs and start to tent up under his towel. The mere nearness of the older man had the younger one trembling – he really did want Steve to touch him.

Steve’s face hovered over Peter’s a while longer before he exhaled deeply. “I’m not sure you’ve earned it,” Steve spoke out, falsely sympathetic.

“Please,” Peter pleaded. “Please, I-”

“You know I hate when you beg.” Steve drew away from him, stepping back. “Maybe next time,” he said with a shrug before he turned to leave.

Peter’s brain went haywire, and in his fluster, he blurted, “Bucky slept with him!” before Steve made it to the door.

Steve halted immediately, his entire body tensing up as if Peter had shot him in the back. “What did you just say?”

“Bucky, he- he slept with Mr. Stark,” Peter repeated, more so mumbling this time. He had been going to tell Steve sooner or later, though he would have preferred to have told him in a more controlled setting.

Steve’s hand, which was still midair as he had been reaching for the knob, shook slightly. “You’re lying,” he accused in a low voice.

“I’m not,” Peter insisted, speaking clearer. “I- I heard them together the other night. There was talking and then there was moaning and sounds of kissing.”

Steve twisted around slowly so he could look at Peter to tell if he was lying or not – the teenager appeared to be telling the truth. He strode back over to him, trapping him up against the lockers once more.

“You better not be lying to me just because Bucky told me about you and Stark,” Steve warned. “Trust me, Peter, if you’re being untruthful right now, I will put my hands on you, but you aren’t going to like it.”

Peter gulped, “I swear. I was trying to find out what was going on between them,” he said. “Just like you asked me to do.”

Steve studied him a minute more before nodding, “Thank you for bringing this to my attention.”

“So?” Peter looked up at him with big eyes. “Will you maybe now...” he faded off.

“Well, here’s the thing. You should be rewarded for actually getting me the info I wanted, but on the other hand, you only told me because you wanted something in return.”

“No.” Peter frowned, shaking his head. “You told me to find out and I did, I wanted to-”

“For selfish reasons,” Steve interrupted. “You chose to throw Bucky under the bus in hopes that I’d give you what you’ve been craving.”

Peter bit his lip, “Yeah,” he confessed, caving instantly. “That, too.”

“So, the question is, how do I go about doing this?” Steve tipped his head back, his gaze traveling over the boy. “I can’t give you what you want, not completely anyways, though you did do what I asked.” He hummed softly, thinking.

Peter just stood there, waiting patiently for Steve to make up his mind. He knew Steve didn’t like when he begged – Peter had just been a little desperate before and had forgotten what had happened the first time he’d tried that tactic.

“On your knees,” Steve ordered after a while – he had been enjoying watching the teen crumble before him.

Peter instantly obeyed, sinking down onto his knees in front of the older man – the tiles felt cool under his legs. At this height he was eye level with Steve’s dick, and he wondered if that had been intentional. He swallowed hard as he peered back up into the other’s face, awaiting further instructions.

“Go on,” Steve uttered, nodding slightly. “You’ve done a lot of watching for me these past few days – now I want to watch you. Touch yourself for me.”

Peter wet his lips with his tongue and loosened the towel around his waist. He let it open, the fabric falling to the sides, before he wrapped his hand around his dick. It throbbed in his palm, leaking precum as he began to stroke it slowly.

“Good boy,” Steve praised, his pupils dilating in the dull yellow lights of the locker room. He ran his tongue over his bottom lip as his gaze dropped from Peter’s face to watch the boy pleasure himself. “How does that feel?”

“G-good,” Peter replied. He thumbed at his slit, letting out a low moan – his hips pitching forwards as he struggled to retain some of his composure. “Will you touch me, too?”

Steve’s eyes trailed over him, heated but restrained, “No,” he stated. “That would defeat the purpose of the punishment part.”

Peter whined softly as he started to buck his body forwards, his hand sliding up and down his shaft, slick with his own sweat. His own eyes fell away from Steve’s face to land on the outline of the older man’s cock in his trousers. Peter could see that he was hard, but he made no move to reach out and touch him – he knew where that would lead. Peter moved his hand faster, speeding up in his desperation to cum for Steve. He wanted to show him that he could in fact follow orders – that he wasn’t just a mess up.

“Stop,” Steve commanded suddenly, his voice a little airier than before. “Get up.”

Peter instantly took his hand away from himself and got to his feet, slightly sliding on the wet tiles under him. He looked up at Steve, panting softly.

Steve tilted his head to the side, his tongue flicking out across his bottom lip once more. “Turn around,” he instructed.

Peter twisted around to face the lockers eagerly, though he was a little confused. “I thought you said that you weren’t going to touch me,” he breathed out. He hoped he had changed his mind.

Steve leaned in close enough for the boy to feel his breath on the back of his neck when he spoke, “I’m not going to.” Steve’s arms came up again, caging Peter in while keeping his distance. “You may continue.”

Peter bit his lip as he began to stroke his aching dick in his hand again – he tipped his head forward, resting his forehead against the cool metal of his locker. He breathed out through his mouth as he bucked his hips, fucking into his hand. He shivered as Steve’s breath tickled the side of his earlobe – he longed to arch back into him.

“What do you want?” Steve asked in a wispy voice – he sounded like he wasn’t getting enough oxygen.

“I want you.”

“Be more specific,” Steve requested. “What do you want me to do to you?”

Peter moaned, his pumping faltering as the ideas flowed through his mind. “I want you to touch me,” he told him. “You never do.” He couldn’t help the bitterness in his tone.

Steve smirked – the edge in the boy’s voice delighted him, “Where would you have me touch you first?”

“My- my face,” Peter whispered. “I want- I want you to caress my cheeks as you kiss me.”

“So, your lips next?” Steve blew cool air on the back of Peter’s neck that was slick with sweat – he reveled in the shudder that went through the boy, getting off on his reactions and responses. “Do you want it gentle?”

“No.” Peter swallowed, his breath catching in the back of his throat as he rubbed at his slit again. “I want it hard – I want you to be rough with me, passionate,” he went on. “I want it where you want me just as badly as I want you.”

Steve was quiet for a moment as he internally fought with himself, then, “Where next?”

“My thighs. I want you to push them open while you get yourself ready to breach me,” Peter replied. He nonchalantly parted his legs invitingly, slightly arching his back as he offered himself to the older man.

Steve’s eyes dropped momentarily, but he stayed true to his word and didn’t touch the teen. “Do you really think you’d be able to take me?”

Peter nodded quickly, “Yes, I- I played with myself in the shower. I could now, if you chose to.” He didn’t mean to sound so hopeful, but his body was practically begging to be filled at this point. “Please,” he murmured, forgetting that begging did nothing. “I want you to-”

“Next?” Steve cut in, ignoring the boy’s pleas. Though, it had also been for his sanity as well – he wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take before he broke.

“My neck,” Peter answered right away. “I want you to mark me in places where others can see, so they know I- so they know that I b-belong to someone.”

Steve’s hands against the lockers twitched slightly but miraculously- infuriatingly, in Peter’s opinion -remained where they were placed. “And who do you belong to?” Steve ground out through his teeth – his own hips pitching forwards.

Peter pumped his dick faster, tightening his hold around his shaft, “I belong to you,” he whispered.

“Say it louder,” Steve instructed.

Peter gripped at his locker with his free hand, stabilizing himself as he neared his end. “I belong to you,” he spoke out, louder than before.

“Show me how much,” Steve panted against the back of Peter’s neck – he could feel his restraint slipping. “Turn around for me, I want to look at you.”

Peter twisted back around in anticipation, continuing to quickly stroke his dick as he presented himself to the older man, wanting to please him in any way that he could.

Steve’s eyes ran down Peter’s body, taking in the light sheen of sweat on his chest and thighs as teen’s hand worked on himself needily, frantically. “Stop,” Steve ordered reluctantly – his brain had reminded him of what he’d originally planned. “Hands at your sides.”

“Yes, sir,” Peter whimpered but obliged, dropping his hand away from his member which pulsed a bit in discomfort as it already missed the attention.

“I need you to do me a favor,” Steve told him in a low voice, hovering over the boy.

Peter tipped his head back, struggling to keep his hands off of himself – his dick ached between his legs, leaking copious amounts of precum. “What- what is it?”

Steve tilted his head to the side, “First, let me tell you what I’ll give you in return,” he said. He bowed his head, bringing their mouths closer together – he still didn’t touch him though. “If you do this for me and give me proof that it has been done-” he bit his lip- “I’ll finally give you what you’ve been craving.”

Peter swallowed, nodding, “Then I’ll do it,” he agreed without even hearing what he had to do first. “What will you do?” He wondered, his gaze dropping to the front of Steve’s jeans where the older man’s own erection was straining to break out of its confines.

“I have to go speak with Bucky,” Steve informed the teenager.

Peter pouted, “Are you- are you going to touch him?”

Steve smiled slowly, but instead of answering the question, he continued on with what he wanted the boy to do for him. “Now, this is what I need you to do,” he started. “I need you to take everything you’re feeling right now, all of this want and need and-” he licked his lips, and Peter tracked the movement with his eyes- “desire and put it to use. It’ll help you when you…”

*.*.*

When Stark returned from ‘lunch’ with Wanda, she went off right away to track Steve down, leaving him to find Barnes – he had to speak with him still about the other night. He found the sergeant in the living room watching TV with Clint and Natasha. Stark stood at the entrance of the room, lifting a brow at Barnes, who eventually noticed him.

“You haunting the hallway or are you gonna join us?” Bucky wondered teasingly, though he could tell that Stark wanted to talk to him privately.

“I’d like to check out your arm again,” Tony lied, his eyes flickering over Barton and Nat before they settled back on the sergeant. “Could you meet me down in my lab shortly?”

Bucky nodded, “I’ll be there,” he confirmed before turning his attention back to the television.

Natasha and Clint were none the wiser when Tony took his leave, venturing down to his lab. He was a little startled to find Bruce down there, working away at his desk.

“Hey,” Stark said. “Uh, what are you working on?”

Bruce glanced up at him over the rims of his glasses, “Just tinkering,” he replied noncommittedly. “Did you need the lab?”

Tony briefly looked over at the doors he’d just came in through, “Soon, but I don’t want to rush you – I didn’t know you’d be down here.”

Bruce fixed him with a look, “Is Pepper here? Were you wanting some... privacy?”

Tony frowned, “Uh, no. Pepper and I- we broke up. I guess I didn’t really tell anyone.” He shook his head to himself, “I didn’t think anyone would really care, to be honest.”

Banner set down the device he was working on and sighed as he rose to his feet, “We’re your friends, Tony, of course we care.”

Tony shrugged, “We had other stuff going on,” he spoke dismissively, waving the scientist off. “Do you mind coming back later though?”

Banner nodded, wiping his fingers on the front of his jeans and then grimacing at the stains he’d made against the denim. “I guess I have laundry to do,” he muttered. Banner took a few moments to pack up his things. “So, if not Pepper, then who-” he cut off as the doors to the lab swung open.

Peter appeared disheveled – he stared at them both with wide eyes, coming to a stop. “Oh, uh, hi, I was-” he swallowed, rubbing his throat.

“Peter is the one you needed privacy with?” Banner questioned, his gaze narrowing. He was asking Stark, but his sight remained on the boy.

Peter shrunk under the intensity of the look, “Uh, well-”

“No.” Tony shook his head. “What are you doing down here, kid?”

Just then, Barnes entered, almost knocking Peter over with one of the doors as Peter hadn’t gotten that far into the room yet. “Sorry, kid.” Bucky paused as he took in the boy – he frowned. “Is everything okay?”

Peter nodded quickly, “I just, uh, I needed to speak with-”

“Me,” Bruce interrupted, stepping up as he slung his bag over his shoulder. “We will leave you two to talk.” He shot Stark a smile before he left, tugging Peter out of the lab by his elbow before the teen could catch his breath.

Barnes looked to Stark, cocking a brow. “What was wrong with him?”

Tony shrugged, “I’m not sure. He’s been a little odd the last couple of days.” He leaned back against one of the desks, “I was actually going to ask you if you knew anything about it.”

Bucky’s expression shifted and he crossed his arms over his chest, “Do I know anything about why Peter was acting like that? Why would I?”

Tony pursed his lips. Peter had told him that Steve hadn’t touched him, but he could have been lying. If he hadn’t been, if Steve truly hadn’t done anything to the boy, Barnes was the next obvious choice. Could this be what they’ve been hiding? What if that was the reason for all of the secrecy? Had Barnes had one of his episodes, assaulted Peter, freaked out and confided in Steve? Was that why Steve was so stressed out and agitated? Was he torn between keeping his best friend’s secret and doing the right thing? It was probably eating him alive.

“Did you- did you do something to Peter?” Stark asked, getting straight to the point.

Bucky narrowed his eyes. I guess I have to deal with this myself, he thought.

Out loud, he asked, “Something like what?”

“When I wanted to speak with him the other day, he was acting like he was expecting me to do something to him. He was anxious but clearly terrified to the point where he would have gone through with...” Stark grimaced, fading off. He didn’t even want to think about what Peter had gone through, what he had been willing to let Tony do to him. “It was very obvious that someone had hurt him... both emotionally and physically. Sexually.”

“And... you think it was me?” Barnes’ lowered his gaze, “I didn’t touch him. I would never- he’s just a kid.” He lifted his eyes back up to meet Tony’s. “Do you really think I’m capable of that?”

Tony swallowed hard, fidgeting in his lap, “Past you might have been,” he muttered eventually. “You still have episodes sometimes, it’s possible that- that you weren’t in control of your actions.”

Bucky clenched his jaw, “I killed people, I never- they didn’t send me out to rape children.” He flexed his metal arm; it made a whirring noise. “I may not remember everything, but I do remember every single person I ever terrorized. None of them were kids. Not then, not now.”

“Peter is a teenager,” Tony stated. “He’s almost 17, he knows-”

“I. Didn’t. Touch. Him,” Barnes spoke out in a clipped voice. “And the fact that you think I did-” he scoffed, shaking his head. “Wait to tell me what you really think about me, Stark.” He turned and started walking away, finished with the conversation.

“You know something is wrong with Steve,” Tony blurted. He crossed the room to close the distance between them, “If you didn’t touch Peter, then- then I think he did. Peter told me that Steve didn’t, but you should have seen the kid yesterday. He was scared, really scared.”

Bucky glanced back over his shoulder at him, “Steve didn’t touch him.”

“How do you know?”

“Because I do.” Bucky sighed, “I thought I told you to leave this alone.”

“You did, but if someone hurt Peter- if Steve hurt him...” Tony shook his head. “I can’t just ignore it, I won’t. Peter is my responsibility, his aunt died knowing that I would look after him.”

Bucky exhaled deeply, nodding a bit. “I can honestly tell you that neither Steve nor I have touched the kid.” He paused, deciding whether or not to clue Stark in on what Steve had said to him earlier. “Actually, Steve threatened me. He was very clear he’d retaliate if I touched Peter.”

Tony squinted at him, “He threatened you?”

“Yep.” Bucky blew out his cheeks before chuckling softly. “Even if Steve was involved with Peter, I don’t think Peter would mind much.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Bucky shook his head again, “Nothing, just... I’ll see if I can find anything out about Peter, though asking Steve might be better.”

“Why?” Tony lifted a brow.

“I barely talk to the kid. Steve’s the one who has been spending time with him,” Bucky disclosed to the engineer. “During their training sessions,” he added. “Every Thursday.” Bucky rubbed at the back of his neck, “If anything is going on with Peter then Steve would know – he is the one to ask.”

Tony frowned. He hadn’t heard anything about Peter training with Steve, at least, not so frequently – that sounded like a thing to be suspicious of, right? Maybe it wasn’t just training, maybe it was a cover-up for something else completely. He would have to look into that. “Okay, thanks.” Tony fidgeted some more, before, “I’m sorry that I accused you of hurting Peter.” He reached out to take Bucky’s hand in his, but the other backed away.

Bucky tucked his hands into his pockets to cover up that he hadn’t accepted the other’s advance. “I was horrible before, I know that.” He exhaled – his eyes somber. “I killed your parents – I don’t blame you for seeing the bad in me.” Bucky backed up further, his shoulders sagging. “I guess I just thought you had been willing to see the good.” He then pivoted and left the lab.

Chapter Text

Bucky stomped back to his bedroom before going inside, ready to shower the day off and drink until he passed out. He couldn’t believe that Stark could even think that he would touch Peter, let alone hurt him. Even before Steve had threatened him, Bucky hadn’t had any intention of having anything to do with the teen – especially not like that.

“Trouble in paradise?” Steve wondered tauntingly, his voice floating over from across the room.

Bucky whipped around to see his best friend sitting in the chair by window – Steve had obviously purposely turned it around so he could face the other when he arrived. “What are you doing in here?” Bucky really wasn’t in the mood for one of Steve’s moods – it had been a long day and he was exhausted.

Steve rose to his feet and crossed the room swiftly, speaking as he went, “Did you really think that I wouldn’t find out?”

“I already told you; I never touched Peter.” Bucky crossed his arms over his chest, “So whatever that little brat told you, isn’t true.” He knew Steve had trained with Peter earlier – it was Thursday, after all.

“Peter did have something to say about you, but it had nothing to with him.” Steve stopped a few feet away from the brunet – if he was angry, Bucky couldn’t tell, his expression gave nothing away. It was a little concerning because Steve’s emotions were usually plain on his face – it made Bucky question what he was concealing.

“So, I threw him under the bus and he retaliated?” Bucky snorted, “Sounds like he lied to save his ass.”

Those words got a flicker of something in Steve’s eyes, “Peter is a bad liar, you said so yourself,” Steve reminded him. “Though it seems you’re a better liar than I thought you were,” he went on. “You told me there was nothing else going on between you and Stark. Would you like to rehash that now?”

Bucky’s jaw worked, “To be fair, when you asked me that, nothing had technically happened at the time.” He knew that wouldn’t matter to Steve though.

“It should have been implied that you were to tell me if something did happen.” Steve exhaled deeply, shaking his head. “Where is your sense of loyalty? I thought I could trust you.”

“You can,” Bucky answered immediately in spite of his anger – he took a step towards the blond. “You’re my best friend, of course you can trust me.”

“I told you that you couldn’t trust Stark.”

“That was months ago,” Bucky pointed out in his defense. “I thought it had blown over- whatever it was. You never told me why not to.”

“I didn’t think I needed to,” Steve hissed out before taking a deep breath, calming himself. “It wasn’t an issue before because he hated you, but now I find out that- that you-” Steve had to stop talking again – he could feel his anger getting the better of him.

“It wasn’t on purpose,” Bucky told him as he closed the rest of the distance between them. “The sexting was accidental, for the most part. He thought I was someone else when it happened, but that was like a week ago. Then the other stuff happened and I-”

“Wait,” Steve cut in – voice sharp, eyes hard. “This has been going on for a whole we- more than a week?”

Bucky faked surprise, “Did Peter not mention that to you? It must have slipped his mind – he was probably too busy fawning over you.”

“What?” Steve squinted at him, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, right.” Bucky shook his head, “You’re smarter than that, Rogers. The kid has a definite thing for you – no poker face to speak of and fuck me eyes for days.”

Steve sighed dishearteningly, “Why do you have to be so crude?”

Bucky studied him for a moment, “I knew it, you know exactly what I’m talking about.” He barked out a laugh that held no humor, “And you’re using that- you’re using him. That’s just great! Stark accuses me of sexually assaulting him and here you are-”

“I haven’t touched Peter,” Steve interrupted. “I never lay hands on him.”

“Yeah, I’m sure you haven’t.” Bucky nodded knowingly, “But you’re manipulating him somehow. You’re preying on him.” He paused for a second, the gears in his mind turning. “Is that why Peter looked so flustered down in the lab? That must have been right after your training session, if that’s even what you two do down there.”

“We trained,” Steve stated stiffly. “And I spoke to him after about what you had told me, that’s it.”

“I don’t believe you!” Bucky chewed on the inside of his cheek, “I- I stood up for you. I defended you to Stark, I-”

“Was that before or after you two slept together!?” Steve snapped harshly.

Bucky came to a halt, faltering in his anger. “What? We didn’t-”

“How was it anyway?” Steve cut in once more.

“What?”

What?!

“Did you guys cuddle after?” Steve continued on in a low voice. “Is that when you had this thrilling chat about Peter and I?”

“Steve, you have to believe me, I never-”

“Or was it another time? Maybe in the bathroom when you two snuck out of my debriefing? Was it down in the training room when you him pinned up against the wall?” Steve could feel that he was definitely angry now, but he couldn’t seem to calm himself down – couldn’t seem to want to. “You mentioned you were down in the lab earlier, right? Did you go down there to see Stark? Did you fuck him in there, too?”

Bucky was having trouble forming words, he was floundering. He knew that something was wrong with Steve, though he’d never seen him this angry before – not with him, at least.

Steve pursed his lips, “That’s what I thought,” there was an undertone of sadness hidden beneath his anger. “Fine, consider yourself a free man. I won’t ask anything else of you.”

“Steve, please,” Bucky whispered. “You have to understand-”

The first hit wasn’t too bad; it caught Bucky off guard more than anything else. The second hit had a lot more strength behind it, and now Bucky could taste blood. The third strike had him dropping to his knees with the force of it – Bucky spat blood out onto the floor and peered up at the blond.

Steve’s face was contorted in anger; he barely looked like himself. Then his expression changed and he appeared concerned, as if he was regretting what he’d done. “Christ, Buck,” Steve murmured as he dragged his best friend to his feet and helped him over to the bed. He flopped Bucky down on the mattress with a grunt and angled his head to the side so he wouldn’t choke on his own blood. “Fuck,” Steve hissed before leaving the room.

Bucky only lay there and listened as the door whooshed open then shut. He wiped at his mouth with the back of his hand, smearing some of the blood against his skin. He had never seen Steve that angry before – it was almost like he had been a different person. Bucky went to sit up, but the room spun and he found himself dropping back down against his comforter with a groan. Eventually he succumbed to the dizziness, sinking into sleep.

*.*.*

Bucky was aware, but he wasn’t. It was odd. He could feel someone touching him-

Caring for him, he’d realized that the flow of blood had stopped. Whoever it was moved silently with delicate fingers that had a soft feeling to them.

Short nails, Bucky thought to himself distantly, but he couldn’t open his eyes to see who it was. Nothing else gave any clue to who they were and soon enough he was passing out for real once more.

*.*.*

When Bucky rolled over and spotted Steve at the end of his bed, he instantly got up. He eyed him wearily, wondering if the blond was back to beat the shit out of him again.

Steve stood up as well, “I lied before,” he uttered, his voice echoing strangely.

Bucky blinked slowly, taking his time to reply, but when he went to answer, he didn’t seem to have any control over the words that came out of his mouth. “You’ve been sleeping with Peter.” His own voice sounded just as strange as Steve’s had – it was like they were speaking through air vents or something.

Steve grinned at him maliciously, and Bucky forgot about the weirdness. “Not really a lot of sleeping,” Steve admitted. “If I’m being honest.”

“I fucking knew it!” Bucky huffed, “I knew something was up between you two.” Despite his words, he still didn’t know why he’d made the accusation in the first place.

“Why do you even care?” Steve lifted a brow at him, “Jealous?”

Bucky narrowed his eyes, “Are you jealous?” He countered. “Why do you care if I slept with Stark or not?”

“Because I thought that-”

“That what? That I was in love with you?”

Steve clenched his jaw and swept across the room, crowding Bucky back up against the far wall. “Aren’t you?”

Bucky swallowed hard and found his gaze dropping to his best friend’s mouth, “Of course not,” he denied unconvincingly.

“Really?” Steve tilted his head to the side, appearing smug. “I don’t believe you.”

“That sounds like a you problem.”

Steve leaned in and smirked as Bucky’s breath caught in his throat. “I’m betting if I put my hands on you, you’d let me,” Steve whispered against the side of Bucky’s neck. “Or my mouth-” Steve’s lips brushed up against Bucky’s throat- “my teeth-” he grazed his teeth against him, causing Bucky to shudder- “my tongue-” something warm and wet slid up against Bucky’s flesh – the brunet could feel himself slipping. Steve chuckled lowly, “But please, go ahead, tell me how you’re not in love with me again.”

Bucky let out something that sounded more like a growl than a moan and jerked the other forward, crashing his lips against his. He kissed Steve deeply, hungrily, devouring him with his mouth.

Steve reciprocated, kissing him back just as hard, pressing him back up against the wall. He shoved one of his legs up between Bucky’s legs, grinding it into his best friend’s growing erection and eliciting an actual moan from his lips that time.

Bucky clutched at Steve tighter, bucking his hips as he rutted against the other’s thigh, seeking more friction. “Please,” Bucky murmured against Steve’s mouth. He felt Steve smile as the younger man’s hands scaled down his body to undo his jeans.

Steve slipped a hand inside of Bucky’s pants, wrapping strong fingers around his shaft as he broke away from the kiss. “Tell me you love me,” Steve whispered as he began to stroke Bucky’s cock. “I want to hear you say it.”

Bucky shuddered under his touch, “You know I do,” he mumbled. Steve thumbed his slit and Bucky arched into him, inhaling sharply, his hips jutting forwards.

“Tell me,” Steve insisted, panting shallowly. He circled two fingers around the tip of Bucky’s member, giving him tight strokes at just the head. “Please,” Steve added sweetly.

“I love you,” Bucky practically moaned out. He reached towards Steve and gripped his shoulder to steady himself. “I’ve always loved you.”

Steve pressed up against him, kissing him again as he continued to pump Bucky’s cock in his hand. Steve’s tongue slid across Bucky’s bottom lip, seeking entrance, and Bucky instantly parted his lips for him. Their tongues tangles together, and Steve groaned into his mouth at the taste of him.

Bucky ran his own hands down Steve’s body, cupping one around his ass while the other pushed up against his erection. He groped at Steve’s dick for a bit before undoing his jeans as well – he wanted to feel him flesh to flesh.

Steve shook, faltering in his movements, as Bucky’s fingers wrapped around his length. “Buck,” he breathed out against his mouth. “I love you.”

“I know,” Bucky murmured, not cocky in the least – it was more relief.

Steve pulled back a bit, “But I- I can’t trust you.”

Bucky’s breath hitched in the back of his throat as pain erupted in his gut – he glanced down in between them to see that Steve had driven a knife into his body. Bucky blinked down at it, his brain not processing it completely, his vision blurring. “What? I don’t-” Steve jerked the blade from him harshly and-

Bucky jerked awake. He sat straight up in his bed, looking around, taking in his surroundings quickly as he tried to regain control over his breathing.

A dream, Bucky realized. A bad one. He slid to the side of the mattress and touched his stomach. He could still feel the pain of the knife going in – it had been so real, much too real for his liking. His eyes lowered further and he sighed. Despite the dream turning into a nightmare, he still had a hard-on. Bucky rolled his eyes at himself before getting up and shuffling into his bathroom to take a cold shower.

*.*.*

Peter was doing his homework in the kitchen late at night again, though this time he wasn’t alone. Wanda hadn’t finished early as she had done the other day, so she was here keeping him company – she was also keeping him focused as Peter kept zoning out.

Peter jumped slightly as an eraser connected with the side of his face, “Ow,” he mumbled as he shot a glare in the other teen’s direction.

Wanda only smiled brightly at him, “You weren’t studying again,” she said as a matter-of-factly. “You told me you had an exam on Monday,” she reminded him. “That only gives you today and tomorrow to study, so, focus!”

Peter exhaled and dropped his eyes back down to his study notes, pretending to read them over. The truth was he wasn’t worried about the exam at all. Chemistry was probably his favorite class, so he knew all the material. Peter was more worried about Steve. He hadn’t done what Steve had asked him to do – he had failed again. The teen wondered what Steve was going to do to him when he admitted to not getting the task done. Steve had said he’d put his hands on him, but that he wasn’t going to like it.

Wanna bet? Peter started, surprised at the thought. Jeez, I’m not that desperate, am I?

“Peter?”

“I am paying attention!” Peter defended, snapping his head up to look at Wanda to glower at her once more.

She just stared back at him, or more accurately, over his shoulder. It took Peter a couple of seconds to realize that she hadn’t been the one to say his name – that the person who had spoken had had a distinctly male voice.

Peter swiveled around on his stool to find Dr. Banner standing there, “Oh, sorry, I thought...” he rubbed at the back of his neck. “What’s up, doc?”

“I wanted to check in on you,” Bruce said – his eyes flickered to Wanda for a moment before settling back on Peter.

“I’ll help you later,” Wanda muttered as she gathered up her notes and took her leave.

Peter frowned a bit, confused as to why she’d felt the need to go as the scientist hadn’t told her to. He shook his head and directed his attention back to the older man. Although he knew their relationship wasn’t really a good one – he’d heard she had used her ‘mind thing’ on him and brought out The Hulk, which had ended up hurting a lot of people. Peter fidgeted with his pencil for a second before setting it down on the counter. “Uh, I’m doing alright. Why did you want to check in?”

Bruce studied him for a time before he sat down on the stool next to Peter’s – he placed the case he’d been holding down on the island. “When I dragged you out of the lab the other day, you seemed unwell,” he recalled. “I wanted to make sure that everything was okay.”

“Oh, that.” Peter flushed, ducking his head. “Uh, I- I’m really alright- good even,” he muttered.

“Are you certain? You still look pretty flush.” Bruce raised a hand to the teen’s forehead with a frown, “Though it doesn’t feel like you have a fever, so I suppose that’s a good sign.”

Peter swallowed, nodding, “Uh, yeah, I’m just- I’m anxious about the exam on Monday,” he lied with a shrug. It wasn’t exactly like he could tell the other the truth – Banner definitely would not understand the relationship that Peter had with Steve.

Bruce nodded as well, withdrawing his hand, “Well, if you ever do feel under the weather, let me know, okay? I don’t think we can afford being down a team member.”

“I don’t get sick,” Peter insisted. “I mean, I haven’t even gotten so much as a cough since I became Spiderman.”

“How odd,” Bruce pondered, “I wonder what’s causing the flush.” He tapped his chin for a moment before opening his case and pulling out a bottle of water. “Here-” he offered it to Peter, who took it- “perhaps you’re just dehydrated.”

Peter smiled and uncapped the bottle before taking a long swig – there was a sweetness to the normally neutral flavored liquid that had him furrowing his brows.

“It’s Crystal Light,” Bruce told him. “Still mostly water, but I like the juice taste sometimes.” He shrugged before getting to his feet, “Not everything that is healthy has to be bad, just like everything that seems good isn’t healthy.”

“Hm,” Peter hummed. “I’ve never heard that before, but thanks.”

Bruce nodded again, “I’ll leave you to it then, but remember to hydrate.” He flashed him a smile before picking up his case and leaving the teen to study once more.

Peter somehow managed to avoid Steve up until nearly 8 o’clock at night on Sunday – it had probably been the hardest thing he had ever done. He’d just finished his last bit of studying in the kitchen and was turning in for the night – he drained the last of the juice like beverage he’d gotten from Banner- the scientist had stopped by again to give him another one- before tossing it into the recycler. Peter took the stairs up to his floor, just in case – he had no intention of getting cornered in the elevator. It didn’t matter though, because the moment he got to his door, the hairs on the back of his neck stood up. Someone was in his room, well, not someone – it could have really only been Steve. Peter could turn around and walk away, maybe grab one of the other hundreds of empty rooms to sleep in inside the tower, but he knew that wouldn’t do any good. It would do bad though, it would make Steve angry. So, he took a deep breath and entered his room.

Steve didn’t say anything until the door shut behind the teen, “Hey, how’s it going?”

Peter gulped, “Uh, it’s going fine. I just finished the last of the studying for my exam tomorrow.”

“We both know you didn’t need to study for it,” Steve stated. “You’re too smart.”

Peter blushed at the praise, ducking his head slightly in an attempt to hide the ‘schoolboy crush’ reaction. “Well, um-” he shrugged- “you can never be too prepared.” He faced the older man again, “What if there’s a surprise bonus question at the end? Who knows, right? Teachers these days-”

“I know you didn’t get a chance to do what I asked,” Steve cut in as he advanced towards him.

“I- I couldn’t,” Peter blurted. “I went down to the lab to speak to him, but then- well, he wasn’t alone and then Bucky showed up and I-”

“Shh,” Steve shushed him – his tone was almost soothing. “I know, Bucky filled me in.”

Peter frowned, “Right,” he started. “How did your meeting with him go?”

“You don’t have to be jealous,” Steve informed him gently. “He’s not the one I want.”

Peter instantly, visibly brightened, “He- he’s not?”

Steve shook his head, “I’ve been thinking about the other day,” he continued on. “Maybe I was too harsh on you.”

“You weren’t. You were right about why I told you.” Peter lowered his gaze, “I just- I shouldn’t have just said it like that when I knew you’d be upset about it. I should have been more sensitive, and I’m sorry that I wasn’t. I’m really, really sorry.”

Steve studied him for a long time before clicking his tongue, “I’ll give you another chance, okay?”

Peter looked up at him, “Yes, sir. I know I can do it; it just wasn’t the right time or place or-”

“Peter?” Steve interrupted again, his eyes sweeping up and down the boy once more. “You gave me the information that I asked for, even if it wasn’t in the subtlest way, you still came through.” He paused, then added, “Your reward wasn’t that great, wouldn’t you agree?”

Peter hesitated, is this a test? It sounds like a trap.

“Uh, I mean, it was hard, but I never did... finish,” he confessed eventually. “But it was okay,” he amended with a small smile, trying to come off as nonchalant.

Steve wet his lips his tongue, “I think you deserve to, don’t you?”

Peter swallowed hard, “I- I’m really okay, it wasn’t a big deal.” He still couldn’t tell if this was a trick or not – he didn’t want to give Steve any other reasons to be upset with him.

Steve didn’t say anything as he lifted a hand up to Peter’s face, though he didn’t actually touch him. He ghosted his palm over the air right next to the teen’s cheek, his eyes lowering intentionally to his mouth.

Peter’s breathing became erratic, and he fought against the urge to lean into the older man’s hand. “W- what are you doing?” He whispered.

“I’m going to give you a choice,” Steve spoke out in a low voice. “If you want me to touch you, I will, but only until you ‘finish’.”

Peter almost agreed immediately, but part of him wanted to hear the other option – Steve wouldn’t just give him a good one and a bad one, which meant the other had to be good as well. “Or?” He wondered. He also wanted to know the second choice because he was sure he wouldn’t last long enough under Steve’s touch to actually enjoy it.

“Or...” Steve repeated. “For 10 minutes, I’ll let you touch me.”

Peter blinked up at him, “Huh?”

Steve smirked, leaning in a little, “Exactly what I said, Peter. So, what’s it gonna be?” Steve stepped back then, cocking a brow as he rested the heels of his palms on his belt. “Is a couple minutes of me touching you really worth it? Will it actually satisfy you?” His eyes swept over him again, almost appreciatively. “We both know you won’t last that long once I... get going.”

Peter bit his lip, his gaze dropping down to the front of Steve’s jeans – he gulped again. “If I pick the second one, are you- are you going to...” he couldn’t get the words out, his brain wasn’t forming them fast enough. He noticed his processing was slacking a bit as if he had just woken up from a really long nap or maybe it was just because this felt like a dream.

“I’ll let you strip me, if that’s what you’re asking- what you’re wanting,” Steve filled in for him helpfully. “I’m guessing that’s the choice you’re making then?”

Peter could only nod and murmur an ‘mhm’ – his eyes lifted back up to Steve’s.

“Alright then,” Steve agreed. “10 minutes starts now.”

Peter had to hold himself back from jumping on the older man – he walked over to him at a very normal speed. His hands shook as he raised them up to Steve’s belt and undid it before tossing the item to the side.

Steve watched him with curiosity but didn’t make any move to touch him – he kept his hands locked behind his back.

Peter unzipped Steve’s jeans and pushed them down, letting them drop to the floor. Next he slid Steve’s shirt up, though he needed a little assistance from the other getting it off over his head because he was a little shorter and couldn’t reach. When Steve stood in nothing but briefs, Peter stepped back to take a moment to just stare at him. He’d never seen him like this before, with hardly any clothing on. Peter had seen him in just workout shorts during their training sessions sometimes, but those were baggy – his briefs were not. They clung to him very nicely, outlining his cock which was hard from what Peter could tell.

“8 minutes left,” Steve reminded him, his mouth quirking up at the sides.

Peter closed the distance between them again – he reached out, tracing his fingertips down Steve’s compact abdomen. He paused when he got to his middle, hovering over the waistline of his briefs.

Steve held his breath in anticipation, continuing to watch Peter.

Peter seemed to change his mind as he shifted his hand upwards to touch the side of Steve’s face. He leaned in a bit, stretching up, but then came to another short pause. Peter then kissed Steve’s cheek before trailing kisses along his jaw. Steve fought to keep control, to keep still and to keep his own hands to himself. Peter moved his mouth closer to his, and Steve closed his eyes, expecting a real kiss.

However, when the teen stopped moving again, he sighed, opening his lids. “Is it too much?” Steve asked. “We can stop,” he offered. He didn’t want to stop, but he also wasn’t going to force himself on the other.

Peter bit his lip before looking up at him, “I want to kiss you,” he admitted. “But from what you said- does that mean- you won’t kiss me back? It would count as you touching me, wouldn’t it?”

Steve’s Adam’s apple bobbed – he’d lowkey forgotten about that. If Peter hadn’t mentioned anything about it, he probably would have ended up kissing him back without a second thought. “Yeah, it would,” he answered reluctantly.

Peter frowned, “Then- then I don’t want to go any further, not if I can’t feel your lips move against mine.” He stepped back, his frown deepening. “I know I still have more time and I’m probably being selfish choosing to stop, but I- I don’t want it if it’s not…” Peter faded off, turning away from the other, and Steve’s restraint shattered.

Steve’s hand shot out and he grabbed Peter, jerking him back to him. He caught the brunet’s mouth with his own in a harsh, barely controlled kiss.

Peter instantly wrapped his arms around Steve’s neck and kissed him back – he pressed his body right up against the larger one. He moaned into Steve’s mouth as the blond nipped at his bottom lip before sucking it in between his teeth.

Steve lifted him up and Peter’s legs coiled around his waist as he walked them over to the bed. Steve sat down with him on the side of the mattress, shifting so their bodies could sit flush together once more. He grinded his erection up against Peter’s, groaning softly in the back of his throat.

“Steve,” Peter murmured as he bucked his hips against his, seeking more friction. “I want- I want you to-” he cut off as one of Steve’s hands slid in between them and pressed down against his erection. “Please,” Peter whined, momentarily forgetting about the no begging rule.

Steve actually enjoyed hearing the teen plead with him, “Shh,” he soothed, using his free hand to hold the other up against him. “I got you,” he whispered as he undid Peter’s pants and slipped his fingers inside to touch him flesh to flesh.

Peter arched into him, his hips stuttering as he felt Steve do the one thing he’d been wanting him to do for weeks. “I won’t- I don’t want to cum so quickly,” he admitted in a pleading tone.

“I know, I know,” Steve acknowledged quietly. “But I want you to,” he added, fervently. “I’ve been wanting you to for weeks,” he confessed. “Just like this.”

Peter’s body pitched forwards as he let out a breathy moan, “Then I will,” he told him, although he was sure he’d be cumming whether he had decided to or not. He’d been on the edge for weeks, then when Steve had nearly brought him to his peak in the locker room a couple days ago, he’d nearly lost his mind. This wasn’t going to take long at all, which was a little frustrating because he’d wanted this to last.

Still, though...

“What about you?” Peter wondered breathlessly.

Steve encircled his fingers around the tip of Peter’s dick and thumbed at the slit a bit thoughtfully, “What about me?”

Peter bit his lip, but instead of answering verbally, he risked reaching down between them as well and pushing his palm up against the older man’s hardness.

Steve grunted in surprise, but didn’t retract from Peter, “You don’t have to,” he muttered, though he wanted him to.

Peter nodded and smiled, “I know,” he said. “But I want to.” He began to rub Steve’s cock through the thin layer of his briefs, smiling wider as Steve’s body responded to him more.

Steve panted softly as he pumped Peter’s dick in his hand slowly, relishing the way the teen kept faltering to try and not arrive so quickly. “Peter,” he breathed out before catching his mouth with his once more. Steve rutted against Peter’s palm as the boy groped at him, groaning against his lips. He hadn’t ‘finished’ the other day either and although he hadn’t planned for this to happen, a part of him could admit that this was what he’d been waiting for. What he had been hoping for.

Peter stopped breathing for a second as his body tensed up, “Ngh,” he cried out faintly into Steve’s mouth as he spilled out over his fingers. He bucked his hips, and Steve stroked him through his orgasm.

“Good boy,” Steve praised, speaking gently as the teen rode out his high. “You did so well for me,” he whispered affectionately.

Peter mumbled something incoherent as he continued to palm the blond through his briefs, “Now you,” he spoke out lowly. Peter rubbed his hand up and down Steve’s shaft faster, determined more than ever to make him cum.

“Mmm,” Steve hummed lightly as he rocked his hips forward, syncing up with Peter’s movements. “Almost- I’m almost...” he faded off and his eyelids fluttered partially closed as his pleasure consumed him.

Peter watched him with something akin to fascination, he’d never seen the other like this before – it was a little intoxicating. He wanted to see more. “That’s it,” he encouraged mutely. “Let go.” His actions sped up as he increased the pressure of his hand, “I wanna feel you cum.”

Steve stretched up and pressed his mouth back to Peter’s, letting out short little gasps as his body convulsed, his balls tightening to release. He gripped at Peter’s arm to ground himself as he came in his briefs, his hips bucking wildly as a guttural moan escaped his lips.

Peter moaned, too, as he felt the warmth pool in Steve’s briefs – feeling the spread of dampness was turning him on again. He rubbed the wetness for a bit longer as Steve completely emptied his balls before pulling back – he didn’t get off him though.

Steve kissed him once more, just as deep and starving as the first one had been. He then moved Peter off of him and to the side, so they could sit next to each other.

“That was-” Peter tucked himself away, breathing hard – the feeling of exhaustion was back, but that was to be expected- “definitely worth it.”

Steve laughed warmly, nodding his head, “I’d like to think so,” he said, then sighed. “I’m glad you didn’t get the chance to do what I asked,” he admitted after a moment.

“Did you still want me to-”

“No,” Steve interrupted, “Not now, not after...” he wet his lips with his tongue. “Now that I’ve actually put my hands on you, it kind of- well, it absolutely changes things.”

“How does it-” Peter cut off without warning and he blinked sluggishly, he hadn’t realized how tired he actually was. A fog had seemed to have taken over his mind, making it hard for him to focus or keep control of his head which lulled to the side. It felt as though he was coming down from an energy drink or something – his movements lagged when he went to shift his limbs.

Steve frowned, looking him over, “What is it?” He asked, realizing that something was wrong right away.

“I, um... don’t- don’t know,” Peter slurred out before he dropped back onto the bed, his eyes sliding close as he passed out abruptly.

“Peter?” Steve shook him lightly, sliding onto his knees beside the teen – his voice was filled with concern. “Peter, can you hear me? Wake up!”

Peter didn’t hear him though, he couldn’t – he was already unconscious before the first shake.

Chapter Text

A Couple Months Ago

Bucky raised his head, trying to blink through the dust and smoke – he was a little out of sorts. He felt as though he’d been hit by a train – the whole train. He wasn’t sure what had happened. Bucky remembered that he had heard Steve calling out for him, he figured it was because he had been the only one close enough to the blond to hear him, and then an explosion of light. 

Bucky peered up at the sky – maybe there had been an air strike and Steve had been trying to warn him to take cover?

He frowned, thinking that over. If something had come down on top of them, wouldn’t Stark have said something? Both Wilson and Wanda weren’t here – Stark was their only source of air support right now, and it wasn’t like him to miss something like that. Especially not something so big.

Bucky slowly dragged himself to his feet, but aside from his aching limbs, he had no other injuries to speak of – at least, none that he hadn’t had before, no new ones.

“Rogers?” Bucky called out before coughing hard – he had inhaled too much smoke when he’d been down in the dirt. He waved fleshed hand in front of himself, attempting to clear his view, while he used his other to pull his scarf back up and over his mouth. “Steve!” He shouted through the thin cloth – he didn’t get any reply or acknowledgement that would have let him know that his best friend could hear him, that would have let him know if Steve was okay or not.

Bucky stumbled over the rough terrain, his foot only catching on one piece of metal – he kicked it away with his boot absentmindedly. He couldn’t see anything, not through all of the ash and smoke which was still billowing down around him. Bucky tapped on the device on his arm and winced as a high pitched noise went off right in his ear.

“Hey, anyone out there?” He asked, using his comms. He was only met with static to his dismay – it added to his uneasiness. Maybe that meant that it had been an air strike and Stark had already been put out of commission before he’d been able to warn them. “Damn,” Bucky hissed as he began to pick his way through the rubble once more. After several long minutes of nothing, he finally spotted a tuff of short hair. At first he thought it was Stark because of how dark it was as Steve was blond, but then Bucky reminded himself that Stark’s head would have been covered up by his helmet.

Bucky rushed over – he was able to confirm that it was in fact Steve when he got close enough because Steve was much bigger than the engineer was. Bucky dropped to his knees next to Steve and rolled him over onto his back. 

Steve didn’t look good. He was unconscious with blood streaming from his nose, mouth and ears. His face was masked with soot and ash – his hair was matted down and darkened with the same stuff. 

Bucky patted his face, “Steve?” He spoke out a bit loudly. He slid two fingers under the collar of his best friend’s uniform and pressed them against his throat, checking for a pulse. His urgency surged up inside of him when he couldn’t find one. Bucky moved his hands to Steve’s chest, meaning to open up the front of his shirt, and froze. Steve’s back had been nearly black, but he’d still had his shirt on – his clothing on this side was nearly nonexistent except for his collar.

He musta gotten hit here, Bucky thought to himself. He pushed against Steve’s chest a few times before bringing his mouth down on his and breathing into him. He repeated the action numerous times, giving him CPR, and hoping for the best. “Don’t you fucking dare,” Bucky muttered, doing hand compressions. “We just found each other again. You’re not allowed to leave me already.” The next time he pressed his mouth to Steve’s, the blond’s lips moved against his. Bucky lifted up instantly, retracting to stare down at Steve – he was afraid it had only been a death rattle of some kind.

Steve coughed hard and turned his head to the side, throwing up some of breakfast probably but mostly blood.

Bucky grimaced but breathed out a sigh of relief. “You stupid son of a bitch, what did you do?” Steve was alive, not well, but alive was good enough for Bucky.

Steve hacked up some more blood before scrunching his face up. “Were you just kissing me, Barnes?”

“That’s the thanks I get for saving your scrawny ass?” Bucky laughed, shaking his head as he wiped at Steve’s mouth with the back of his sleeve, cleaning the blood away from his lips. “What? I not your type?” He joked lightheartedly.

Steve blinked up at him, eyes cloudy, “Never thought about it before,” he admitted in a low voice.

Bucky stared at him for a moment, waiting for a punchline of some kind. When Steve didn’t follow up with anything, Bucky helped him sit up. “What the hell happened?” He questioned, subtly changing the subject. “I heard you calling, but the sky lit up before I could get to you.”

Steve grunted as he sat upright, his joints cracking painfully, “I- I’m not sure.” He brought a shaky hand up to his chest, touching the bareness there. “The device,” he murmured, furrowing his brows.

“I guess whatever hit you destroyed it,” Bucky supposed with a shrug. He got to his feet before helping Steve to his – he held him up, supporting his weight with his arm looped around his waist.

“Hit... me?” Steve repeated, appearing confused, then there was a flicker of panic in his face, and he abruptly gripped the front of Bucky’s coat, dragging him in towards him, “Bucky, nothing-”

Suddenly, Stark landed in front of the pair, sending a spray of dust at them, efficiently cutting off whatever Steve had been going to say.

“You two alright?” Stark asked as he stalked over – his suit clanked as it tried to keep up with his brisk movement. “What the hell happened over here?”

Steve grew quiet, so Bucky answered instead. “Something came down from the sky and hit him – it blew out our comms.” Bucky adjusted his hold on Steve’s waist, “Where the hell were you? You were supposed to be watching over us.”

“I was,” Stark snapped back. “Nothing showed up on my sensors – it must have been stealth tech of some kind.”

“Who would have tech better than yours?” Steve asked – his voice seemed off and Bucky glanced sideways at him.

Stark didn’t notice, “Beats me.” He shrugged, “It’s rare, but not impossible.”

“Where’s Banner?” Bucky wondered, looking around for a flash of green – unfortunately, to his frustration, he could barely see anything through the heavy smoke still.

“Finishing up,” Stark informed him before his eyes shifted over to the blond. “You good to fly, Cap? Or-”

“I’m fine,” Steve dismissed – though the way he was still clinging to Bucky had the other two thinking otherwise. Steve stifled an eye roll, “Just get me to the jet.”

Stark hesitated then nodded – his suit lifted him about a foot off the ground, “I’ll clear a way for you,” he said before blasting off.

“You sure you’re alright?” Bucky asked as they started to walk through the clearing smoke.

“When did your comms go out?” Steve replied instead of answering – he sounded wary.

Bucky frowned, failing to see the significance of that, “After the blast, of course.” He peered down at the blond, “Why?”

Steve wet his lips with his tongue and then grimaced at the flavour, “No reason.” He shook his head, “I was just- it’s nothing.” His legs gave out then and Bucky caught him.

“Fine my ass,” Bucky scoffed. “You don’t always have to act like you’re okay, you know that, right?”

“I- I thought I was,” Steve gritted out. “Think you can lift me?”

Bucky rotated his shoulders – his vibranium one was fine, his other, was not. “How do you feel about a piggyback?”

Steve grinned, “I suppose that would be alright.”

Bucky snorted, “Punk.” He then hoisted Steve up onto his back, holding him up by his legs while Steve wrapped his arms around his collarbone.

“You love it,” Steve stated, his breath hot against the back of Bucky’s neck.

Bucky faltered for a second, uncertain of why the words caused his heart to flutter.

“We going or are you sightseeing?” Steve teased, “Because there are better places to do that.”

Bucky blinked out of the weirdness and started walking again. They made it back to the jet without running into anyone, which Bucky was thankful for because he would have had to drop Steve to fight. Bucky set Steve down in one of the seats in the back of the jet before thudding down next to him with a sigh. He was thankful that Steve didn’t argue with him about being able to fly the jet.

Soon, Natasha and Banner joined them. Natasha mentioned something about Stark making final checks before she slid into the pilot’s seat.

As they lifted into the air, Bucky turned to Steve to find the other already looking in his direction. “Are you really- you’re okay, right?” Bucky wasn’t sure what it was, but his best friend seemed off somehow.

Steve glanced around the jet briefly before his gaze settled back on Bucky. He flashed him a smile and nodded, “I’m really alright, Buck. I just need some rest, that’s all.”

Bucky nodded as well, “I’m sure we all could,” he mentioned before leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. Although, he could sense that something was off about Steve, he was too tired at the moment to give it a second thought.

*.*.*

Bucky partially carried Steve back to his room. He helped him wash his face, change clothes and then tucked him in, but before he could leave, Steve was talking – or not talking, groaning. When Bucky turned back around, Steve was holding his head.

“What is it?” Bucky asked, concern seeping into his voice.

“Some kind of headache,” Steve mumbled, rubbing at his temples. “Probably leftover from the explosion.” He rested his head back against the pillows behind himself. “I’ll- maybe I can sleep it off,” he hoped as he closed his eyes.

“Alright, well, I’ll leave you to it,” Bucky said before turning to leave once more.

“Wait,” Steve blurted.

Bucky looked back just in time to see Steve’s eyes flicker around the room anxiously, “What is it?” Bucky repeated – he’d seen Steve act like this earlier, once had been when Stark had interrupted them and another time was when they’d been back on the jet around the others. It was like Steve was looking for someone who wasn’t there, or paranoid that they were being watched, listened to.

Steve swallowed as he looked back to Bucky, “Could you- could you maybe stay with me?” He asked hesitantly.

Bucky cocked a brow at him and then gestured down at himself, “Uh, I need to get washed up as well, and-”

“Use my shower,” Steve offered hastily. “Stark likes me more than he likes you-”

“That’s an odd thing to remind me of.”

“-so, I’m betting mine has better water pressure than yours,” Steve finished.

Bucky was instantly persuaded, “Oh, well, sure, I mean, if it’s really okay?”

Steve smiled brightly, visibly relaxing. “Yes, it is,” he confirmed. “And after I- I want you to stay. If that’s alright?”

“Uh, yeah, sure.” Bucky nodded slightly, a little confused. “I’ll be out in a bit.” He went into the bathroom, closing the door behind himself. He undressed, placing his soot ridden clothes on the counter and hopped into the shower. When he came back out, Steve was still awake.

“You can borrow something of mine,” Steve told him, waving towards his closet. “I’m sure I have something that can fit you.”

Bucky shuffled over to the closet and opened it before pulling out a pair of sweats. He changed there, dropping the towel and pulling on the clean clothes – Steve had seen everything before, so he didn’t think twice about it.

“Did you want me to get you anything before I settle down?” Bucky wondered, eyeing the cushiony chair by the window. He wondered how comfy it actually was, not that he wasn’t accustomed to sleeping on hard things, he just had grown to like the firmness of the bed that Stark had given him.

“I don’t think alcohol would be a good idea,” Steve replied, rubbing at the side of his head once more.

Bucky rolled his eyes, “I meant like Aspirin, but I’m sure you knew that.”

Steve smiled at him, “Possibly,” he said. “I never know with you.”

“You know more than most,” Bucky responded before turning back to the door again. “I’ll go see if I have some in my room – I am apparently an alcoholic after all, gotta help those hangovers somehow.”

“I was only teasing you,” Steve insisted, pouting falsely. “Though if you do, that would be greatly appreciated.” He gave him another smile.

“I’ll be right back,” Bucky told him before leaving the room and going back to his own. He rummaged through his bedside dresser before finding a bottle that still held a few pills. Back out in the hallway, Bucky paused as he spotted Wanda exiting Steve’s bedroom. He quickly walked over to her, “What were you doing in there?”

Wanda frowned up at him, “He was calling out, I was worried.” She crossed her arms over her chest, “Was I just supposed to ignore him?”

Bucky studied her for a moment, “No, I guess not, but I got it from here though, so-” he jerked his chin to the side.

“A pleasure as always, sergeant,” Wanda spoke out sarcastically before taking her leave.

Bucky watched her walk down the hallway and disappear around the corner – for some reason he didn’t believe her, but then again, why would she have had to lie to him? Bucky shook his head to himself before re-entering Steve’s room; the door whooshed shut behind him. He went into the bathroom and filled up a glass of water before returning to his best friend’s side.

“How are you feeling?” Bucky wondered, looking Steve over.

“Better, strangely.” Steve rubbed at his eyes, “Tired, still, but the headache is gone.”

Bucky narrowed his gaze, “Did Wanda help you with it?”

Steve blinked, “Wanda? Yeah, I- I guess she did.” He reached out for the glass of water and pills – Bucky handed them to him. Steve took a few gulps before taking the pain killers, he passed the glass back and Bucky set it to the side.

“O-kay.” Bucky just assumed that Steve was too out of it to remember, though it was weird for him to forget something so quickly. Bucky shrugged and moved across the room towards the chair by the window – he paused when the blond spoke up again.

“Would you-” Steve cut off as he rubbed at his throat, he then cleared it before deciding to take another sip of water from the glass. He set it down before finishing, “Would you actually lie down with me?”

Bucky blinked at him slowly, processing the odd request. “Why?”

“Why not?” Steve lifted a brow at him inconspicuously, “We used to all the time.”

“Yeah, because you were a toothpick that couldn’t create your own body heat,” Bucky replied as a matter-of-factly. “We will both overheat if I sleep next to you. Sometimes I overheat by myself.”

Steve’s features twisted into something dark, and Bucky, out of surprise, actually stumbled a step back. However, the next moment, Steve exhaled, his expression shifting, softening, “Please, Buck. I don’t- I don’t feel safe,” he confessed to him quietly. “I’d feel better if I had you next to me.”

“Oh, okay,” Bucky agreed in a murmur, unsure to what he’d just seen in his best friend. “But if I get too hot, I’m kicking you out of the bed.”

Steve laughed faintly, “You’d kick an injured person off onto the floor?”

“You heal fast enough,” Bucky murmured as he tugged back the blankets and slid onto the mattress next to Steve before pulling the comforter back up. “If you get too hot, I will,” he added unthreateningly as he rolled onto his side, facing away from the other man.

“Guess I’ll just have to remove some clothing if I do,” Steve whispered, seemingly sly.

Bucky glanced back over his shoulder at him, “What?”

Steve beamed at him brightly, “Nothing,” he said. “Good night, Buck.” Steve rolled away from him, facing the opposite way.

Bucky did the same, pushing away the weird feelings, “Night,” he grunted before closing his eyes.

Bucky wasn’t sure how long he was asleep for before he felt the bed start to shake underneath him. He blinked his eyes open, peering into the darkness. The moment his breathing changed, signalling that he was awake, the shaking stopped. Bucky closed his eyes once more, trying to get back to sleep. He was about halfway there when the trembles started up again – this time though, he steadied his breathing, faking unconsciousness. He kept his eyes closed as he listened to his surroundings. Steve was doing something to shake the mattress, but Bucky couldn’t figure out what.

Bucky very slowly rolled over onto his back to see that Steve was still facing away from him – he was hunched in on himself, his head bowed. Bucky narrowed his eyes at his back, trying to assess what he was doing. It wasn’t until Steve let out a soft gasp that turned into a low moan, that Bucky realized. Bucky froze, unsure of what to do. He should have rolled back over and gone back to sleep, but he didn’t think he could- not with knowing what he now knew. Bucky was certain Steve had never done this beside him once when they had shared a bed before, or maybe he had, but back then he’d been smaller – he wouldn’t have been shaking the mattress as he was doing now. Bucky could have just left, that was another option, maybe Steve would appreciate the privacy. However, something in Bucky’s gut told him that Steve had wanted to get caught – he just didn’t know why.

“Uh, pal?” Bucky whispered after swallowing the lump in his throat. Even though he couldn’t actually see what Steve was doing, he still stared up at the ceiling.

Instead of stopping, as Bucky thought he would, Steve kept going as he answered, “Yeah, Buck?” in a husky voice.

“Did you, uh- did you want me to leave?”

“Why?”

Oh, I don’t know, Bucky thought sarcastically, possibly because you’re jerking it about a foot from me?

“I’d think you’d want the privacy,” Bucky said out loud, a little uneasily.

“On the contrary,” Steve mused, glancing back over his shoulder at his best friend. “You’re the reason I can’t seem to control myself,” he breathed out as his eyes swept over him.

Bucky was blanking, “Huh?”

Steve faced in the other direction again, away from him. “I just can’t stop thinking about you, not that that’s any different from before,” he admitted.

Something is wrong with him, Bucky decided.

“Maybe you’re more tired than you thought, I’ll just-”

A louder moan slipped from Steve’s lips, cutting Bucky off completely. The bed beneath them shook harsher than before as Steve’s movements sped up, his hips bucking back and forth in an almost brutal pace.

Bucky swallowed, his throat dry, “Steve, I- I don’t understand-”

“Keep talking, Buck, you’re- you’re helping,” Steve half groaned out his words – another full body shudder went through him, the boxspring creaked under their weight.

Bucky wasn’t sure if he wanted to talk anymore, not after that. He had wanted to help before, he still did want to help, but- but not like this.

It didn’t matter. Soon enough Steve’s body tensed up, and he pressed his face into the side of his pillow to muffle the noises that escaped him as he spilled out onto the sheets. “Fuck,” Steve growled out lowly, his hips stuttering as he emptied his balls.

Bucky was frozen. He could only lay there and watch as Steve rolled over onto his back, propping himself back up on his pillow. Steve raised his arms over his head as if he was stretching after a run before dropping them to his sides.

Then he smirked in Bucky’s direction and Bucky snapped out of it.

“What the fuck was that?” He demanded to know the answer.

Steve panted, still apparently in a good mood despite the other’s obviously angry tone. “Jeez, Buck,” he spoke out tauntingly, “that kiss really got to you, didn’t it?”

“What? I wasn’t kissing you,” Bucky denied – though he could argue that what had just happened was the thing that had ‘gotten’ to him. “I was giving you CPR – I was saving you, dumbass.”

“CPR doesn’t include mouth to mouth anymore,” Steve informed him condescendingly, still in the midst of catching his breath.

“Since when?”

“2008.”

Bucky scoffed, “My bad, I was a little busy being used by Hydra.”

“Oh, come off it.” Steve rolled his eyes as he sat up against his pillows. “How many times are you going to use that as an excuse?”

“What?” Bucky gawked at him, “What is wrong with you?” This couldn’t just be from lack of sleep – something else had to be going on here.

Well, duh, he thought, obviously, he just came right beside me after all.

Bucky tried to organize his thoughts, “Are you-”

Steve interrupted him, “Is that always how you taste?”

“What?”

“Like smoke and-” Steve licked his lips slowly, sensually- “black licorice?”

Bucky was almost a little impressed, though not really. “Yeah, smoke inhalation and I was snacking on the jet ride over,” he deadpanned. “But you know that,” he went on. “You asked to have a piece and then judged me for liking the flavour.”

Steve smirked and leaned in closer to Bucky, invading his personal space. “Well, I’m finding myself liking the taste better than before.” Steve’s eyes lowered to Bucky’s lips, “Maybe I’d like another taste,” he spoke out suggestively.

Bucky gaped at him for another long moment, “What the fuck happened to you out there?”

“You’re the one that asked me if you were my type, remember?” Steve deflected as he slid a hand up Bucky’s chest before wrapping it around the side of his neck – he thumbed over his Adam’s apple gently.

Bucky swallowed slowly, “I- I was joking,” he stuttered. “You said you hadn’t thought about it before.”

“That was then,” Steve stated. He pushed the blankets back and slid on top of Bucky, straddling his thighs with his. He licked his lips once more, “This is now.”

“This isn’t you,” Bucky whispered though he made no move to push the other off of him. He really didn’t know why he didn’t – he had every right to. “This isn’t-”

“Do you love me?” Steve asked abruptly, cutting Bucky off again.

Bucky tipped his head back, uncertainly, “Yes, but-”

“Do you trust me?”

An immediate answer that time, “Yes.”

“Then show me.” Steve lowered his mouth to Bucky’s and kissed him steadily – his other hand came up to curve around his jaw.

Bucky resisted for a moment before he was moving his lips against Steve’s, reciprocating hesitantly. His mismatched hands rested on the blond’s waist as he was the one to deepen the kiss, parting his lips against his, becoming more certain of his actions.

Steve’s tongue slipped into Bucky’s mouth, and he swallowed down the moan it elicited from the older man. Steve pitched his hips forwards as he felt himself begin to harden, grinding his growing erection up against Bucky’s. Steve leaned back but only so he could pull the sweatshirt off over Bucky’s head and toss it to the side.

Steve was kissing him again before Bucky could even think about saying anything. Bucky gripped at Steve’s waist as the blond moved his lips down his neck – Steve opened his mouth against his throat and Bucky shuddered as he felt teeth graze across his flesh.

“Wait,” Bucky muttered, pushing Steve back a bit – it was hard for him to think with him doing that. Bucky tried to focus as he blinked up at Steve, stalling to catch his breath. “Why?”

“Why what?” Steve asked impatiently – his grip on Bucky tightened slightly.

“Why now?” Bucky elaborated, “After all this time, why now are you feeling like this?”

Steve studied Bucky’s face for a moment, before sitting back a bit, slouching on his knees. “I think I was dead,” he spoke out, barely above a whisper. “I died, and the only thing that I saw... was you.”

Bucky snorted – he couldn’t help it. “That’s not- you know how that sounds, right?”

“Well, the first thing I saw was you, too.” Steve stroked his thumb across Bucky’s cheek, “You saved me, Buck – how am I ever gonna repay you?”

“Well, technically, you saved me first, remember?” Bucky lifted a shoulder, “So, I suppose we’re even now. You don’t owe me anything. If anything, you’ve saved me twice. Once from Hydra, once from myself.”

“Yes, but you’ve saved me twice, too, Buck,” Steve pointed out. “You also pulled me out of the river.”

“I don’t count that.” Bucky shrugged fully that time, “That wasn’t really me.”

“Then shouldn’t it count for more?”

“Well, you also saved me from Stark, so-” he cut off as Steve’s expression changed. “What is it?”

Steve frowned, “We can’t trust him.”

“Stark?” Bucky hadn’t really trusted him to begin with because of their history, but he was confused as to why Steve suddenly didn’t. “Why?”

“We just- we can’t, okay?” Steve cupped both of his hands around Bucky’s face, “Promise me you’ll be careful around him.”

Bucky frowned as well, but nodded, “Alright, we don’t trust him.”

Steve’s features softened and he leaned in close once again, “Good,” he breathed out. “Now, where were we?”

Tony rounded the corner and came to a halt, “Barton? Romanoff?” He spoke out as he came over to them – he was surprised to see them both standing outside of the lab. “Did you need some-” Tony cut off at the sound of something shattering behind the closed doors. Tony peeked in through the small windows just in time to see Banner pick up and throw a desk chair into some cabinets.

“I wouldn’t go in there,” Clint mentioned in a low voice, his eyes still trained on the scientist.

Tony glanced to the pair, “Code Green?”

Nat shook her head, “No-” she pursed her lips- “he’s angry, but he seems to be keeping control of-” another horrible sound of something breaking interrupted her, and she grimaced. “Well, he’s keeping enough control to not change,” she muttered half-heartedly.

“Every time we try to come in, he manages to focus enough to throw something our way,” Clint told Tony – he sounded a little amused. “We just wanted to drop our gear off for inspection, but it can wait.”

“I’ll take it in,” Tony offered as he held out his hands.

“You sure?” Natasha glanced from Banner to him, “You’re not exactly the first person I’d choose to confront him.”

“Well, I’m going to try not to take that to heart,” Tony sighed. “We’ve been working together down here for months, I’m sure I can get him to settle down. So?” He gestured for their gear a second time, “Unless you two want to try going in there again?”

Clint shook his head, “Nope, nada.” He handed his quiver and bow over before starting to walk away.

“Good luck, Tony,” Natasha wished him with a small smile as she passed over her own things, she then turned and followed after her partner.

Tony took a deep breath as he gathered their gear against his chest before pushing into the lab, opening the doors slowly. He set their stuff down on one of the desks by the entrance before cautiously making his way farther into the room.

“Bruce? Is everything o-” Tony cut off as he was forced to dodge a textbook that came flying across the lab at him. “Okay, you need to use your words here, so I can understand what’s going on.”

Banner glared at him, “Just leave me alone, Stark,” he partially snarled.

“You know, I would, especially because it seems like there’s a large chance that you’re going to become all ‘rawr’, but this is my lab and, as I’m sure you know, there is a lot of expensive equipment in here.” Tony shrugged, “So, I’d love to, but I can’t leave you when you’re like this.”

Banner narrowed his eyes at him, “Right, you care more about your things than your friends, I almost forgot.”

Tony sighed, “I do care about my friends, I was just trying to lighten the mood, but obviously that was the wrong way to say things.”

“Do you ever say stuff the right way?”

“Ouch.” Tony chuckled dryly, “You’re really upset, so, I’m going to let that slide. By the way, pray tell, what’s got you all angry again?”

Bruce exhaled deeply and pinched at the bridge of his nose as he closed his eyes. “We should have tested the device one more time before going out on a mission,” he uttered after several moments.

“Oh.” Tony shuffled further across the room, coming to perch down on the side of the desk opposite of Banner. “That.”

“I’m just not sure what would have caused it to malfunction,” Bruce went on with a frown. “We tested it so many times, it should have worked.”

Tony clasped his hands together in his lap, “Sometimes shit just happens.”

Banner glared at him again before averting his gaze, “Yeah, just not the way you want it to,” he muttered.

“Though, it is kind of lucky that it was Rogers,” Tony mentioned.

Banner glanced at him sideways, “How is that?”

Tony made a face, “I’m not saying that I wanted that to happen to him, I just- I mean, what if it had been one of us?” He ran a hand through his hair, “I’m not sure about you, but that device definitely would have killed me. Especially if we had tested it one more time as I was the one wearing it during our trials.”

The scientist stared at him for a while before nodding, “You got lucky, I guess,” he agreed before looking around the room. “I’ll clean this up,” he told him.

“Hopefully you didn’t break anything too expensive,” Tony half-murmured, then blanched. “I- it wouldn’t really matter. I can probably get everything in here replaced, anyways.” He shrugged. “As long as you get it all picked up before Peter gets here, it should be alright.”

“Peter’s coming today?” Banner asked as he went to grab the broom and dustpan from the closet. “Wasn’t he just here?”

“Yeah, he’s my intern, he’s usually here, that’s how it works.” Tony fixed him with a look, “You know that. You’ve been down here in the lab with us most days.”

“I’ve been down here with you, working with you,” Bruce corrected. “I barely speak with Peter.”

“Maybe you could try to get to know him better, because-” Tony sighed- “today is different, it’s moving day. Poor kid just lost his aunt. So, I’ve decided to take him in.” He looked over at the other, “Did I not mention that?”

“No, you didn’t.” Bruce began to sweep up the glass on the floor in front of one of the cabinets.

Damn, maybe I’ll send out a memo to let everyone know, Tony thought.

Out loud, he said, “Well, you’ve worked beside him before, it shouldn’t be too odd if he starts hanging out around here more.” Tony smiled a bit, “I think you two will get along.”

“Is it a permanent thing?”

Tony shrugged, “For now. He’ll probably move out for college or whatever, but right now he’s still technically a minor.” He fidgeted for a second, “I didn’t want him to be alone,” he went on. “I wasn’t exactly as young as he was when I lost my parents, but I feel like I know what he’s going through. I feel like I can help him cope with all of this, you know?”

Banner nodded understandingly, “Guess you do have a heart after all,” he teased.

“Hardy har,” Tony laughed falsely. “I’m glad you’re feeling better by dragging me down.”

“Sorry, it’s instinctive at this point, but seriously, Tony, thanks for talking me down.” Bruce offered him a smile, and the engineer returned it with one of his own.

“Glad to help.” Tony moved over and clasped a hand on the other’s shoulder, “We are partners, after all.” He squeezed then stepped back, going over to grab the gear he’d retrieved from Nat and Clint.

Peter had been living here for two weeks, and he was still having trouble finding his way around the tower – he wished there were signs or something to help direct his way. He should have at least known where the training room was as he had been coming down here every Thursday for the last few months even before he had moved in. Peter eventually skirted around a corner and recognized the double doors that led into the room he’d been searching for – he hoped Steve wouldn’t mind him being late again.

Peter stepped up to the doors, peering inside to check if Steve had already arrived even though he knew he had. Steve was always on time; he was very punctual. Peter hesitated as he spotted him, he wasn’t alone.

Wanda was in there with him. She was standing in front of him with her hands cupped around his head, her red mist was swirling around them.

Peter pushed open one of the doors, stepping inside, and Wanda instantly dropped her hands to her sides as if she’d been caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to be doing.

“What’s up, guys?” Peter wondered as he moved farther into the room, his gym bag swinging back and forth quickly as he rushed over.

“Peter?” Steve blinked at him as if he was coming out of a trance. “Are you- are you early?” He sounded genuinely surprised, though still a bit disorientated.

“No.” Peter frowned. He could have lied, but he wasn’t that kind of person. “I’m- I’m actually late.” Peter looked to Wanda who hadn’t moved, “What were you doing to him?”

Wanda’s eyes flickered to the other teenager, “Sergeant Barnes informed me that Steve was having headaches,” she told him. “I was seeing if I could help.” She glanced back to Steve, “Do you feel better now, Cap?”

Steve gave her the same odd look he’d given Peter, “Better than what?”

Wanda smiled and nodded, “He might be a little loopy for a pinch, but it should wear off,” she said to Peter. “Have a good training session,” she added before she pivoted and left without another word.

Peter watched her go before turning back to Steve, “Are you alright?”

Steve blinked some more before nodding, “Yeah, yeah, I’m good.” He rubbed at his throat and cleared it.

“Did you want some water?” Peter asked, eyeing him. He set down his bag on the bench and began to rummage through it. He pulled out his water bottle and offered it to the older man.

Steve took it from him, and unscrewed the lid, but then he paused, “Did you drink from this already?” His gaze lifted from the beverage to the teen.

“Uh, yeah,” Peter replied. “Sorry, I can-”

“Good, I was just making sure.” Steve took a swig from the bottle before Peter could even finish his sentence. “Thanks, Peter,” Steve said as he handed the bottle back to him.

Peter was a little confused as to why Steve had asked in the first place if it hadn’t mattered, “Uh, y-you’re welcome, sir.”

Steve brushed by him, oddly close, and tugged his shirt off over his head. “I think we should work on your posture today, if that’s alright?” He tossed the garment onto the bench next to Peter’s bag and stretched, flexing his arms as he turned to face Peter.

Peter, on the other hand, was completely frozen, gripping the water bottle tightly in his hand as he stared at Steve’s chest.

“Peter?” Steve cocked a brow at him, placing his hands on his hips. “Are you alright?”

Peter eventually came back to himself, for the most part. “Uh, yes, yeah, posture and pecs- I, uh, pos- yeah.” He turned away, blushing as he pushed his water bottle back into his bag. “Wait, I have bad posture?”

Steve’s eyes swept up and down him in a way that made Peter feel better for blatantly staring at the blond before – that should have been a red flag, but Peter was too busy still staring.

“Stand up straight,” Steve instructed, advancing on the teen. “Hands at your sides, shoulders back,” he continued as he circled around Peter.

Peter followed the directions, holding his head high. He wasn’t too sure what was going on, but he didn’t want Steve to think that he couldn’t follow simple instructions.

Peter shivered as Steve leaned in, his breath hot against the back of Peter’s neck as he spoke, “Legs apart.”

Peter obliged, parting his legs, “Like this?” Steve didn’t speak for a moment, then Peter felt something in between his thighs. It pressed against one then the other, spreading him open further. Peter briefly lowered his eyes down to see that Steve was using a ruler and not his hand – though Peter had been pretty certain it wouldn’t have been his hand. This was Captain America, after all.

“Head up, eyes front,” Steve instructed sternly.

Peter’s head snapped back up and he swallowed hard, “Sorry, sir, I was just- I wanted to know-”

“If I was using my hand?”

Peter nodded slightly, “Yes.”

Steve leaned in closer, but didn’t touch him, “You wishing I was?”

Peter chewed on the inside of his cheek, “No, ‘course not, that would be inappropriate.”

And you’re Captain America, right? Or am I losing my mind?

“Did you know your heart beats faster when you lie?” Steve mused, “I’m sure you do, you’re too smart not to.”

“Please don’t tell Mr. Stark,” Peter blurted. “I- I don’t want him to think I only moved in because I think you’re- not because you’re not, I mean you obviously are, and I like you, but I- I don’t-”

“Peter?” Steve cut in, voice smooth as silk – the gentleness of his tone did something to Peter’s heart. “It’s alright,” he soothed. “Really, I’m flattered.” Steve stepped back, “But, just to make things clear, I’m never going to lay hands on you.”

Peter spun around to face him, quicker than he would have cared to admit to. “Why not?” He couldn’t help asking.

“There are a number of reasons. For one, you’re a minor.”

“I’ve been through more than most people at this age, I’m old enough to make my own decisions,” Peter argued. “Plus, the age of consent is 17, which I- I am,” Peter sputtered, biting down on the inside of his cheek again.

“You’re 16, Peter. Stark told all of us in that ridiculous email he sent out when you moved in.” Steve crossed his arms over his chest.

Peter made a face, “There- there was an email? About me?”

“Yeah, he’s very protective of you,” Steve exhaled. “Which is another thing. Stark would surely have my ass-” Steve bowed his head slightly, his eyes trailing over Peter once more- “if I had yours.”

Peter choked on nothing and coughed hard – he turned away to retrieve his water bottle from his bag. He tugged it out and took a few sips, then several more, finishing it before tossing it back into his bag. When he twisted back around to face Steve, the older man was smirking at him.

“Sorry,” Steve’s apology held no sincerity in it whatsoever. “It wasn’t my intention to make you clench up,” he continued on suggestively. “Next time, I’ll take my time with you.”

Peter bit his lip, breathing shallowly – none of what Steve had just implied, even though it hadn’t been directly, had been lost on him.

Before Peter could reply, though he hadn’t any idea how he’d been going to, Banner was entering the room, the double doors swinging open widely. The scientist came to a pause, looking back and forth between the pair. “Am I interrupting something?” He asked, eyeing Steve’s bared chest.

“No, it just got a little hot in here,” Steve spoke out, shifting his focus onto Banner. “We’re done for the day – I think Peter’s a little dehydrated. We worked up quite the sweat.”

Peter was too flustered to speak – he nodded weakly as he held up his empty water bottle to show Banner that it was empty.

“Oh?” Banner moved across the room, rifling through his own bag as he went and pulled out a full water bottle. He offered it to Peter, “Here.”

“Thanks.” Peter nodded and twisted the lid off before taking a few long sips – he hadn’t realized how thirsty he had been. He capped it before shoving it into his bag. “Are- are you sure we’re done for the day, sir?” He asked, directing the question to Steve. “I could probably go a few more rounds.” Peter really tried not to sound too hopeful.

“I think I’ve given you enough stuff to work on and improve by yourself,” Steve answered. “Plus, I gotta go find Bucky – he’s due for a workout of his own.”

“That works out great,” Banner told Peter with a smile. “I was actually on my way up to find you, Peter. Tony wanted you to come back to the lab; he’s setting up your own personal workstation down there and wanted to get your opinion on how it was so far.” He lowered his voice slightly, “He asked me for help, but to be honest, I think you’d better get down there before he starts adding shark stickers to your laptop.”

Peter’s eyes widened, “Oh, jeez.” He shook his head, gathered up his things and all but ran from the room.

Banner laughed softly as he watched the teen flee to save his laptop – he then faced Steve who was still half naked for some reason.

“Do you usually train with your shirt off, Cap?” Bruce inquired, lifting a brow.

“Y’know-” Steve sucked in a breath through his teeth- “I don’t really remember. It just felt right at the time.”

Banner stared at him for a moment, “We haven’t really had the chance to talk about what happened,” he said. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine.” Steve shrugged, “Just... hot, right now.”

Banner nodded a little, “I guess I shouldn’t keep you.” He left then, venturing off to join Peter.

*.*.*

Bucky had literally just gotten into his bedroom when the door behind him opened up again – he twisted around to see Steve standing there, shirtless.

Bucky cocked a brow at him, “Good training session?”

Steve closed the distance between them very quickly – when he reached Bucky, he grabbed at the front of his shirt and dragged him in, smashing his mouth to his in a harsh kiss.

Bucky broke away from Steve, holding him at arm’s length as he struggled to catch his breath. “What’s going on? Is everything okay?” He asked.

Steve panted shallowly, his eyes darker than Bucky had ever seen them before, “I really wish people would stop asking me that.” Steve gripped at Bucky’s forearms tightly before swinging him around and pinning him up against the wall. “Everything is fine, I am fine,” Steve breathed out venomously.

Bucky narrowed his eyes, “How am I supposed to believe you when you act like this?”

Steve smirked, tipping his head back, “When I act like what?” He wondered coyly. Steve suddenly shoved his thigh up in between Bucky’s legs, pressing into his dick and beginning to grind. “Like I want you?” Steve hitched a brow at him, “Because I always have,” he went on with his words while he rubbed up against Bucky’s now growing erection. “I just finally care enough to not care about what other people think.”

Bucky ground his teeth together, his hips twitching slightly as Steve worked his thigh up against him. “What changed?” He persisted – he hadn’t gotten anything out of Steve the other night, he still wanted answers. “Why do you suddenly not care?”

Steve reached up and cupped his hand around Bucky’s jaw tenderly, “The real question is, why did I care in the first place?” He ran his thumb across Bucky’s bottom lip, “I wasted too much time,” he murmured as he slipped the digit into Bucky’s mouth.

Bucky moaned softly around his thumb, taking it in past his lips and sucking on it. He stretched out his metal hand and wrapped it around the back of Steve’s neck before pulling him in. Steve’s hand dropped to his waist as their lips met in the middle – Bucky kissed him slow, slipping his tongue into the blond’s mouth.

Steve hitched his thigh up, adding more pressure between Bucky’s legs and eliciting another moan out of him. Steve smiled into the kiss as the other rutted against him, his hips pitching forward, assumedly seeking more friction.

“Please,” Bucky spoke out into Steve’s mouth.

Steve slid his hands down his best friend’s body and unbuttoned his jeans before unzipping the zipper. He pushed them down a bit before wrapping his strong fingers around the newly bared length – he groaned softly at how it pulsed in his palm. “Tell me you love me,” Steve urged Bucky in a voice barely above a whisper. He began to pump Bucky’s cock in his hand, but his main focus remained on the other’s face. “I want to hear you say it.”

Bucky clutched at Steve’s arm, bracing himself as his body trembled under Steve’s insistent touch, “You know I do,” Bucky breathed out shakily. Bucky’s hold on Steve tightened significantly as Steve paused to rub his thumb against his slit – his hips jerked almost violently as he cursed under his breath.

“Tell me,” Steve repeated in a gravely tone. His gaze dropped momentarily to the task at hand as he circled two fingers around the tip of Bucky’s erection, giving the head special attention. Steve licked his lips as a dribble of precum leaked out from the slit, “Please,” he added breathlessly.

Bucky’s metal hand, which was still around the back of Steve’s neck, drew him in closer. “I love you,” he breathed out into his face, his lips brushing up against his. “I’ve always loved you.”

Steve closed the inch of space that was between them, pressing his mouth to Bucky’s and kissing him once again. Steve slowed his speed down as he pushed his body flush to Bucky’s, which made it a little difficult to keep up his quick movements. He flicked his tongue across Bucky’s bottom lip and smiled into the kiss as Bucky parted his lips for him immediately.

Despite the instant invitation, Bucky was the one to end the kiss – he backed up a few steps, chuckling as Steve glared at him.

“Don’t pout,” Bucky told him. “I’m just realizing how I’m not dressed for the occasion, that’s all.” He paused for a second, being dramatic, teasing. “Unless I read into this wrong and that’s not where we were heading?” Bucky quirked a brow at the blond, “‘Cause I’m good with keeping everything on,” he informed Steve. “I could even add another layer or-”

“Buck,” Steve’s voice had dropped an octave – he began to slowly moved towards Bucky again. “If you’re not naked in the next 20 seconds, I might accidentally take a limb off when I take your clothes off for you.”

“20 seconds? That’s very generous of you.” Bucky smirked, “But I know firsthand what it’s like to have a limb taken off-” he gestured with his metal hand just to bother Steve- “so I suppose I will have to follow your orders.” Bucky tugged his shirt off over his head and tossed it to the side. He then pushed his jeans down to the floor and kicked them off, leaving him only covered by his briefs.

Steve reached him in seconds, tackling Bucky onto the bed behind him. He straddled Bucky’s hips with his thighs as he held down the mismatched hands above the sergeant’s head by his wrists, pinning Bucky down to the mattress. Steve pressed his mouth to his again, kissing him deeply.

Bucky reciprocated, kissing back just as fervently as he pushed his erection up against Steve’s with a low groan. He slipped his tongue back inside of his mouth, tangling it around his before teasing it between his teeth.

Steve moaned into the kiss, his grip on Bucky’s wrists tightening as he rotated his hips against his. He pulled back a bit, releasing Bucky, but pushed him back down against the bed when the other went to rise. “Stay,” Steve commanded, his voice airy. He slid off of Bucky before slipping his workout shorts off and dropping them to the floor, toeing them off.

Bucky tilted his head up to trail his eyes over Steve’s now fully naked body – though he’d seen everything countless times before, he’d never seen it in this circumstance. “I thought you said you’d wasted enough time?” Bucky taunted lightheartedly. In all honestly, Bucky still didn’t really understand what was going on. He just knew that Steve had been acting different ever since the mission – for one thing, he seemed a lot hornier, though Bucky really wasn’t complaining on that front. However, there had been a darkness he’d seen that first night that had shaken him to his core – Bucky didn’t think he’d ever forget the look that Steve had given him that night.

“Now who’s eager?” Steve teased, but slid back into the other’s lap, straddling him once more. He lifted himself slightly as he pushed Bucky’s briefs down, tossing them away without another thought. Steve settled back down on top of him once they were flesh to flesh – he wrapped his hand around both of their cocks, rubbing them up against each other.

Bucky arched into him, gasping softly as a new wave of pleasure flooded through him. He gripped at Steve’s hips, bucking in time with his strokes. “Just trying to give you what you want,” he half-muttered. That was the truth of this. Bucky did love Steve, he had always loved him – he hadn’t been lying about that, but he was he in love with him? He didn’t know. He had never thought to take the next step in their relationship, he hadn’t thought there had been another step.

Steve seemed to understand that as soon as the words left Bucky’s lips – and he froze in all senses of the word. He became cold and rigid. “What do you mean?” He asked, still unmoving – his hand still wrapped around both of their erections.

Bucky swallowed, realizing the mistake he had made. “I just meant that this is pretty new to both of us, but if you don’t want to take things slow, I’m alright with that.” He forced a grin, trying to lighten the mood. “Who knew you’d be the one ruining this relationship, eh?”

Steve’s jaw locked, his anger creeping up on him. “What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Bucky’s eyes lost some of their gleam, “Like in a good way,” he insisted. “I was trying to make a joke out of it.” He sat up a bit against the pillows behind him, reaching up to touch Steve’s face. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”

Steve let go and went to get off of him, but Bucky held him in place, “I have to go,” Steve hissed, trying to get away from him.

“Hey,” Bucky soothed as he wrapped both of his arms around Steve and held him close. “I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean it like that, I swear.” Bucky pressed the soft kiss to the side of Steve’s face, but the other remained stiff. “Steve,” Bucky breathed out, almost like a plead. “I love you.”

Steve leaned away from him a bit, exhaling, “I know,” before he jerked back and slammed his fist into the side of his best friend’s skull. Steve’s breathing sped up as he slipped off of Bucky’s unconscious body – he wrapped his arms around himself, panting hard. He stared down at Bucky for a long time before pain erupted in his brain and he dropped to his knees, gasping, clutching at his head.

What the hell is happening to me? Steve thought.

“Steve?” Wanda’s voice floated over to him so quietly that Steve first assumed that he was hearing things. He was startled when he felt her hands cover his as she knelt beside him on the floor. “What’s wrong?”

Steve opened his mouth to form words, but his head hurt too much to really focus enough to say anything. He couldn’t even ask what Wanda was doing here at this time of night.

“Is it your head?” Wanda asked, trying to catch his eyes with hers. “Nod, if yes,” she encouraged in a gentle tone.

Steve nodded slightly, wincing in pain as the small movement caused his headache to worsen.

Wanda frowned, appearing sympathetic, “Do you want me to help you?”

Steve furrowed his brows, on the verge of rejecting her, but then untensed because hadn’t Bucky said something about Wanda helping him with his headache before? “Y-yes,” he stuttered out – the verbal confirmation made his pain flare up horribly and he groaned unhappily.

“Okay, okay,” Wanda agreed. She shifted her hands upwards, pressing her delicate fingers to the sides of his temples. “It’s all going to be okay,” she soothed, her eyes taking on a reddened sheen.

Steve relaxed, closing his own eyes as he sunk into unconsciousness.

Later

When Peter woke up the sun was already coming in through his curtains, signaling that he’d gone to bed at some point. He felt a little groggy – he had either gotten too much sleep or not enough. For some reason, Peter didn’t remember coming up to bed. He remembered going down to the lab to shoo Mr. Stark away from this laptop and then settling down to do homework at the workstation that his mentor had set up for him. He remembered Doctor Banner joining them a bit later, though he’d come down to work with Mr. Stark – he’d barely glanced in Peter’s direction, let alone a hello. The older men had worked for quite a while before Banner had left for the night, or had it been Mr. Stark who had left? Peter couldn’t remember, but one of them had said good night, he was sure of that.

Peter remembered working away, and then-

Peter frowned to himself, furrowing his brows.

And then... what? Had he fallen asleep at his desk? Had Mr. Stark helped him to bed? He didn’t think the scientist would have – they didn’t really know each other that well.

Peter sat up and groaned as pain blossomed in his lower back, he reached back to rub at the area around his tailbone, trying to soothe his discomfort. He sighed and pushed the blankets off to slide off the side of his bed. When he stood up, the pain lessened slightly, but it still was worrisome. Maybe he had stretched too much or something in his last training session with Steve? Peter decided to take a hot shower to help his muscles relax.

I must have just pushed myself too hard, Peter convinced himself. He shuffled into the bathroom and undressed; he was only in his boxers but that wasn’t too odd because he usually slept in them. He twisted on the taps, checked the temperature and stepped under the hot water. The heat felt nice against his sore body and he groaned contently, closing his eyes as the steam began to rise. The pain he had felt before dulled as he stood under the hot spray – he relished in it’s almost healing qualities.

“Nothing to worry about,” Peter mumbled to himself as he opened his eyes to grab his shampoo. He came to a halt when something caught his attention – he narrowed his gaze down at his feet. “What is that?” He watched the redness swirl around the drain for too long before he recognized what it was.

I’m bleeding, Peter realized, his eyes widening. He ran his hands over his body, searching for the source of the blood – maybe he’d accidentally scraped off a scab or something. Peter went completely still as he found the source of the blood and the pain – he winced as he ran a finger over the swollenness of his hole.

“What the-” Peter cut off as he held his hand up to his face, confirming what he’d been dreading. His mind started piecing things together faster than he could comprehend. The groggy feeling, the memory loss, the obvious evidence that something- someone had put something inside of him.

Peter suddenly couldn’t feel his legs, and he had to stabilize himself against the glass wall of the shower – he began to hyperventilate.

No, he refused to believe that someone- especially someone who lived here would do this. These were The Avengers, for God’s sake. Why would they- who would have-

Peter crumbled to the bottom of the tub, his knees sliding painfully against the porcelain. He numbly checked the rest of his body for any signs – maybe if he didn’t find anything- maybe that meant he’d just stretched too much or-

Peter stopped touching himself as his eyes had already found what he had been both looking for but not wanting to find. They were light bruises, curtesy of Peter’s speedy healing properties, but there was no denying that they were fingerprints. In another hour or so, they would have disappeared, and he would have been able to convince himself that nothing bad had happened. Peter wouldn’t be able to do that now – now he had to face the truth. Someone had drugged and assaulted him. He pulled his knees up to his chest, trying to control his breathing, tears cresting his eyes.

Stop, we need to tell someone, Peter urged himself. But who? What if he told the wrong person? What if he told the person? Peter closed his eyes once more, think, do I remember anything? He could remember feeling like this before – not the pain, just the groggy, forgetfulness. Peter pressed a hand to his mouth as he sobbed into his palm; whoever had done this, had done it before, not to this extent, but they’d definitely drugged him more than once.

No, stop, think, Peter sucked in a deep breath.

...rough hands on his hips, turning him over, hot breath on the back of his neck as someone chuckled...

Peter’s eyes snapped open and he threw up beside himself in the tub. He hiccupped, rubbing at his throat as he watched last night’s dinner go down the drain. Peter closed his lids once more, trying to reach back into the hazy memory.

... “So perfect for me,” a praise, “he doesn’t deserve you, doesn't deserve you...”

Peter squeezed his eyes tighter, trying to stay with the scene.

...he’d turned back to look at some point, hadn’t he? ...brown hair? It’s so dark in here – maybe w-

A growl, “...gonna make you mine tonight...”

Peter slammed his head back against the glass, a little harder than he’d meant to, with a whimper, but he couldn’t remember anymore- he didn’t want to remember.

Okay, so dark hair, brown, maybe?

Peter shakily pulled himself to his feet before cleaning himself properly, being extra careful around his entrance. He then got out, dried and dressed. He needed an adult, but he only really knew a couple of them well enough to go to them with something like this. Peter first thought about going to Natasha, but when he concluded that his only reasoning was because she was a woman, he decided against it. Plus, he was pretty sure she was out on mission with Clint and Sam right now. Peter could go to Wanda, though she didn’t really count as an adult as she was only a year older than he was. Banner was a doctor, but Peter didn’t really know him that well – he felt too awkward to talk to him about this.

Mr. Stark is my mentor, Peter told himself, but he has brown hair. Peter started, startling himself a little. He refused to believe that Mr. Stark was behind this, mostly because he still called Peter ‘kid’, partly because Peter thought they were friends- or they were getting there at least.

No power on this Earth could make Peter track down Sergeant Barnes, he didn’t think he even needed a real reason for that one.

Which leaves... of course...

Peter left his room to venture out to find Steve, who had been the obvious choice from the start, as he was blond, knew Peter pretty well and, well, that other thing, that Peter wasn’t going to focus on right now. He’s an adult that I trust, and he will know what to do, Peter hoped as he rounded the corner that led to the hallway where Steve’s room was. He came to a stop when he saw that the door was slightly ajar. He frowned, maybe he’s out. Though when Peter peeked in through the opening, he realized that Steve was in fact inside.

Steve was pacing back and forth, murmuring to himself, touching his head. Even with Peter’s enhanced hearing, everything he could make out was gibberish. Peter stood there and continued to watch the older man, wondering if now wasn’t such a great time. Just as he moved to go inside of the room, a hand clamped down on his shoulder – a metal one. Peter looked up into the face of Sergeant Barnes, both startled and fearful.

“I wouldn’t,” Barnes whispered to him in warning. “Not unless you wanna agitate him more than he already is.”

Peter swallowed, “Uh, no, no that isn’t what I want to do,” he muttered.

“Come on,” Barnes said as he led him away from the door. He didn’t speak again until they were on the elevator, “Why were you looking for him?”

Peter fidgeted for a moment, staring down at his hands, “Uh, I just needed to talk to him about something.”

Barnes watched him for several seconds as the elevator descended, “Were you standing there long?” He wondered.

“What? No, just a couple- maybe a few minutes.” Peter felt himself blush, “I- I wasn’t spying on him or something, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

The sergeant shrugged, “I actually didn’t think about that,” he admitted. “I was more so asking because I’ve noticed he’s been a bit on edge lately – I was wondering if you’d noticed anything different about him.”

Peter glanced at him sideways, “Like what?”

Barnes studied him for a time before shaking his head, “Nothing, never mind, forget I said anything about it.” He shoved his hands into his pockets as the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

Peter followed him off without instruction – the way Barnes was moving, made him think he should follow him. They ended up going to the den. Peter staggered to a stop by the door, his breath catching in his throat involuntarily as he gripped at the wall beside him.

...rough hands on his hips, gripping a little too tightly, desperately, turning him over, pressing him face down into the couch...

“You okay?” Barnes asked, cocking a brow at the teenager.

“Yeah, I- I’m fine.” Peter frowned and unconsciously rubbed at his lower back, “Have you... ever had troubles with memory loss?”

Barnes stared at him for a minute before nodding with a light chuckle, “Story of my life basically.” He then sobered, his eyes sweeping over Peter, “Why do you ask?”

Peter found himself fidgeting again, he pulled his hands apart and crossed his arms behind his back. “No reason.”

Barnes opened his mouth to speak again but then stopped as his gaze shifted off of Peter and over his shoulder. “Oh, you’re up.”

“So are you,” Steve replied as he moved around Peter, once again simultaneously moving too close while keeping his distance. “How’re you feeling?”

Peter watched as Barnes’ jaw clenched, “I’m fine, slept earlier than I thought I was going to, but it’s no skin off my back.”

Steve smiled at his best friend, paying no attention to Peter, “Sleep is good, maybe you shouldn’t take things for granted.”

Peter really didn’t want to go into the den, but standing out in the hallway with these two seemed more dangerous somehow – he wasn’t sure why there was so much tension between them. “Uh, I’m just going to...” he faded off as he went to move away from them – then he froze when Steve glanced in his direction.

“Would you like to help me with dinner, Peter?” Steve wondered – the request sounded innocent enough.

“Uh, sure, I- I guess,” Peter stuttered, nodding a bit in agreement.

“Fantastic.” Steve beamed at him, before his gaze lifted towards the entrance of the den where the television could be heard from. “Let me just check who’ll be actually eating.” Steve approached the doors and popped his head in.

Peter leaned back against the wall avoiding Barnes’ eyes – he rubbed at his arms.

“Is everyone coming to dinner?” Steve asked the group sitting in the den. Natasha and Clint both nodded and Banner shot him a thumbs up but didn’t remove his eyes from the book he was reading. Steve looked to Wanda, who was huddled up on the couch next to Nat and Clint. “What about you, kiddo?”

Wanda peered up at him under dark lashes, “Possibly,” she said with a small shrug. “Do you want me to?”

Steve shrugged as well, “Yes, but it’s your choice in the long run.”

Wanda smiled at him before directing her focus back to the TV, ending the short conversation.

Steve left, going down the hall, and Peter followed. Peter had been going to talk to him about his discovery, but after hearing what Sergeant Barnes had had to say, he decided against it. He could tell something was a little off about Steve and was worried about upsetting him – so, he pushed everything to the back of his mind.

A Month Later

The night that Bucky received an odd text from Stark, Steve was down in the kitchen searching through the cupboards for Aspirin. He’d opened several without any luck and in the midst of giving up, when he was shutting the door of the one he’d just finished looking through, Wanda seemed to just appear out of the air.

“Christ,” Steve exclaimed, bouncing back from her. “Jeez, you almost gave me a heart attack.”

Wanda tilted her head to the side, running her eyes over him, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.” She brushed by him, “What are you looking for?” She inquired as she leaned back against the counter.

Steve worried his bottom lip between his teeth for a moment, “Uh, nothing, I-” he cut off with a gasp as his headache spiked – he rubbed at one of his temples.

“Headache?” Wanda hitched a brow at him, “I could help with that, you know?”

Steve frowned as he turned around to face her, “Yeah, I know, but I was trying to avoid asking you.”

“Why?” Wanda looked up at him innocently, “Do I not make you feel better?”

“You do,” Steve amended, “But I don’t feel comfortable with what you ask for in return for your ‘help’.”

“Oh.” She exhaled, “Well, I don’t think pain killers are going to help.”

“They’re better than the alternative,” Steve retorted, then paused. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

Wanda lifted her hand, cutting him off, “It’s alright,” she said. “These things take time.”

Steve frowned but before he could ask what she meant red mist was flowing out around him. He blinked before his expression went blank.

Wanda smiled at him slowly, “Do you want my help, Steve?”

Steve nodded sluggishly, trancelike.

Her eyes glowed red, her voice echoing in his head, ‘Then show me how much.’

Steve blinked once more, his features twisting into something darker as he advanced on Wanda – he scooped her up onto the counter, pressing his mouth to hers.

Wanda slid her hands into his short hair and parted her thighs so he could press right up against her. She kissed him back deeply, tugging on the blond locks of hair as she coiled her legs around his waist.

A slightly irritated voice boomed through the kitchen, “What do you think you’re doing?”

Wanda pulled back from Steve quickly, freezing him in place with her powers, before glancing over at the brunet. “You scared me,” she huffed – though she was relieved to see the familiar face.

He gave her an unpleasant smile as he moved across the room, sizing Steve up as he went by, “If you’re going to force someone against their will, couldn’t you at least do it behind closed doors?”

Wanda quirked a brow at him, “Oh, like you do?”

“Privacy is still very much a thing,” he informed her as he placed his dishes from dinner in the sink.

“I’m sure Peter appreciates that very much-” Wanda smirked- “well, I’m sure he would, if he could remember anything.”

The brunet considered her words for a moment before shrugging and turning to leave the kitchen. “All in due time,” he called back over his shoulder before disappearing out of her sight.

Chapter Text

It was nearly 1 o’clock in the morning, and Wanda could not get to sleep. She’d been trying to for at least the last hour, but something- someone was keeping her awake. There had been a constant pounding against a wall in her earshot for the past hour or so and she’d been trying to ignore it, but it was proving to be rather difficult to. At first, she’d thought it had been someone having sex, but the thuds weren’t consistent enough for that to be the case. It also didn’t sound like the slapping of skin on skin – it was more like someone using a hammer to nail a picture frame to the wall. Though that couldn’t have been it either because it had been going on for so long – unless whoever it was were hanging up multiple pictures, but that wasn’t practical.

Eventually, Wanda had had enough and got out of bed. She pulled her robe on over her nightgown before exiting her bedroom and starting down the hallway. She passed by Nat and Clint’s quarters, pausing briefly to wonder how they were sleeping through all of the racket – the pounding was undoubtedly louder out in the corridor. Wanda shook her head to herself before continuing down the hall. She stopped at the door, which was failing to conceal the loud thudding, and knocked just as loud.

“Hello?” Wanda called out. She wasn’t worried about waking the couple in the room next door up because they seemed to be sleeping like the dead anyways. When no one answered her knocking, she let herself in.

Bucky was sitting on the side of his mattress, bouncing what looked like a tennis ball up against the wall. He didn’t acknowledge her as she entered the room.

Wanda huffed, crossing her arms over her chest, “Is this really the time to be doing that?”

Bucky paused for a split second, glancing her way just as quick, before continuing to toss the ball. He sighed, “Go back to bed, Wanda.”

“I’d love to, but I can’t sleep with that incessant pounding,” Wanda complained, annoyed. “So, could you cool it?”

Bucky didn’t reply – he just kept bouncing the ball, it was seemingly louder than it had been before.

Wanda scoffed and lifted a hand; red mist encircled the ball, freezing it in the air. She pulled the ball over to her before setting it down on the table by the door, “Why don’t you go to bed, Sergeant Barnes?”

Bucky narrowed his eyes and rose to his feet, coming over to her to retrieve the ball. He was tired and frustrated and definitely didn’t have the patience for this interaction.

Wanda’s own eyes widened as she took in his face, noticing that it was covered in light bruises and healing welts. He’d been shadowed before, but in the moonlight coming in through the window, she could now see everything. “What happened to you?”

Bucky picked up the ball, tossing it up in the air once before catching it. “Had a chat with Steve,” he mentioned, not really in the mood to elaborate. “It didn’t go over as well as I thought it was going to.”

Wanda frowned, studying his features. “There’s more to it, isn’t there?” She pressured him. “You two have squabbled before,” she pointed out. “Something else is bothering you.”

Bucky rolled his eyes and moved back across the room to sit on the side of his mattress again. He rarely spoke to Wanda, but he knew how inquisitive she was – there wasn’t any real harm in telling her anything. “Stark accused me of assaulting Peter,” he told her after a while. “I don’t know why though.” He frowned as well, “I don’t know why he’d think I would do something like that to Peter- to anyone, for that matter.”

Wanda shuffled over to him, moving cautiously. “Well, would you?” She wondered in a light tone.

“Would I what?” Bucky peered up at her after setting the ball to his right on his bedside table.

“Sleep with someone that young?”

Bucky started, flinching where he sat, “Of course not.”

Wanda’s eyes flickered back and forth across his face, “Even if it was consensual?”

“Why are you asking me this?” Bucky squinted at her, “Even if it was consensual, it’s still wrong, it’s still unethical.”

“And you’re all about ethics?” She mused, her gazing traveling up and down the fullness of him that time.

Bucky stared at her, “What are you getting at here?” He honestly had no clue where any of this was coming from. The way she was speaking- it was almost like she was insinuating-

Wanda sat next to him, closer than he would have liked, “I’m just trying to help, James,” she spoke out in a gentle tone. “You’re on the outs with both Stark and Steve – it seems like you have no one else to confide in.” She bit her lip as she placed a hand down on his leg – she stroked her fingertips against him. “No one else to take comfort in.”

Bucky stood up abruptly, “You need to leave, now.”

Wanda got to her feet as well, but slower, obviously unsurprised by the reaction she had received from him. “It’s okay,” she soothed, reaching out for the older man another time.

Bucky gripped her wrist tightly, stilling her actions. “I said leave,” he hissed. “Or I will make you leave.”

Wanda’s eyelids lowered slightly as a slow smile stretched out across her lips, “Alright,” she surrendered. “Tell me one thing,” she requested. “Do you love him?”

“Who?” Bucky didn’t loosen his grasp as she was still fighting against him, trying to touch him – he was a little startled at how strong she was, she wasn’t exactly built for battle.

Her smile widened, “That’s all I needed to know.” Red mist floated out from the hand he had a hold on and circled around them both.

“Stop, what are you-” Bucky cut off as the mystical energy reached his brain – unbeknownst to him, his eyes glowed red.

“Steve thinks you slept with Stark, but you haven’t,” Wanda whispered to him, though he couldn’t tell if she was speaking out loud or if her voice was inside of his head. “Don’t you think you should fix that?”

*.*.*

Stark was half asleep when his mind started to register that someone was in bed with him – it took a few more moments for him to realize that whoever it was didn’t have any clothing on. He jumped up and was immediately pressed back down under something heavy – the person, he realized, was now straddling him. Next, there were lips pressing to his neck and teeth grazing his skin as their mouth opened against him. He recognized those lips.

“Barnes?” Stark whispered into the darkness – he’d drawn his curtains over before going to sleep, so there wasn’t enough light to really see anything in his room.

“Good, you’re awake,” Bucky murmured into the crook of the other’s neck. “I figured waking you up like this would be nicer than shaking you.”

Stark swallowed uncertainly, “What- what are you doing?”

Bucky chuckled against the side of his throat and leaned back to push Tony’s nightshirt up, baring his chest. “I’m pretty sure it’s obvious what I’m doing,” he replied after a few seconds. “Sit up,” he directed.

Stark sat up, but before he could ask why, Bucky was peeling his shirt off over his head and tossing it to the side. “Wait,” Stark gasped as he gripped at the older man’s biceps, bringing him to a halt. “I thought- I thought you were mad at me?”

“Yes, but I figured we should kiss and make up,” Bucky said before he pressed his mouth to his, kissing him hard. He rotated his hips, rubbing his erection up against Tony’s hardening cock and letting out a low groan. “Maybe more than kiss,” he mumbled against his lips.

Stark tried to push him back once more, but the sergeant didn’t budge this time. Despite Stark’s efforts to get the other off of him, he could feel his body responding much more positively. He didn’t understand why Bucky had changed his mind so quickly, especially after what the engineer had accused him of the other day. On the other hand, he found his legs willingly parting so the soldier could place himself in between them.

Bucky slid down his body, unlacing Tony’s pajama pants and tugging them down – freeing his erection. Bucky’s mouth enveloped him, and Tony slipped his hands into the long hair, his jaw clenching as he grunted lowly.

“Shit,” Stark muttered, his hips twitching as the other took him farther down his throat. It had been a long time since someone had touched him like this with their mouth. Bucky had had his hands on him a while ago, but Tony honestly couldn’t remember the last blowjob he had received. He had missed this feeling, especially because Bucky seemed to be an expert.

Bucky smiled around the length in his mouth, rubbing his tongue against the underside of the cock. His fleshed hand came up to fondle the engineer’s balls as he continued to work on him with his lips and tongue.

“Jeez, Barnes, where’d y-you- you learn t-to-” Stark stammered, unable to complete his question, his hips jerking again as Bucky’s teeth skimmed over the taut skin.

Bucky pulled back, licking his lips as he slid back up Stark’s body and positioned himself between his legs. “Lube?” He lifted a brow inquiringly.

Tony slid out a tube of lubrication from under his pillow and handed it over, “So, as I was trying to say,” he started, able to talk better now.

Bucky listened as he lubed up two fingers before circling them around Stark’s pucker, slicking the area carefully.

“Where did you learn how to do that?” Tony finally asked. He relaxed his body as he felt the digits rub against his entrance – he tried to keep his lower body still, concealing his eagerness.

“Oh.” Bucky blew out his cheeks before puffing out the breath. “Steve,” he replied, too casually, before he pressed a finger inside of the engineer.

Tony started, “Wait, what?” He was only half sure that he had heard him wrong – another part of him had been waiting for the confirmation that there’d always been something between him and Cap. “You and-”

“Yeah, okay?” Bucky hissed before shaking his head to himself. He pushed his finger in to the knuckle before beginning to saw it back and forth inside of Stark.

Tony wasn’t finished talking about this though, he still wanted to know more. “When? Was it- was it when I-”

Bucky shook his head once more, “No,” he dismissed. “It was before.” He sighed as he slid his other slicked up finger inside of Tony – he bit his lip in determination, trying to concentrate. It was a little difficult to with all of the questions coming from Stark – questions that Bucky didn’t really want to answer at the moment, or, you know, ever.

“Before? Like recently before?” Tony couldn’t help it, he was very curious and the sergeant wasn’t giving him much to go on.

Bucky came to a pause, halting in his work. “Do you really want to talk about this now?” He cocked a brow at him, “Right now? While I’m two fingers deep inside of you?”

Tony ran his tongue over his teeth, thinking, though when he opened his mouth to respond, Bucky crooked his fingers up inside of him, causing the younger man to sputter gibberish.

“Sorry, what was that?” Bucky wondered innocently, but there was nothing ‘good’ about his sinister expression.

Tony narrowed his eyes at him, “I would like to-”

Bucky twisted his hand sharply, skewering his digits deeper inside of the other and eliciting a shaky moan from Stark. Bucky leaned down, hovering over him, his breath hot on the side of his neck while he chuckled. “What would you like, sweetheart?” Bucky asked – it was an unveiled taunt. He sounded overly smug, definitely pleased with himself.

Despite wanting to learn more about what Bucky had confessed to him; Tony lifted his hips seeking more friction. “Fine,” he murmured, yielding even though he didn’t want to – not fully anyways.

“Fine?” Bucky hitched a brow at him, “That doesn’t really give me any detail to what you want me to do to you, Stark.”

Tony gritted his teeth together, “You’re an ass.”

“One of those words are correct,” Bucky mused. He then scissored his fingers inside of Tony’s tightness, causing the other man to gasp out another string of gibberish. Bucky smirked and slicked up a third finger before working it inside of Tony slowly – he groaned at how tight he felt. “You ever play with yourself here before?”

Stark shook his head, unable to form proper words. One of his hands gripped at Bucky’s bicep while he fisted his other into the sheets beneath them, attempting to ground himself – he didn’t want to arrive too soon, he knew he’d never hear the end of it if he did.

“It shows,” Bucky commented thoughtfully, before wetting his lips with his tongue. “Though it’s not a bad thing, I was only curious.”

Tony writhed under him as the sergeant continued to finger fuck him, eventually he’d had enough, “Are you going to do this all night? I got things to do.”

Bucky chuckled lowly, “Like what? Sleep? Don’t tell me you’d rather be sleeping.” He slipped his fingers out of Tony, who sputtered once again, this time at the loss of fullness. Bucky lubed up his cock before lining it up, the blunt head nudging up against Stark’s pucker. He lifted his eyes to his, they gleamed brightly. “Because I could let you get back to sleep if you-”

“Barnes?” Tony snapped, cutting him off. “If you think I’m going to let you walk out of here before you finish what you started, you’re more insane than I thought you were.”

Bucky fully laughed that time, nodding his head, “Acknowledged,” he said, before sobering once more. “You ready?”

Tony nodded as well, “Just fucking do it.”

“So romantic,” Bucky replied sarcastically as he faked a swoon. “I might just tear up with the amount of love and affection.” Despite Bucky’s teasing, he pitched his hips forwards as he pressed the tip of his cock inside of the man beneath him. Bucky clenched his jaw as he pushed deeper and deeper, pausing once he was halfway to take a breather – Tony was a little tighter than he’d felt around his fingers, he hadn’t been anticipating the vice-like grip.

Tony’s dull nails dug into flesh and vibranium as he tried to adjust to the stretch. He steadied his breathing as he relaxed around the intrusion, grinding his back molars together. “Keep going,” he finally uttered.

Bucky obliged, pressing in further. His fleshed hand wrapped around the back of Tony’s neck while his metal one gripped at his hip, both helping ease the other in a different way. Bucky bent in the middle to plant his mouth on Tony’s as he bottomed out inside of him with a low groan in the back of his throat. Bucky halted again, though his body screamed at him to keep going – however, he had no intention of spilling blood. Bucky wasn’t quite sure where all of this urgency was coming from – sure he’d thought about fucking Stark in the past, especially after that texting mishap, but he hadn’t thought he’d be actually going through with it.

Too late now, Bucky supposed. He swayed his hips back before thrusting forward, grunting softly as the tight, heat engulfed him once again. He eventually picked up a steady rhythm, beating his body against Tony’s – the sound of skin slapping skin filled the room as he sped up.

Stark’s hands slid up to grip at Barnes’ shoulders fiercely, moaning as he bucked his own hips up to meet the soldier’s thrusts. He slid one of his hands up into the long hair, twisting his fingers into the soft locks so he could drag Bucky back down. He pressed his lips to his once more, parting them against his to open them in turn, before slipping his tongue into his mouth. Tony spread his thighs a bit before changing his mind and coiling his legs around the sergeant, holding him closer, their bodies flush against one another.

Bucky reciprocated the kiss, deepening it as he sucked on Tony’s tongue. He slowed his movements for a time, pushing himself balls deep inside of the engineer before starting to grind. He retracted from the lip lock before kissing down the side of Tony’s neck – he parted his lips, grazing his teeth against the flesh slick with sweat. Bucky pressed closer, beginning to suck and tease a patch of skin between his teeth with the full intent of leaving a mark.

Tony tugged on Bucky’s hair, whining faintly as the other marked him, not really thinking of repercussions of someone else seeing the hickey – in all honesty, if anyone asked, he’d just lie through his teeth. It wasn’t anyone else’s business anyway. Tony jerked against Bucky as the older man bit him hard, leaving more than just a hickey. He felt Bucky smirk against the side of his neck at the reaction he’d received.

“You like that, sweetheart?” Bucky growled – the sound and feel of him vibrated through Tony’s body, causing Tony to shiver under him.

Tony panted shallowly as he fisted his hand into the long hair, tugging harsher than before. Despite his obvious neediness, he responded arrogantly, “Not sure, might have to try it again.”

“Oh, really?” Bucky inquired, a smile in his voice. “Want me to be rougher with you?”

A second of silence, then, “Yes.”

“How rough?” Bucky wondered, his breathing speeding up – this conversation alone was enough to make him cum. “You want bruises to remind you of this after? You wanna be able to touch them later and imagine I’m there touching you?”

Tony hesitated even longer that time, before admitting, “Yes, I do.”

Bucky’s metal fingers dug into Stark’s hip significantly harder, denting the vibranium into his smooth flesh, leaving fingerprints. Tony gasped in pain and pleasure, losing the last of his composure. Bucky pressed his face back into the crook of Tony’s neck before opening his mouth against the salty flesh once more. He grazed his teeth lightly before biting down again – this time though, he didn’t unlatch right way, his burrowed his incisors in deeper than priorly. Bucky picked up speed again, pounding just as deep inside of Tony. His metal hand moved from Tony’s aching hip to wrap around his leaking dick, starting to pump the length while he continued to thrust inside of him.

Tony squirmed under the sergeant, his short nails digging into Bucky’s scalp as he whimpered. “Please,” he murmured, his hole contracting around Bucky’s cock. His hips bucked wildly, welcoming everything that was being given to him.

“Please, what?” Bucky grunted. He could feel the pressure building in his balls, and if the noises that Stark was making were any indication, he knew that the other was closing in on his end as well. Bucky drew back from Stark’s neck to kiss him again, not waiting for a reply from him. He kissed him slow – it was a complete contrast to everything else he was doing. Bucky twisted his metal hand around Tony’s dick as he pitched forwards, hitting his prostate.

Stark turned his face to the side at the intense feeling, “Shit,” he gritted out through his teeth, “I’m going to- fuck, I’m-” he cut off with a breathless noise.

“That’s it, sweetheart,” Bucky encouraged in a gravelly voice. “Cum for me,” he went on, his gaze sweeping over the man beneath him. “You’ve done it before,” he added, smirking as he hit Tony’s prostate again.

Tony jerked Bucky in close to kiss him another time – he cried out against his lips as he came, his body trembling violently against Bucky’s as he spurted in between them. He tightened his grip around him, his legs squeezing Bucky’s ribcage a little painfully.

Bucky groaned lowly, feeling the warmth splatter up against his chest and begin to drip down his abdomen. “Good boy,” he praised huskily. Bucky leaned back then – he placed both of his hands on Tony’s hips and began fucking him from a different angle. He trailed his eyes over Tony’s body once more as he thrusted faster inside of him, now seeking his own release while helping Tony ride out his. “God, look at you,” Bucky breathed out admiringly. He took in the sweat above Stark’s brow, his flushed face, the red bite marks on his neck, the pooling of the engineer’s spunk on his chest, and finally, the thing that undoubtedly sent Bucky over the edge, the dark imprints of where his fingers had been sunk into the pale skin only moments ago. Bucky convulsed against Tony, shouting out in pleasure, as he buried himself inside of him and came, filling him up with his seed. “Fuck,” he hissed out, rotating his hips, trying to reach deeper inside of the younger man.

Tony clenched down around him as he felt Bucky release inside of him – he moaned, arching his back, gripping tighter at the back of his head. A part of him wished they’d used a condom because it would have been easier to clean up, but the other part had secretly been wanting Bucky to claim him like this.

Bucky stayed planted inside of Tony for several moments before he finally sat back, slipping out of Tony with a wet sound. He licked at his dry lips and sat back on his knees as he tried to catch his breath. Bucky blinked, seemingly coming back to himself. The sense of urgency he’d felt before was gone, leaving him to wonder what it had been in the first place.

“So,” Tony breathed out once he’d settled back against the pillows behind himself – he stretched out his legs, getting comfortable. “I still have questions.”

Bucky rolled his eyes – he was honestly hoping that fucking Stark would make him forget about what he’d been asking of him priorly. “I’m not sure if I have answers,” Bucky confessed. “Or, if I do, whether or not you’re gonna like them.”

“You’re probably right about the not liking them part, but I want to know. I need to.” Stark pulled his pajama pants back up, covering himself in case Bucky thought to try to distract him again. “You and Cap were together,” he stated.

It wasn’t a question, but Bucky still nodded, “Yeah, kind of, I guess.”

“Recently?”

Bucky chewed on the inside of his cheek but remained silent – his expression was neutral.

“Please?” Tony made a face, “I’d really like to speak about this now.”

Bucky exhaled before scrubbing at his eyes with the heels of his palms, “Fine, fine. Whatever.”

“How recently was this?” Tony questioned, studying Bucky closely. “It seems still... difficult for you to speak about.”

Bucky’s expression twisted then, “Uh, I- it’s not that recent,” he eventually mumbled out. “It started right after Steve’s accident,” he admitted after a couple more seconds.

Stark gaped at him – he hadn’t been expecting that at all. “But- but that was only a couple months ago,” he replied with a frown.

“Yeah, yeah it was.” Bucky shrugged, “But we-”

“When did it end?” Tony asked, interrupting him.

“It- it ended when-” Bucky bit down on his tongue – he stalled for a bit so he could choose his next words carefully. Him and Steve had ended- Steve had ended things, but over the last couple of weeks, things had still kind of been happening between the two of them. Bucky still craved Steve- still wanted Steve’s approval, his attention, and despite Steve luring him along like a bunny following a carrot on a string, Bucky’s hope remained in him – it was an itch he couldn’t quite scratch deep inside of his soul.

Tony watched Bucky for a time before his frown deepened, “Or has it not? Ended, I mean.”

Bucky worked his jaw, “It has- it’s over,” he stuttered – it was super convincing.

“Are you... not sure?”

“Not a hundred percent.” Bucky moved, changing his position to sit with his legs stretched out as well. “We had a fight- a big one, and since then things between us haven’t been the same.”

Tony nodded briefly, “So, you said it was after I- I had anything to do with you, but that timeline is- it doesn’t add up. Unless you broke up the literal night of me accidentally texting you-” Bucky’s eyes widened a fraction, but it was enough of an answer for Tony to understand. “Is that why you responded to my texts that way?” Tony wondered, “Were you lonely?”

“Possibly, I don’t know,” Bucky mumbled, shrugging once more, “I honestly don’t know what I was thinking when I did that.”

Tony waited a few beats of silence before asking, “What was the fight about?”

Bucky fidgeted for several moments, before exhaling, “I upset him without meaning to. I said the wrong thing and he- I couldn’t calm him back down after that.” He swallowed and rubbed at the side of his head, remembering back to when Steve had knocked him out. “Since then, his affections have been drawn somewhere else.”

“Somewhere else?” Tony lifted a brow, “Where exactly?”

Bucky’s gaze dropped, “Not sure, just not with me, not really anyways.”

Tony was sure the sergeant knew exactly where Steve’s attention had been drawn to, though he could tell that he either didn’t want to talk about it or he couldn’t, so he treaded lightly with his next words. “I won’t tell him anything,” Tony whispered. “You can trust me.” When Bucky didn’t answer, he asked, “You do trust me, don’t you?”

“It’s complicated,” Bucky muttered as he lifted his eyes back up to him. “A part of me wants to, but the other part...” he faded off.

Stark squinted at him, “You have no issue sleeping with me, but you can’t trust me?”

“Like I said: complicated.” Bucky ran a hand through his hair, “I should probably go, I’m not actually sure why I came in here in the first place.”

Tony snorted, “I’m certain it’s very obvious what you came in here to do.” He ran his fingers over the bruises on his hip almost unconsciously – they felt tender and sore under his touch.

Bucky worried his bottom lip between his teeth, “Yeah-” he chuckled- “I guess so, but I don’t know why I got the sudden urge to.”

“You didn’t have it before?” Tony tilted his head to the side, pulling a face. “I’m a little offended by that.”

“I mean- I wanted to, but then... things changed.”

“Things... changed?” Tony narrowed his eyes at him again, “Things like what?”

Bucky lifted a shoulder, “Different stuff,” he answered vaguely.

Tony stared at him for a moment, “Did Steve say something about me?”

“No.”

“Did he tell you not to trust me?”

“I said, he didn’t-”

“I don’t believe you, Barnes,” Tony cut in angrily. He took a second to calm himself down – it didn’t work. “No wonder you don’t know if it’s over between you two – he’s still got his hooks in you, doesn’t he?”

Bucky stayed silent, fiddling with a stray strand of string poking up from the comforter.

“What happened to you? Did he do something to-”

“He’s different,” Bucky spoke up abruptly. “I know he is- I know that there is something wrong with him, but I don’t know what. I didn’t lie about that part. I have no idea what happened to him to make him act this way, and it scares the fuck outta me because I don’t want to lose my friend. I can’t lose him again, I won’t.”

Tony blinked before reaching out to take Bucky’s fleshed hand in his, “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered. “I’m sorry I pushed; I didn’t mean to pry.”

Bucky scoffed, but didn’t pull away from him, “Yeah, you did. It’s what you’re good at.” He sighed, hanging his head. “There might have been something odd that first night- right after we got back from the mission, but I overlooked it.”

“Something odd?” Tony repeated. “Like what?”

“Steve had a really bad headache, so I went to my room to look for some pain killers,” Bucky started. “And when I came back out into the hallway, Wanda was leaving his room. She told me that she had heard Steve calling out and that she had wanted to help.”

That didn’t sound too strange to Stark, “Well, did she?”

“That’s the thing-” Bucky frowned- “I don’t actually know. When I asked Steve about it, it was like he didn’t even know that she had been in there with him. He had no clue what I was talking about.”

Tony’s expression shifted to match his, “Do you think she did something to him?”

Bucky shrugged for the umpteenth time, “I don’t know. At the time, it made sense that she had helped him, so I didn’t stop to think too much about it, but now...?”

“How would messing with Cap’s mind help Wanda in any way?” Tony furrowed his brows, then exhaled sharply, “Unless...”

“Unless what?” Bucky perked up a bit.

Tony met his eyes with his, “Unless she was covering something up.”

*.*.*

Steve thumbed at the back of Peter’s hand anxiously as Bruce examined the boy – Peter had passed out only a few minutes ago, but since Steve hadn’t been able to wake him up, he’d brought him down to the doctor. Banner’s eyes had dropped several times to watch Steve stroke Peter’s hand, but he had yet to say anything about it, so Steve hadn’t said anything about it either.

Bruce eventually sighed, leaning back in his chair, “Could you go over what happened again, Cap?” He asked before swiveling around to search for something in one of his desk drawers.

Steve frowned, his gaze remaining on Peter, “We were talking and he just collapsed.” He pursed his lips together – it wasn’t like he was about to tell Banner what they’d just finished doing priorly to this, though that had more to do with him and less with the doctor. “I tried to wake him up, but he wouldn’t come to,” Steve went on. “Which is why I brought him down here to you.”

Banner nodded, “Were there any signs before he fainted? Heavy breathing? Headaches? Sweats?”

Steve swallowed hard, “We’d just finished with our training session,” he lied. “It’s hard to say if those symptoms were presenting themselves because he was going to pass out or because of the workout.”

“I thought you two only trained on Thursdays?” Bruce cocked a brow at him, “Unless I’m mistaken?”

“Uh, you’re not, I just- I wanted to go over some stuff we’d missed the last session,” Steve fibbed. “That’s all.”

Bruce still seemed skeptical, his eyes dropping back down to where Steve’s hand was encased around Peter’s, “That’s all?” He repeated, his gaze lifting back up to the blond’s. “If I don’t have all the information, I can’t help him.”

Steve hesitated, trying to think back to what Bucky had said. “I think he’s been overwhelmed the last few weeks,” he started.

“How so?” Bruce raised up the small flashlight he’d been holding and opened both of Peter’s lids, shining the light into his eyes to check the state of his pupils. He nodded a bit as he confirmed they were responsive.

“He’s been stressed,” Steve continued. “Jumpy, he-” Steve cut off as pain flared up in the back of his skull – he clenched his free hand into a fist at his side.

“Is everything okay, Cap?” Bruce asked, appearing concerned.

“Just a headache, I’m fine.” Steve shook his head, “As I was saying, Peter has been-” this jolt was worse than the first and he had to let Peter’s hand go to avoid pulling him off of the chair.

Banner immediately got to his feet to help Steve to his as the blond had fallen off from where he’d been sitting. “Maybe you should go lie down,” the man with the glasses suggested, frowning. “I can give you something for the pain, if you’d like,” he offered.

Steve rubbed at the side of his head, wincing, “Thanks, but pain killers haven’t really been working,” he muttered grudgingly.

“Then what have you been using?” Bruce studied him for a moment, before something seemed to click. “Is this the same pain you were experiencing the other-”

“Banner,” Steve hissed, “You don’t need to worry about me.” He glanced over to Peter, who was still unconscious. “I’ll be back, I- I just need to find Wanda.”

Banner’s frown deepened, but he didn’t go on to ask why Steve would need to find the other teenager, which the older man was thankful for. Banner only nodded, “If you’re worried about leaving Peter alone, I can text Stark to come-”

“No, not-” Steve gritted his teeth together as he staggered to the side – he barely caught himself on the edge of one of the desk’s. “Not Stark.”

“Why not? He’s the boy’s mentor, isn’t he?”

“Just- can you stay with him until I get back?” Steve ran a hand over his hair, smoothing it down.

“I will be here either way as I was going to draw some blood and finish my examination,” Bruce informed him. “I just thought you’d want someone Peter knows better here, you know, in case he woke up while you were gone.” He eyed Steve for a moment, “Do you want me to call someone to help you? I’m sure Wanda will come down here if you-”

“No,” Steve cut in again, shaking his head once more. “I- I’ll find her myself.” In all honesty, Steve felt as if he were going to drop right then and there, but he’d rather not be around anyone else while Wanda helped him – not with what she always asked in return. “I will be back in a bit, okay?” Steve looked to Peter for the last time, “Just make sure he’s alright,” he said before leaving, stumbling out into the hallway.

Bruce watched him go before sliding on latex gloves and getting to work. He drew blood from Peter, two vials, before labeling them and placing them into the container on his desk. He didn’t believe that Steve and Peter had only been talking before this – Steve had been acting too suspicious for that to have been the case. Bruce glanced over at the double doors before getting off of his chair and moving around Peter. He pushed up the boy’s shirt, running his gloved fingers over his torso to check for any kind of bruising. He didn’t find anything on what skin he could actually see – to search more, he would have to remove Peter’s shirt completely.

Bruce considered this for a minute before sitting the boy up and stripping his shirt off over his head. He carefully lay Peter back down before he folded the shirt and hung it over the back of his wheely chair. Bruce adjusted his glasses before continuing his examination, still checking for any signs of a fight.

“What are you doing?” A voice boomed across the room, and Bruce looked over his shoulder to see Sergeant Barnes stalking across the lab towards him. “Get your hands off of him.”

Banner immediately lifted his hands in defense, “I was merely examining him,” he told the other. “Hence the gloves,” he added, wiggling his fingers.

Barnes narrowed his eyes at him before lowering his gaze to the boy, “What’s wrong with him? Is he sick or something?”

Bruce shrugged before dropping his hands back to his sides, “I’m not sure,” he said. “When Steve brought him to me he was unconscious,” he went on. “He hasn’t woken up yet. I drew blood, but it’ll take some time to process it.”

The sergeant looked to him, “Steve brought him down here like this? Did he say what happened?”

Bruce frowned, “Not in so many words, though...” he hesitated.

“Though what?”

“Though I think he was lying,” Bruce replied, seemingly a little unsure. “That’s why I was checking for signs of-” he paused again briefly, before admitting, “I was looking for bruises.”

Barnes’ jaw clenched and his eyes flickered back to the teen, “Steve wouldn’t- he wouldn’t-”

Banner watched him for a moment, before stepping up beside the other man, “Cap has been acting strange these last few weeks,” he mentioned. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he-”

The look Barnes gave him that time cut him off in the midst of his sentence, “I know Steve’s been different, but he wouldn’t have hurt Peter like that. Especially because he threatened me if I even came close to the kid.”

“Why would Steve care so much about him?” Bruce hitched a brow, “Perhaps he was being territorial of Peter, did you ever think about that?”

Bucky glanced at him sharply, “You think Peter has something to do with what’s wrong with Steve?”

Banner stepped away with a shrug, “He threatened me, too, a couple weeks ago. He wanted me to know he was fine, that there was nothing else to it, and if I continued to dig deeper, I would get hurt.” Bruce looked back down at Peter, “So, I backed off, but now I’m wishing I hadn’t – not if Steve did have something to do with this. I’ve made a lot of mistakes in the past; I’d hate to think I caused Peter any misfortune.”

Bucky’s eyes shifted back over to the boy, “You and me both, doc,” he said. “You and me both.”

*.*.*

When Stark got a text from Steve to meet him in the discussion room, he wasn’t really sure what to expect. One thing he was definitely not counting on was Wanda being present and not Steve when he entered the room. Tony rechecked his phone, confirming that Steve had been the one to reach out to him.

“Close the door,” Wanda directed as she rose to her feet and crossed the small space – it was apparent instantly that she had been waiting for him.

Tony frowned but closed the door before he turned back to her – he tucked his phone into his jacket pocket. He adjusted the glasses on his face, pressing down on one side. “What are you doing here, Wanda?”

“I had to borrow Steve’s phone to message you,” Wanda explained. “I didn’t have your number. But don’t worry, I erased the log, so he won’t suspect a thing.”

What else have you erased? Tony thought to himself but kept his face neutral.

“Oh, okay.” He nodded. “So, why did you want to meet?”

Wanda gave him a look, “I told you I’d come to you with any new information, didn’t I? Isn’t that what we agreed on?”

“Right.” Tony forced a smile – he had honestly forgotten about the conversation he’d had with her about finding out info about Steve. “So, what did you find?”

“I don’t know how to tell you this, especially because you have a personal stake in it, but-” Wanda pursed her lips, twisting at her rings- “Steve is involved with Peter.”

Tony’s smile - no matter how forced it had been - dropped instantly. “What?”

Wanda combed her fingers through her red hair, brushing it back from her face. “The other day- Thursday, after they had finished their session, and I was waiting for Steve to leave, which he did, but- he came back and... well, these walls aren’t very thick.”

“What?” Tony’s brain wasn’t giving him anything else to say – he shook himself mentally. “Wait- last Thursday?”

Wanda nodded, “And who knows how many more before that,” she said. “It definitely didn’t sound like it had been the first time between them.” She fidgeted with her rings once more, eyes downcast.

“There’s more, isn’t there?”

Wanda’s gaze lifted to his again, “Peter is down in the lab right now, unconscious.” She frowned, “I watched Steve bring him down from his bedroom right after there’d been more... noises.”

“Is Peter alright?” Tony took a step back, getting closer to the door, planning to go down and check on the teen.

“I’m not sure.” Wanda’s eyes flickered between him and the door briefly, “Last thing I heard was Dr. Banner telling Sergeant Barnes that he was checking for signs of something- like bruising.”

That made up Tony’s mind instantly, “Thank you telling me, Wanda, I- I have to go.” Tony turned around and grabbed the knob, though when he twisted it, the door didn’t open. He frowned and tried again, but it remained shut. Tony glanced back to Wanda, who was closer than she’d been before – he froze on the spot.

Wanda’s eyes glowed red as she crept closer to him, “That door always sticks, remember?”

Tony blinked sluggishly, “It really does and I hate it.”

“Why don’t you tell me what you and Sergeant Barnes spoke about? I’m sure that’ll get the door unstuck, and then you’ll be free to go. You won’t remember this though, just the things about Steve hurting Peter.”

Tony paused for a moment, before shaking his head. “How about you tell me about what you’ve been doing to Steve?”

Wanda halted, her eyes narrowing then fading from red to green. “That’s not possible,” she whispered. “Why aren’t you-”

“Obedient?” Stark smiled widely at her and tapped on the side of his glasses, “I guess you’re not as sneaky as you thought you were.” He rushed her, picking her up and slamming her down against the surface of the large table, luckily pinning one of her arms beneath her smaller form. “What did you do to Cap?” He questioned, one of his hands circling around her throat to keep her in place.

Wanda struggled under his grasp – she swiped out for his glasses, but he caught her wrist with his free hand and pressed it against the table beside her head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Wanda denied, continuing to thrash, her legs kicking under the desk.

“Did you make Steve hurt Peter?” Stark snapped, holding her down.

“No.”

He didn’t believe her in the slightest – he tightened his grip around her throat. “What did you make Steve do to-”

“I tried to!” Wanda exclaimed, gasping for air – her eyes flashed red temporarily before they returned to their normal shade of green. She deflated slightly, “I tried to,” her voice was barely audible now.

Tony furrowed his brows, “Tried to what?” He demanded, not letting up.

Wanda gritted her teeth together, “I tried to make Steve hurt Peter, but he- he wouldn’t, he kept- he deflected it somehow. He’s been taking the anger and tension out on everyone else. Everyone but Peter.”

“Why?” Tony hissed, “Why did you want Steve to hurt Peter?”

“I- I didn’t- I don’t- I couldn’t care less about either of them.” When Wanda’s legs shot out that time, they made contact and Stark staggered backwards at the force of the kick. Wanda sat up on the desk, rubbing at her throat and clearing it.

“Then why?” Tony persisted once he had reclaimed his footing.

Wanda grinned at him nastily, leaning back against the desk nonchalantly. “Don’t you get it, Stark?” She hitched a brow at him, crossing her arms over her chest. “For once in your life, you’re actually right.” She chortled faintly, her lips practically stretching from ear to ear in an unnerving way – she almost looked inhuman.

“What are you talking about?” Tony had half a mind to pin her again, but he stayed where he was – keeping his distance and waiting for her answer.

“This was never about them,” Wanda told him, her eyes glowing red once more. “It was always about you.”

Chapter Text

A Few Months Ago

Peter entered the lab and looked around – to his dismay he didn’t see his mentor. He pulled his phone out from his pocket to check his calendar, confirming that Mr. Stark was the one who was late and not him. Which was weird because he was usually the one that was late to things.

“Are you looking for someone?” A voice asked from behind the teen.

Peter spun around to see Doctor Banner standing there. He had never met him before because most of the Avengers that he had already met had been during the fight in Germany, and Banner hadn’t been a part of that battle. However, Peter did know him through the news, as The Hulk, and Mr. Stark had said that the scientist shared the lab with him sometimes – more often than not recently as they were currently working on a new project alongside each other.

“Uh, hi,” Peter greeted with a smile, somewhat nervous - the man before him had quite the reputation.

“Are you supposed to be down here?” Banner questioned as he stalked across the room towards him hurriedly.

“I- I was looking for Mr. Stark,” Peter stuttered out, his smile faltering. He was unsure as to why the older man seemed upset with him as they had never met before.

“Oh.” Banner paused in his movements and nodded, “You’re the intern he’s been raving about? Some genius kid?” His eyes swept up and over the teenager – he appeared skeptical.

Peter pursed his lips, feeling a little self-conscious – though he also couldn’t get past the part about Mr. Stark calling him a genius. “Yes, I- I am Mr. Stark’s new intern,” he replied. He didn’t get into it being more than that, as the engineer was technically his mentor, or that Peter wanted it to be more than that. He wished that he and Mr. Stark would grow to be friends at some point, but maybe that was just wistful thinking on his part.

Banner nodded once more before closing the rest of the distance between them and holding out his hand, “Sorry about before, we’ve had break-ins in the past-” he offered the teenager a smile of his own- “it’s nice to meet you...?”

“Oh, Peter,” Peter spoke out when he realized that the other was searching for a name. He shook the scientist’s hand eagerly, “It’s so great to meet you, Doctor Banner.”

“So, is Tony late or are you early?” Bruce asked, taking his hand back. He shuffled away, making his way over to one of the desks around them.

“Uh, he’s late,” Peter replied, rubbing at the back of his neck. “Unless I put it in my calendar wrong, which is completely understandable because I was so excited to come and work for him. Though if I did put it down right and he is the one who is late, that means maybe he’s not as eager to work with me as I am to work with him and then that opens up a whole other can of-”

“Peter?” Banner cut in firmly, peering at the boy over the rims of his glasses.

Peter clamped his mouth shut, realizing that he’d been babbling – he blushed, his face heating up, the tips of his ears reddening. “Sorry, I’m not good with first impressions,” he apologized. “It’s also a little intimidating to be around people who have saved the world a few times,” he admitted.

Bruce chuckled dryly, shaking his head, “That’s fair, I guess. Though I’ve definitely done more destruction than anything else.”

Peter frowned, “I’m sure that’s not true.”

“It is what it is, kid.” Bruce shrugged before settling down in the wheelie chair behind himself, “You can make yourself comfortable, I’m certain Stark will be around shortly.”

“Oh, okay,” Peter agreed. He glanced around, weighing his sitting options before settling down on the side of a wobbly, wooden chair and clasping his hands together in his lap. It was an odd piece of furniture, seeing as everything else in the lab was seemingly of a higher caliber. Though, it was comfy enough, so Peter didn’t think too much about it. “Also-” Peter cleared his throat- “if you wouldn’t mind, Doctor Banner, could you not call me kid?”

Banner swivelled around to look at the teen, “How old are you?”

“I’m 16,” Peter answered. “But I don’t like being called a kid.”

“Why?”

“Because most ‘kids’ my age aren’t out doing the things I’ve been doing,” Peter explained. “None of them can do the things I can.”

Bruce studied Peter for a long moment before nodding, “Alright, I’ll stick with Peter then.”

“Thank you, Doctor.” Peter beamed at him.

“Bruce is fine.” Banner returned his smile with one of his own, “If we’re going to be on a first name basis, it only makes sense if it goes both ways.”

Peter nodded, “Okay, thank you, Bruce.”

“Good, you two have met,” Stark announced as he swept into the room.

Captain America followed in after him, his arms occupied with a few boxes of what looked like some kind of equipment. He set the packages down on the desk next to Peter, not acknowledging the teen in the least.

Tony grinned, placing his hands on his hips and letting out a sigh of relief. “Jeez, those looked like they were heavy, anyways-” he gestured at the boxes- “I got what you asked for, Doc.”

“Thank you, Tony,” Banner said, turning away from Peter. “And thank you, Cap, for bringing everything in.”

Steve smiled at him, “No worries, happy to help with whatever will help the team.”

“Hi, I’m Peter- Peter Parker,” Peter introduced himself to the blond as he rose to his feet.

Steve’s eyes flickered to the teenager, and he held out a hand, which Peter shook, “Nice to meet you,” he greeted.

“Oh?” Peter made a face, glancing towards his mentor briefly before his gaze settled back on the captain. “We’ve met before,” he said. “In- in Germany.” He was almost second-guessing himself, even though he knew his words to be true.

Steve cocked a brow at him, “Wait, you’re Spiderman, right?” His eyes traveled up and down Peter before they shifted over to Tony. “He’s very young, Stark.”

Peter shrunk back a little, feeling self-conscious again.

Despite the captain’s tone, Tony nodded, appearing really prideful. “But very bright, which is why he’s my new intern.” He beamed at the older man, “You’re not the one paying him, so it shouldn’t matter,” he added in a hushed voice.

Peter blinked – he hadn’t known this was a paid position, he thought he’d signed on to join their team. However, he decided to chat about that with Mr. Stark later.

“Still, I don’t feel-”

Tony cut Steve off, “Nonsense, Cap,” he stated, a bit sharp. “He’s a hard worker and he will be helping us with the device.”

The two of them stared at one another for a long time, neither one backing down.

Eventually, Banner cleared his throat, “Once again, thank you for the supplies, captain, but I think we’ve got it from here. We still have a lot of work to do, so, if you don’t mind...?”

Stark’s smile seemed to widen even further, if that was possible, while Steve didn’t look amused or finished in the least, but he did nod. Eventually.

“Fine,” Steve uttered. “But no missions until he’s gone through proper training.”

“I will gladly set that-”

Steve interrupted Tony that time, “I will train him,” he stated. Steve looked back to Peter, “Every Thursday evening,” he went on. “I’m sure Stark can show you where the room is.”

“Understood, sir,” Peter agreed with a small nod.

“Nice to meet you… again, Peter,” Steve told him before leaving the room, the double doors swinging shut behind him.

Peter let out a breath of air that he hadn’t known he’d been holding and visibly relaxed – he focused back on the other two men. “So, what are we working on first?”

Stark kept going back and forth between his own personal lab and the one in the basement where Banner had set up his things – Peter was a bit confused as to why they had two labs because it seemed a little inconvenient, especially when they were team-working on a project like this.

“You see, the device, it was originally meant for me,” Stark was explaining to Peter, on one of his many visits back in the larger lab. “But I figured out how to equip my own version of it into my regular suit.”

“So, this one is for...?” Peter faded off, uncertain.

“It’s for Rogers,” Tony told him.

Peter frowned, “Why would he need something like this? Isn’t he all super soldier-like?”

Bruce chuckled softly, “That’s what I said, but Stark refuses to believe that this device could be better than the one he built for himself.” His eyes flickered to the man with the moustache, “Even though this was something that we were supposed to be working on together.”

Stark made a face at him, before focusing back on Peter, “The point is-” he pointed at a section on the blueprints he’d laid out for Peter- “we need to change the design of it to fit Cap as he’s freakishly large.”

“You’re just scrawny,” Banner half-muttered - though it was clear that he wanted to be heard by the engineer.

Stark ignored him, “When I recruited you, there were drawings you’d made of your onesie-”

“It wasn’t a onesie,” Peter inputted defensively, but his mentor continued on as if he hadn’t spoken.

“-I want you to study the prototype and draw it out for us, line up the correct measurements and everything.”

Peter pursed his lips together, “Won’t I need to measure Cap for that?”

“Right.” Tony rubbed at his beard, “I forgot about that part. For now, why don’t you start on the design, and I’ll go see if I can find Rogers.” He clamped a hand down on Peter’s shoulder, “You got this, kid.”

Peter flinched at the word ‘kid’ but Tony didn’t seem to notice – Banner did, though the scientist didn’t speak up until Tony had left.

“Have you asked Tony not to call you kid?”

“Uh…” Peter shrugged, “Yeah, I have. I’m sure I have multiple times in the past… I don’t know if he keeps forgetting because of how young I am, plus ‘the baby face’, as my Aunt May likes to say, or if he just doesn’t care enough to remember,” he finished, frowning slightly.

Banner got to his feet and shuffled over to the teen, “I’m sure he just forgets,” he insisted. “He’s pretty busy. I’d be terrified to see what’s inside his brain,” he joked.

Peter’s face broke out into a smile, “You’re probably right.” He shoved his hands into his pockets, “Thanks, Doctor Banner.”

Banner returned the smile before touching the side of Peter’s arm, “Happy to help, and it’s Bruce, remember?” He dropped his hand back to his side, “Do you have everything you need to work on the design?”

Peter glanced over the multitudes of pencils, erasers, rulers and papers in front of him, before nodding. “I think I have more than enough, thanks.”

“If you have any questions, I’m right over there.” Banner then went back over to his own desk, settling down behind it once more.

Tony didn’t return until several hours later – the sun had already begun to set and Peter was still working away while keeping an eye on the time, knowing that May wanted him home for dinner. Peter was just about to get ready to tell Banner that he would have to leave soon, when his mentor swept back into the room.

Stark moved over to Peter, leaning over his shoulders as he carefully examined the designs – he wanted to be up close and personal.

Banner glanced over at them when the engineer did that, narrowing his eyes at how close Tony’s body was to Peter’s.

Tony placed his hands down on the desk, caging Peter in, to lean forward to look over the sketches the teenager had made. He whistled lowly under his breath, the warm air sending a wave of goosebumps over the back of Peter’s neck.

“Looks great, kid,” Stark acknowledged with a grin. “Banner, do you want to come look over these?”

“I’m sure they’re spectacular,” Bruce muttered distractedly without turning around in his chair to glance back over at them. He was quite focused on what he was working on and assumed that Stark had chosen a prized pupil – he knew that he wouldn’t have settled for any less.

“Bruce, just-” Tony gestured with his hands, even though the scientist wasn’t facing his way- “the kid spent a great deal of time on these, the least you could do is look at them.”

Bruce sighed and swivelled in his chair before rising to his feet. He shuffled over and Stark stepped back out of his way. Bruce didn’t lean over Peter like Tony had though, he didn’t feel like that would have been appropriate. He barely felt like it had been appropriate when Tony had done it. Instead, Bruce leaned in from the side to look over the designs for the device that Peter had sketched out.

After a while of silence, Peter cleared his throat anxiously, “They’re pretty rough but I can redo them if they’re not-”

“Nonsense,” Stark cut in. “What’s the verdict, Doc?”

Bruce was astounded – he hadn’t known- hadn’t had the slightest clue that Peter was capable of such artistry. He picked up one of the sketches, to look over it closer, marvelling over the teenager’s work.

“They’re phenomenal,” he breathed out, before his eyes flickered down to Peter. “Did you really draw this?”

“Did you see anyone else come in?” Stark snorted, shaking his head. “Steve left with Barnes earlier apparently, so we will have to wait to get his measurements.”

“Or you could use the device as we had initially intended,” Banner inputted.

Tony ignored him completely, “Great job today, kid,” he praised, clamping a hand down on Peter’s shoulder. “Do you need a ride home? It’s getting late.”

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about that, I’m sure you’re busy still.” Peter shook his head, “I’m fine swinging back.”

“I was going to ask Banner to escort you home, but alright.” Stark nodded and left without another word.

“Are you sure you don’t need a lift home?” Bruce wondered, his focus settling back on the boy. “I have to go out to pick up some supplies anyways.”

“Oh, uh, I guess if you’re going out in the first place.” Peter paused, thinking, then smiled. “Sure, we just need to leave soon, if that’s alright? My aunt is probably waiting for me to have dinner and I don’t want to make her wait too long.”

“Give me 10 minutes?”

“Yeah, I’ll just pack up all this stuff,” Peter agreed, before he began cleaning up the space he’d been working at.

Bruce watched him work for a moment before he sat back down at his own desk. He tinkered away for several more minutes before he began packing up his things as well. Then he and Peter made their way down to the underground parking garage.

“Cool bike,” Peter mentioned, eyeing the motorcycle as they passed by it.

“Yeah, it’s Cap’s,” Bruce told him. “Though I hope you’re not thinking about ever riding one – those things are death traps.”

“Yeah, my aunt would never in a million years let me ride one, let alone get one.” Peter chuckled softly, rubbing at the back of his neck.

Bruce pulled his keys out from his pocket and clicked them, the lights on a green Subaru flashed.

“Nice colour,” Peter complimented with a smile – it strangely reminded him of something he couldn’t place in that moment.

“Stark bought it for me,” Bruce said. “He thinks he’s funny.”

“Huh?” Peter raised a brow, before it clicked. “Oh, because you turn green?”

“Yep.” Bruce rolled his eyes as he slid into the drivers’ seat. He waited until Peter was buckled in before turning on the engine and beginning to drive to the exit. “So, are you excited for the internship?”

“Yeah,” Peter replied with a nod. “Though if I’m being honest, I thought Mr. Stark was using that as a cover for my aunt- I thought he was finally recruiting me to join your team.” Peter glanced out the window, watching the other cars past by them - he only then realized how slow they were going. “What is the speed limit here?” Peter looked back to Banner.

“You never gave me your address, Peter, I have no idea where we are going and didn’t want to speed past your home,” Bruce answered, keeping his eyes on the road ahead.

“Oh.” Peter blushed, “Right, sorry.” He gave him his address and the driving noticeably sped up. “I completely forgot about that,” Peter confessed after a while. “I guess I’m used to Mr. Stark driving me back to my apartment,” he added, sounding sheepish.

“It’s no problem, Peter, I would have eventually asked you.” Bruce stopped talking to focus on driving. They drove in silence until Bruce pulled up in front of Peter’s apartment building – he turned in his seat to face the boy. “In fact, I will probably be driving you home from now on. Tony hasn’t really been leaving the building lately and most of my work on the device is finished.”

“Oh, okay.” Peter nodded, “I guess I’ll be seeing a lot more of you then.” He smiled as he unbuckled himself, “Thanks for the ride, Doctor Ban- Bruce, I really appreciate it.”

“Anytime,” Bruce told him, smiling as well. “See you around, Peter,” he said as the boy got out of the car.

Peter slung his backpack over his shoulder and waved at Bruce as he pulled away from the curb before heading up to the apartment he shared with his aunt.

When Peter came back down to the lab a few days later, he was searching for Mr. Stark again. This time, though, he had arrived out of his own accord – he hadn’t been called in by his mentor. So, he wasn’t that surprised to not find him there, just a little disappointed. As Peter was turning to leave, Dr. Banner entered the lab – he came to a stop upon seeing the boy.

“Oh, Peter,” Banner said, blinking. “I didn’t know that you were coming by today.”

Peter rubbed at his arms, seemingly a bit out of place. “Uh, actually neither did I,” he confessed. “Mr. Stark isn’t expecting me, but I didn’t have anything else to do and I figured I’d come by to see how you were progressing on the device. Plus, I also have my training session with Steve in a couple of hours.”

“Oh.” Banner nodded and moved around him. “Stark isn’t here.”

“Yeah.” Peter chuckled, rubbing at the back of his neck, “Yeah, I can see that.”

“No, I mean-” Banner leaned back against his desk, perching on the side of it- “he’s not in the building today. He won’t be back for a couple of days,” the scientist elaborated.

Peter frowned upon hearing the words – he thought them odd as Bruce had told him pretty recently that Mr. Stark hadn’t been leaving the building much these days.

“Where did he go?” Peter asked, a little nosy. Had Banner intentionally lied to him a few days ago? Why would he? It didn’t make any sense.

“He was called out somewhere – it was very spur of the moment,” Bruce explained. “He only left a note saying that he’d be back on Tuesday.” He held up a bright blue sticky note, showing the evidence.

“Oh.” Peter nodded. So, Banner hadn’t lied to him, Mr. Stark’s departure hadn’t been planned, the scientist wouldn’t have known. “Okay, uh…” Peter faded off, shoving his hands into his pockets, and glancing around as if he didn’t know what to do with himself. “I guess I’ll just…”

“Did you want to see the device?” Banner piped up, “Stark and I fixed it up to match your designs.”

“Oh,” Peter repeated. “Yeah, sure, unless you’re too busy.” His eyes shifted to the desk behind the older man, the one that Banner had seemingly been working at before. There were several beakers and flasks of liquid, alongside a notebook with lines of highlighted text in the centre of everything. “I’m sorry for interrupting you,” Peter added.

“You didn’t, I was just- just messing around, really,” Bruce informed him with a shrug. “I can’t do much until Stark gets back.”

“Oh, okay, then yes-” Peter nodded- “I’d like to see the device.”

Bruce smiled before rising to his feet and shuffling over to a different desk. He opened the large briefcase that was sitting on its surface and gestured for Peter to come closer.

The teenager walked over – he laid his eyes on the device, his breath catching in his throat. “Wow,” Peter breathed out. “It- it looks amazing.”

Bruce‘s gaze shifted from the device to the boy, “Because of you,” he uttered.

Peter shrugged, nonchalant, “All I did was redraw some things – you two are the ones that really brought it to life.”

Bruce clamped a hand down on his shoulder, “You’re too modest, Peter. You ought to give yourself some credit-” he squeezed him lightly- “especially when credit is due.”

Peter turned to him slightly, grinning up at the older man, “I’m really happy you two like it,” he admitted. “I was honestly so nervous that you wouldn’t.”

“You’ve got great skills, Peter.” Bruce reached down with his free hand and brought one of Peter’s up in between them. “Hard-working is one thing, but knowing what to do- how to do things, how to work with what you have- that will always be better. Quality over quantity.” Bruce’s eyelids lowered slightly, shielding the expression shift in them as he looked over Peter’s hand, his thumb brushing over the skin absentmindedly. “Being good with your hands is definitely not a skill everyone has,” Bruce murmured, almost like an afterthought. He wet his dry lips with his tongue as his eyes lifted back up to the boy’s.

Peter nodded, agreeing, though something twisted sharply in his gut, throwing him off balance. He wasn’t sure what it was. Bruce hadn’t said or done anything bad to him – he was just being nice and-

Close, Peter realized. Banner had gotten closer to him. Banner was touching him with both hands – one on his shoulder and the other wrapped around Peter‘s palm, they were basically holding hands. The scientist was close, too close. It was strangely intimate standing this close. Peter could feel the heat radiating off of Bruce’s body- and something else – a different kind of heat, that wasn’t-

“Could you help me with another project that I have started working on to pass the time?” Bruce asked suddenly, jerking Peter back to reality. The older man let the boy go and went back over to the desk he had been working at priorly.

Peter had to give himself a sharp shake before clearing his throat.  “Uh, yeah, yeah for sure.” He still felt a little uneasy, unbalanced.

What the hell had that been? Peter honestly didn’t know.

Wanda was admittedly a little drunk. Stark was throwing some elaborate celebration party upstairs, on a Tuesday, no less, that she had no idea what was about, and she’d snagged a bottle of some kind of liquor that burned her throat each gulp she took. After a while though, the harshness had mellowed out and she’d found herself wandering around the rest of the building in a sort of trancelike state. She had somehow made it down to the main lab, the second last level, the one right over the underground parking garage. She was hoping to be alone and had remembered that there was a couch down here - maybe she could sleep some of the alcohol off without being caught by an adult as she was underaged.

Wanda came to a stumbling stop as she spotted Banner near the back of the lab – she was just in the middle of turning away, when he scrambled to his feet, having been crouched over the couch she had been hoping to lie down on.

“Sorry,” Wanda apologized, hiccuping. She glanced down at the bottle of liquor in her hand as Banner did, “Uh, I- I found this disregarded out in the hall and figured I should bring it to a trusted adult,” she lied quickly.

Bruce looked back up to her face, no doubt clocking her inebriation, though as she stared back at him, she realized he was also in fact drunk. “You should go back to the party, Wanda,” he told her, sounding breathless.

”Look, I know I’m a little tipsy, but please don’t make me go back up there. Stark has already ruined enough of my life, I don’t need him to-“ Wanda cut off. As she had been speaking, her eyes had been wandering around the rest of the room, and they had found that the scientist wasn’t alone down here.

Peter was sprawled out on the couch, shirtless, and seemingly unconscious.

Banner shifted very slightly to the side, a failed attempt to block her view of the other teenager, but Wanda had already seen him. She’d already seen the dark marks on Peter’s neck and chest. She had seen the teeth marks and tracks of saliva on his skin, glistening under the white lights of the lab.

“This- this isn’t what it looks like,” Bruce blurted, though Wanda wasn’t sure what else it could have looked like.

“Were you just…” she faded off, unable to form proper words – the alcohol in her system wasn’t giving her any assistance. “Is he- did you drug him?”

“No!” Banner exclaimed, shaking his head quickly, “No, I- I didn’t, we were just having a few drinks and he passed out.”

“He… passed out?” Wanda glanced back over at Peter, visibly skeptical. “Was that before or after his shirt was removed?”

Bruce swallowed hard – although she had appeared intoxicated, it was clear that he wasn’t going to be able to talk himself out of this.

“This is-“ then suddenly Wanda’s face changed, and she was smiling at him.

Banner furrowed his brows in confusion – he didn’t understand why she was looking at him like that.

“This is perfect,” Wanda finally finished, crossing the room to get closer to him. “This will ruin Stark.”

“What?” Bruce pursed his lips together, shaking his head once more. “Are you going to tell him?”

Wanda shook her head as well, “No, not now, not yet.”

Banner narrowed his eyes at her, “Not yet?” He repeated uncertainly.

Wanda looked from him to Peter and then back again, “I know you and I got off on the wrong foot, our relationship started badly and that was my fault, but I only did what I did because of Stark, he is at the core of all of this.” Her eyes gleamed brightly, her smile stretching out wider. “I think we might have more in common than we know.”

“I’m not- I didn’t do this because I hate Stark,” Bruce stammered, finally glancing back to Peter. He unconsciously licked his lips - he could still taste the boy on them. “I just think Peter deserves better than him,” he spoke out, barely above a whisper.

“Well, maybe you’d like to rethink that,” Wanda, though drunk, knew exactly what she was doing. “Maybe you’d reconsider hating him if it meant that he wouldn’t ever find out about this.”

Banner turned to her, tearing his eyes away from the unconscious teenager on the couch. “You just said-“

“I want Stark gone,” Wanda hissed, cutting in. “You may not be there yet, but I’m sure you’ll get there.” Wanda’s gaze shifted back over to Peter, “And I could help you.”

“Help me?” Bruce squinted at her once more, “How?”

“You’re still testing the device, right?”

“What does that have to do with anything?”

Wanda smiled slowly, “Trust me, it will have to do with everything.”

The second Sergeant Barnes disappeared into his, Wanda leapt out from her hiding spot and made a beeline to Steve’s room. She moved soundlessly across the floor, though it didn’t matter as Steve’s hearing was better than most.

“Wanda?” Steve blinked at her slowly, his fingers still pressed to the sides of his head. “What are you doing here?”

“Shh,” Wanda shushed him as she crawled onto the bed beside him. “It’s okay,” she whispered as she slid into his lap.

Steve went to move her, as this was highly inappropriate, but his hands were seized by red mist and held down at his sides.

“What- what are you doing?”

“It’s okay,” Wanda repeated soothingly as she brought her fingers up to his temples where his had just been, knowing she didn’t have much time. Her eyes glowed red and he struggled against her magic to no avail. “It’s all going to be okay,” she spoke out in a muted voice as she pressed her mouth to his.

Banner was furious. All that planning, strategizing, waiting- oh, so patiently waiting and it had all been for nothing. Stark had been supposed to try the device one last time, he had been supposed to test it before going out on the mission and he hadn’t- and now-

Bruce whipped a box of file folders at the double doors to the lab as they creaked open – they immediately swung shut again.

-and now, Steve had gotten caught in the crossfire. If Steve caught wind of what Bruce had been planning- of what he’d been conspiring to do- it was over. Everything would come crashing down and there wasn’t anything Banner would be able to do to stop it.

He knew he needed to stop trashing the lab and get his head on right, but the anger that coursed through his veins just kept flowing. He picked up a wheelie chair and tossed it at a group of cabinets, it clattered violently against them on impact. The next thing in his path was the wobbly brown chair that Peter usually sat in - he went around it, didn’t touch it. He swept a grey lamp off another desk, relishing in the shattering of glass. Bruce had just picked up a textbook when the doors to the room opened up again – he threw the book at whoever entered, not seeing who it was through his haze of anger.

Tony cut off in his question, ducking out of the way to avoid the textbook. He didn’t look amused in the least, “Okay, you need to use your words here, so I can understand what’s going on.”

Bruce glared at the engineer.

It should have been you, he thought, not Cap, you should have been-

“Just leave me alone, Stark,” he snarled out through his teeth.

Tony talked on, pointing out that he would have loved to have left him there to destroy the remainder of the lab, but that some of the equipment in here was rather expensive. He then shrugged, finishing off by saying that he couldn’t leave the scientist like this.

Banner squinted at him, trying to think through the anger enough to reply – though his words came out with the same bite they’d had before. “Right, you care more about your things than your friends, I almost forgot.” He couldn’t believe that Stark was actively showing him how much of an ass he was - Bruce wished he was dead. That had been the plan, after all.

Tony was speaking again, but Banner only caught the last bit, “…but obviously that was the wrong way to say things.”

Bruce wanted to laugh – he didn’t. “Do you ever say stuff the right way?”

“Ouch.” Tony’s laugh was faint, “You’re really upset, so, I’m going to let that slide.”

How noble of you, Bruce thought distastefully.

Tony continued on, “By the way, pray tell, what’s got you all angry again?”

Bruce sighed exaggeratedly and pinched his fingers at the bridge of his nose, his eyes sliding closed. None of this would even be happening if Stark hadn’t been so damn stubborn. All he had had to do was test the device one last time, that was the way things had been supposed to go.

“We should have tested the device one more time before going out on a mission,” he muttered after some thought.

Then you’d be dead and Cap would be alright and I wouldn’t have to be worrying about him telling someone what happened.

“Oh.” Tony moved farther into the room, closing some of the gap between them. He sat down on the side of one of the desks that Banner hadn’t flipped over, making himself comfortable. “That.”

“I’m just… not sure what would have caused it to malfunction,” Bruce lied, frowning to portray frustration. Though he wasn’t frustrated about the device imploding, he’d rigged it so it would. However, it had detonated on the wrong person. “We tested it so many times,” he went on in his lies. “It should have worked.”

It should have been you.

Tony placed his hands in his lap, interlocking his fingers, “Sometimes shit just happens,” he spoke out, too casual.

Banner hated him. He glared at Stark again before averting his gaze, trying to keep his anger at bay. For the time being, no one, except Wanda, knew what had really happened. Maybe Steve, but the blond had yet to confront Banner. “Yeah, just not the way you want it to,” Bruce murmured.

“Though, it is kind of lucky that it was Rogers,” Tony mentioned, still overly nonchalant.

Banner glanced at him sideways – his tone was making his blood boil. “How is that?” He wondered.

Tony pulled a face, his nose scrunching up. “I’m not saying that I wanted that to happen to him, I just- I mean, what if it had been one of us?” He combed his fingers through his hair, smoothing it down, “I’m not sure about you, but that device definitely would have killed me. Especially if we had tested it one more time as I was the one wearing it during our trials.”

The scientist almost laughed again.

That was the point of all this, he wanted to yell. You were supposed to test it one last time, you were supposed to die.

Bruce blinked, realizing that he’d been staring at the engineer for a time. He forced himself to nod, his expression unchanging. “You got lucky, I guess.”

More than lucky, Bruce thought bitterly as he glanced around the carnage he’d created.

“I’ll clean this up.”

“Hopefully you didn’t break anything too expensive,” Tony half-muttered, then paled, and blurted out, “I- it wouldn’t really matter. I can probably get everything in here replaced, anyways.” He shrugged. “As long as you get it all picked up before Peter gets here, it should be alright.”

Banner brightened, his heart skipping a beat, but he kept his face neutral, “Peter’s coming today?” He asked as calmly and inconspicuously as he could muster. He went to the closet to grab the things he’d need to clean up, a broom and a dustpan. Bruce swallowed thickly, trying to steady his hammering heartbeat. “Wasn’t he just here?”

“Yeah, he’s my intern, he’s usually here, that’s how it works.” Tony gave him an odd look, “You know that. You’ve been down here in the lab with us most days.”

“I’ve been down here with you, working with you,” Bruce inputted. “I barely speak with Peter.” It was a lie, but a believable one because he didn’t speak to Peter when Stark was present. The truth was Bruce had seen Peter a lot these past few weeks – he had seen a lot of him- he knew what he tasted like. He could practically taste him now.

“Maybe you could try to get to know him better, because-” Tony sighed- “today is different, it’s moving day. Poor kid just lost his aunt. So, I’ve decided to take him in.” He looked over at the other, “Did I not mention that?”

Bruce hoped the falter in his movements wasn’t as noticeable as he feared it to be.

Here? Peter is going to be living here? With us? With me? How was he supposed to control himself with Peter being around even more than he already was?

Out loud, he spoke gruffly, “No, you didn’t.” Bruce began to sweep in front of the file cabinets, cleaning up glass and papers from when he’d pulled some of the drawers out.

“Well, you’ve worked beside him before, it shouldn’t be too odd if he starts hanging out around here more.” Tony smiled a bit, “I think you two will get along.”

Oh, Bruce thought, lowering his face to the floor as he swept up the aftermath of his outburst into the dustpan – a smile ghosted over his lips, we do get along. More than you’ll ever know.

“Is it a… permanent thing?” Bruce wondered as he straightened and dumped the contents from the pan into the garbage.

Tony shrugged again, “For now.” He said more, but all Banner heard was the confirmation. Tony paused, fidgeting for a second, “I didn’t want him to be alone,” he added. “I wasn’t exactly as young as he was when I lost my parents, but I feel like I know what he’s going through. I feel like I can help him cope with all of this, you know?”

Banner nodded understandingly, having actually listened to the other properly that time. “Guess you do have a heart after all,” he teased, going for lighthearted. Though he was sure when Tony found out about what Bruce had been doing, it would feel as though he’d ripped out his heart. Bruce was going to take great pleasure in witnessing that when the day finally came.

“Hardy har,” Tony laughed sarcastically. “I’m glad you’re feeling better by dragging me down.”

“Sorry, it’s instinctive at this point, but seriously, Tony, thanks for talking me down.” Bruce offered him a smile. In truth, Tony hadn’t really done anything except deliver the great news that Peter was going to be more accessible to him now.

Tony smiled back at him like an idiot, completely oblivious to what was going through the other’s mind. “Glad to help.” Tony shuffled over to him and clamped a hand down on his shoulder, “We are partners, after all.” He squeezed before stepping away and going back over to the stuff he’d brought into the room with him.

Bruce turned away, his smile dropping. He excused himself a bit later to use the washroom, but in truth he was off to locate his real partner.

It was a couple days after Peter had moved in and he was in his new room unpacking his things when he realized he hadn’t brought any tools with him to set up his shelf. He knew that Mr. Stark would have probably bought and built him a new one, but he didn’t want to put him out even more than he already was. Though that didn’t mean that he couldn’t borrow some tools from him. Peter ventured out of his room and rode the elevator down to the main level where the kitchen, living room and den were. He was searching for his mentor, but after a few minutes of not finding anyone at all, he would have settled for any one of The Avengers. Maybe there had been a mission they’d be called out on or something, because the kitchen was empty, there was no one enjoying a late dinner in the dining room and there wasn’t any noises of video games in the living room. Peter’s last stop, and last hope, was the den. When he got there, the doors were partially closed and he took that as a good sign. He hoped that meant that someone was in there. Peter slid open the doors and stepped inside, his eyes flickering around the room.

Bruce was sitting in one of the recliners in the corner, a book propped up in his lap, his glasses low on his nose as he read. He glanced up as the boy entered, lifting a brow at him. “You’re up late,” he commented.

Peter frowned. How late was it? He reached into his pants and pulled out his phone before reading the time. It was past midnight – no wonder the tower was such a ghost town.

“I must have been so focused on unpacking that I lost track of time,” he admitted sheepishly as he shoved his phone back into his pocket.

“How is that going?” Bruce inquired as he slid a blue bookmark in between the pages and closed the book. He set it on the armrest next to him, “Are you settling in nicely?”

“Yeah, I am.” Peter smiled, moving further into the room. “I was actually looking for Mr. Stark, I wanted to put up a shelf in my room, but I forgot to bring the proper tools with me. I just assumed he’d have some that I could borrow, but I can’t seem to find him, or anyone else, for that matter.”

“Hm.” Bruce nodded, “He was actually in here a few minutes ago, he just left to use the bathroom, but I’m sure he’ll be back soon.”

“Oh, okay, uh…” Peter was unsure of why he hadn’t seen his mentor in the hallway if that had been the case. Nonetheless, he went to perch on the side of the couch opposite the doctor to wait.

“Would you mind shutting the door, Peter? I had it closed for a reason,” Bruce said. “There’s an awful draft out there.” It was a lie. All of it was a lie. Stark hadn’t been in here, he wasn’t coming back – he was most likely asleep like everyone else currently in the tower. Bruce just wanted Peter to stay with him, he wanted be alone with him.

“Uh, sure.” Peter moved back over to the door and shut it, though he knew it hadn’t been closed all the way before.

“I was just finishing up my chapter,” Bruce told Peter as the boy sat back down on the other couch. “Would you like to watch something while you wait for Tony?” He offered Peter the converter and the teenager accepted it.

“What do you like to watch?” Peter wondered as he faced the TV, clicking the power button on the remote. He was completely oblivious to the way the scientist’s eyes travelled up and down his body, appreciating the view.

“It’s your choice,” Bruce breathed out, a little distracted as his eyes trailed over Peter’s backside. He hadn’t been expecting Peter to come down- to come to him- but he had been prepared, just in case. He picked up his bag from the floor and rummaged through it for a moment before pulling out a bottle of water that was modified specifically for the boy. “Here, you look thirsty,” he said, holding the beverage out. “I think you must have worked yourself too hard with all that unpacking,” he added, friendly.

Peter turned back to him and took the bottle before unscrewing the cap. He took a few long gulps, swallowing hard, before pausing. He licked his lips slowly – it didn’t taste like water, but he couldn’t place the flavour. “What is- is in thisss…” Peter blinked sluggishly, his body going numb as he flopped back against the cushions behind himself. “I don’t- I should go to bed, I- thin-k…”

“Peter?” Bruce got to his feet and stalked over, looking over him. “Is everything alright?”  He questioned with false concern.

Peter tried to swallow again, but his throat was too dry now and it hurt too much.

The bottle of water dropped from his hand and Bruce caught it before capping it. “It’s okay,” Bruce soothed.

“I, uh- I think I need to…” Peter’s head lulled back, his eyes sliding shut.

“Too strong,” Bruce muttered under his breath, although he doubted that the boy was able to still hear him. “Lighten the dose, mellow the flavour,” he scribbled it down in his notebook before crossing the room to lock the door. When Bruce came back over, Peter had fallen onto his side, his chest rising and falling fast. Banner bit his lip as he leaned in, grabbing at the boy’s waist where his shirt had ridden up and flipping him over hastily. Bruce pitched his hips forwards, grinding up against Peter’s covered ass with a groan. He pushed his shirt up further, smoothing a calloused hand over the boy’s soft skin. He wanted to go further, but knew he couldn’t, not right now – not when he knew some of the others were out on mission and would find it suspicious if they came here to find the door locked.

This had only been about testing the drug anyways - Bruce hadn’t set out to fuck Peter, not tonight, not yet.

Wanda hurried down the hallway, the doors to the training room swinging fast due to her speedy escape. Had Peter seen what she’d been doing? Had he believed her when she’d lied about helping the captain? She didn’t know, but she did know that she’d had to get out of there. The seeds were planted, all she had to do was wait.

When Peter got down to the lab he was thankful that Mr. Stark hadn’t decked out his work space with childish things, though he was surprised to see that the older man wasn’t still down in the lab. He was about to text him when he spotted a bright blue sticky note attached to the side of his laptop. He peeled it off, reading it.

‘Meet me in your room, gotta talk to you about something. -T’

Peter didn’t think too much about it and ventured out of the lab before making his way to the elevator. His mind was still buzzing from what had happened between him and Steve in the training room.

What the hell had that even been? He thought to himself. He had known he’d been holding a torch for Steve for a while now, but he’d never thought- he hadn’t even imagined that-

Peter bit his lip, worrying at it between his teeth as he called the lift. Maybe going to see Mr. Stark right now wasn’t such a good idea, maybe he needed to take a cold shower first. He uncapped the water bottle that Banner had given him before taking another swig, swallowing hard. Now that he didn’t have Steve around to distract him, he noted that the water tasted odd. A bit stale? Maybe. He took another sip, trying to place the flavour. However, he forgot all about it when the doors to the elevator opened to reveal Sergeant Barnes standing there.

Peter froze, also forgetting why he had called the lift in the first place.

Bucky cocked a brow at him, “Going up?” He wondered when the teenager made no move to get into the elevator.

“Yeah, uh, right,” Peter mumbled as he slid onto the platform beside him. He went to tap the button that would bring him to his floor, only to pause and realize that it was already illuminated. Peter sighed and leaned back against the railing, keeping his eyes down.

“You alright, kid?” Bucky asked after a couple of floors.

Peter flinched at the ‘k’ word but didn’t mention anything about it. “I’m fine, just tired from the training session.”

“It’s only 7:21,” Bucky stated, as if that was supposed to mean something.

“And?” Peter gripped at the railing behind him, trying to ground himself. The long-haired man had never been this chatty with him in the past, he didn’t understand why he was getting the third degree.

“Don’t you two usually start at 7?” Bucky gave Peter a once over. “Isn’t it kinda early to be done already?”

Why do you know that? Peter thought, wondering why Bucky was keeping tabs on Steve. He assumed that was who he was keeping an eye on, Peter couldn’t fathom why Barnes would be tracking him.

Instead of asking though, Peter only shrugged, “I- Mr. Stark wanted to see me, so I had to leave early,” the teenager lied – although he wasn’t sure why. He didn’t owe the sergeant an explanation. Peter shuffled from one foot to the other, feeling Barnes’ eyes on him. Finally, he couldn’t take it anymore. “What is your problem?” He snapped. Peter wasn’t mad at Bucky, though he was jealous of him as he knew Steve would be finding the soldier soon for a ‘workout.’

Bucky blinked at him, unfazed by his outburst, “I was just checking up on you, that’s all.” He sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, “Forget I said anything.”

“I already have,” Peter huffed before exiting the elevator, as the doors opened, and hurrying down the hallway to his bedroom. He’d already shut his door when Steve came out of the stairwell and made a beeline for his best friend’s quarters.

Peter frowned upon entering and seeing that his mentor wasn’t waiting for him. He felt as though he had been sent on a wild goose chase – like he was being pranked or something. Peter drained the rest of the stale water from the bottle before tucking it into his bag and tossing the bag to the floor beside the door. He thought about texting Mr. Stark but decided that this meant that he did in fact have time for a cold shower. Peter sat down on the side of his bed and toed off his shoes and socks. He then stripped off his shirt before going to get to his feet to push off his shorts, though when he went to rise to his feet, he found that he couldn’t. His legs suddenly felt numb and his brain was too foggy to focus on anything at all. Peter collapsed onto his back on his mattress, breathing heavily, panicking but also simultaneously relaxing. He couldn’t move his limbs, he could barely swallow properly. Peter’s head tipped the slightest bit to the side when he heard the door to his room slide open, but his vision was too blurry at that point to see who it was. He blinked, trying to focus, but he couldn’t – his eyes just wouldn’t cooperate. His head lulled back as his lids slid closed – he felt someone touch him, he felt hot breath on the side of his face as they leaned over him. And then he felt nothing.

A Month Later

Bruce held back a loud sigh as he stepped into the kitchen to see Wanda, on the counter with Cap between her legs, making out with the blond. The scientist rolled his eyes before speaking out in a loud voice that was obviously annoyed to some extent, “What do you think you’re doing?”

The younger woman jerked away from the lip lock and waved her hand, freezing Cap in place with her abilities. Wanda looked over at him then, visibly relieved to see that it was him and not someone else. “You scared me,” she huffed out, despite her obvious relief.

Bruce gave her something that might have resembled a smile if he’d been trying for one as he crossed the room. His eyes travelled up and down Rogers as he went by – he couldn’t believe how careless Wanda was being.

“If you’re going to force someone against their will, couldn’t you at least do it behind closed doors?” He inquired as he went over to the sink, his plate and cutlery from dinner still clutched in his hands.

Wanda lifted a brow at him quizzically, “Oh, like you do?”

“Privacy is still very much a thing,” he told her as he set his dishes in the sink. He wiped his hands on his pants before directing his attention back to her.

“I’m sure Peter appreciates that very much-” Wanda‘s lips quirked up, smirking- “well, I’m sure he would, if he could remember anything.”

Bruce considered her words for a moment. She was right, of course. He had finally perfected the serum he’d been using to drug Peter with, though memory loss did seem to be one of the more merciful side effects. Bruce eventually shrugged before turning to leave the kitchen. “All in due time,” he called back to her over his shoulder before disappearing around the corner.

Wanda shifted her attention back onto Steve, running her eyes over his handsome face. However, no matter how attractive she found him, the truth was she had little to no feelings for him. She’d been planting things in his mind for weeks, trying to persuade him to hurt Peter the way that Banner was hurting him. She’d been sure she’d gotten through to him that day in the training room, but Peter still seemed to be none the wiser. Steve was resisting somehow and she couldn’t figure out how, which was why she’d resorted to actual contact when she dug through his mind.

Wanda stroked a nail down Steve’s cheek thoughtfully.

“Suppose I’ll just have to try harder, hm?” She murmured as she pressed her forehead to his, her eyes blazing red as she began to dig.

Now

Banner concealed his delight as Barnes flipped the boy over for him – he was able to do it himself, but it was a little thrilling to get someone else to do it, especially because the sergeant had no idea about Banner’s other motives. The scientist leaned in, adjusting his glasses before he ran a gloved hand over the small of the teen’s back, “Do these look like fingerprints to you, Sergeant Barnes?”

Bucky frowned but came closer again, having backed up to let the doctor work. He squinted down at the light marks that were spotted against the pale skin, inspecting them with his eyes steadily. “Uh, I’m not sure,” he murmured. Even if they did find anything, Bucky still refused to believe that Steve would have forced himself on Peter – he was sure any bruises would have been consensual. “Maybe we should just let the kid get some rest,” Bucky suggested. “I’m sure he will wake up on his own eventually.”

Banner hummed, tracing his fingers over the small dark splotches – he was concealing his anger now. He hadn’t been the one the leave these marks on the boy, these ones were new, fresh.

Steve’s.

“You’re free to leave, I’m almost done here. I can flip Peter back over once I have completed my examination.” Bruce glanced to him then, “I’m sure Cap will be back any moment,” he went on. “He had an awful headache and then rushed off to find Wanda, though I’m not sure why.”

Bucky started, “Wait, what? He- Steve went to find Wanda?”

Bruce nodded, his eyes lowering back to the teen once again, “Yes, that’s what he told me.”

Bucky frowned, “Shit,” he hissed. “I- I got to go.” He pivoted and rushed from the room, venturing out to find his best friend before the blond found the Scarlett Witch.

Bruce smiled down at Peter, “See? I told you, just as I thought. No one cares about you like I do,” he whispered, even though he knew that Peter couldn’t hear him. He traced his fingers over the small of the boy’s back once more. Bruce bit his lip as he tucked two digits into the waistline of Peter’s jeans – he shimmied them down slightly, revealing the tops of his butt cheeks. He groaned lowly at the sight of them, it had been a while since he’d seen this area of flesh. Bruce mumbled, “No one else.” He licked his lips this time as he dipped his fingers lower, deeper, he breathed out, “You belong to me.”

Chapter Text

Steve was dreaming.

Wait, no, he wasn’t. He was out in the hallway, heading towards where he thought Wanda’s room was. He only thought because his vision wasn’t doing too well at the moment – he hoped that he was at least on the right floor. Steve had been trying to find Wanda, against his better wishes. He knew she could help quell the pain, which was currently conquering his brain at the moment, showing no signs of mercy. No matter how much he didn’t like what she asked for in return, she was the only one who could help him. So, he had to go to her whether he wanted to or not.

I am awake, Steve thought fiercely as he stumbled down the hall. He was having trouble trying to convince himself of something that should have been obvious. He was awake, his brain finally registered, agreeing with him, but he was seeing things.

Not dreams though, he realized, memories. They were flashes from that night, the battle where everything had started.

Steve’s comms had gone out before the explosion, he remembered that – he hadn’t been able to reach anybody. He’d glanced over his shoulder, seen his best friend in the distance. He’d been going to ask Bucky what was going on, but the words hadn’t left his lips. The beeping had started before he could even open his mouth. Steve had looked down to see numbers descending at an alarmingly fast rate on a digital clock strapped to his chest – the device, it had been a bomb of some kind. He had called out for Bucky then, but it had been too late – the countdown had already reached single digits.

It had been bright, too bright, all of a sudden – and it hurt like a bitch. He was dying, he knew he was. He couldn’t feel anything, then, suddenly, he could. He felt lips against his, and he’d moved his own to reciprocate – his mind having not caught up to everything that had happened. The next thing he knew he was peering up into the face of his best friend, who’d been kissing him for some reason only a couple of seconds ago.

What a weird time to confess, Steve had thought shortly before a harsh cough had erupted out of him.

Steve had thrown up then, he had tasted the eggs he’d had for breakfast earlier that day, and blood. So. Much. Blood.

Bucky was talking, but Steve’s eardrums were blown and ringing, making it difficult for him to follow along. He was distantly aware that he could feel something dripping down both sides of his neck – though he didn’t know if it was blood or just sweat.

Steve scrunched up his face as he swallowed – the lingering taste of blood and old eggs was making him even more nauseous. As an afterthought, he decided that he was kind of glad that Bucky had chosen to lock lips with him before he’d thrown up.

“Were you just kissing me, Barnes?” Steve asked quietly, his voice was hoarse from losing his breakfast. He had meant for the question to come out teasingly, but due to his current condition, it had sounded rather breathless to his ears. At least he could hear again.

“That’s the thanks I get for saving your scrawny ass?” Bucky had laughed, shaking his head. Steve stayed silent as Bucky wiped at his mouth with the back of his sleeve – Steve had swallowed the remainder of blood behind his lips that threatened to spill. “What? I not your type?” Bucky had joked, sounding light enough.

Steve had paused then, had slowly blinked up at him – his eyes were still having trouble focusing. “Never thought about it before,” he half-muttered, a little reflectively, because it was true. He hadn’t thought about it before. He sure as hell was now. Was Bucky Steve’s type? Steve had never been attracted to another man before, though he supposed if it had to be someone of the same gender, it would have made sense that it would have been Bucky.

Bucky had just stared at him, waiting, and Steve had found himself waiting for his reply in turn. What did Bucky think? Did he think they were each other’s type? Steve could still feel Bucky’s lips on his, chapped but soft, and warm, and he wanted-

Without saying anything, Bucky had helped him sit up.

Steve could not believe the amount of pain he was in, grunting as Bucky assisted him into an upright position. Bucky was talking more, but Steve only heard that he didn’t know what had happened either – which was exactly what he had gone on to tell Bucky.

Steve reached up to touch the device, although it hadn’t been there anymore – his fingers met his bare chest which was a bit tender to the touch. “The device,” he had whispered. 

Bucky shrugged, unconcerned, “…guess whatever hit you destroyed it,” he had supposed. Then he had helped Steve to his feet and Steve had felt his strong arm loop around his waist to support his weight.

“Hit… me?” Steve had repeated. He started, flinching as though he’d been jabbed with a sharp blade and had dragged Bucky in closer. Nothing had hit him. The device had been rigged, it had exploded on purpose, it was supposed to- “Bucky, nothing-”

Steve collapsed back against the wall in the hallway, the memories leaving him once more. He scrambled to straighten, to stay on his feet, but he was having trouble regaining his balance. Bucky. He needed to find Bucky. He had to tell him-

Steve’s body jerked atrociously, leaving him gasping. He went down fully that time, landing hard on his knees and flopping onto his stomach, which knocked the air from his lungs – new memories flashed through his mind.

Wanda coming to him that first night. Wanda using her abilities on him. Wanda with her flaming crimson hair and equally blazing red eyes. Her forcing her lips against his lips as she had pushed her mind into his against his will.

The scenes evaporated and Steve clawed at the wall, frantically searching for something to help himself up and off the ground. He was hyperventilating now, struggling to catch his breath – his chest ached as he inhaled sharply.

Another flash. Wanda leaving, Bucky returning. A deep, horrible anger swelling up inside of Steve’s chest. He had seen the fear in Bucky’s eyes and hadn’t been able to do anything about it. He had accused Bucky of using his trauma as an excuse. That lack of an actual fight. Bucky accepting his advances hesitantly. His best friend’s mouth on his. Their bodies fitting together as if they had been made for one another. It felt so real, and Steve knew it was. After all of these years, after everything they had been through-

Steve cried out, his body, now in the present, writhing against the tiled floor beneath him. Bucky’s door was a few down, if Steve was on the right level, but Steve wasn’t sure if he would actually find him in there or not. Steve wasn’t sure he could make it there. He had never experienced a heart attack in his life, but he was sure as hell that this was what one felt like.

More flashes, too fast for Steve to really register – all blurred around the edges as if they weren’t solidified in his mind. As if they didn’t belong to him.

Peter pleading with him. Peter whimpering, his body trembling against his. Peter with his eyes squeezed shut, lips parted, tears streaking down his pale cheeks, lying under him, gripping- no, pushing at his shoulders, begging him to stop. Peter whispering, “Steve... please, I don’t want it...”

Steve had to give his head a sharp shake. Not memories, not my memories, he refused, thoughts shoved in by-

The next flash stayed for longer, like the first one had – it hurt more, too.

Steve could see himself standing in the stairwell, talking to Peter. His head hurt, ached, but he needed to tell him something. Something important, something that had been gnawing at the edges of his mind, carving him up inside.

“I think someone has been messing with my brain, my memories- some of them are gone and some of them don’t belong to me,” Steve was saying, speaking out in a hushed tone as if he was afraid of someone overhearing them.

Peter was frowning, confused, but there for him – he’d always be there for the older man. Steve could feel the boy’s admiration for him, even if his past self hadn’t picked up on it.

Steve had continued, “I need you to keep an eye on Stark for me,” he had whispered. His gaze shifted as he paused to listen, wanting to be certain that no one else was around. “I know it’s asking a lot because he’s your mentor, but-”

“I’ll do it.” Peter reached out, took Steve’s hand in his – their hands had been the only part of one another to ever touch. Steve had dared not lay his hands on Peter anywhere else – that wasn’t allowed, it wasn’t right.

It wasn’t right, right?

Steve had wanted more, he could feel it in this memory – Peter had wanted, too. Steve could see that clear as day now, though he hadn’t before.

“I might not remember this,” Steve had muttered, sad, sorrowful – he hadn’t wanted to forget. “I remembered something- something bad that had happened between us – have I ever…” he had cut off to choose his words. He hesitantly started again, “Did I ever touch you?” Steve had held up their hands which were still interlocked, “More than this. Have I ever- did I ever hurt you?”

“No,” Peter had breathed out, his head shaking slightly. “Not more than this.” His gaze had dropped to their hands, and he’d squeezed Steve’s palm comfortingly – it had been shaking. “Even if it had been more, it- I would have-” Peter had bit down on his already bitten-red bottom lip before sighing. “It wouldn’t have been bad,” Peter had confessed, his eyes finding Steve’s mouth. “But you’ve told me before you wouldn’t touch me, and if someone is messing with your memory- I won’t- I won’t push it.” Peter’s eyes had lifted back up to his, “I want it to be real, for both of us.”

Hearing those words in the memory, caused Steve to think that he was missing something in between. He noticed the backdrop behind Peter flickering – they were in the stairwell, but also somewhere else. Two memories merged into one.

Steve shouted out in pain as a new wave of agony descended upon him, all of his limbs shaking with it. That was when he realized that the more he remembered, the greater the pain became.

What if I remember everything? Steve thought fearfully. Would it kill him? He had to find-

“I love you,” it was Bucky’s voice, distant, but full of absolute certainty. “I’ve always loved you…”

Steve’s body just gave up then, and he crumbled to the floor, his chest heaving as he tried to stay conscious, his dull nails digging into the cold tiles. He was too far gone to hear the faint sound of footsteps coming down the hallway towards him.

Stark didn’t move, didn’t blink, didn’t breathe too loudly – he didn’t dare. “What?” He asked when Wanda didn’t continue on to explain what the hell she had meant by that. “What do you mean it’s all about me?”

Wanda’s nasty smile didn’t waver, “Exactly as I said, Stark.”

Stark narrowed his gaze, eyes darkening, “What did you do to Peter?”

“Nothing.” She lifted a shoulder before dropping it, “I haven’t touched Peter.”

“You’ve been trying to get Steve to hurt him, that’s close enough.” Stark took a step towards her, “Is this why Steve has been acting so off lately?”

She gave him another half of a shrug, “Perhaps.”

He clenched his jaw, “What have you been doing to him?”

“Nothing much,” Wanda sighed. “Just a little gardening.”

Tony didn’t understand that reference, “What?”

“You know, digging, planting, burying – the works.” Her smile faltered a bit, “Though, he shouldn’t be acting the way he has been, I’m sure that it has something to do with the fact that he’s been resisting my suggestions.” The smirk returned, “It must be making him insane, dangerous.”

Tony crossed his arms over his chest, “You said you didn’t care about any of us,” he stated. “Then why are you doing it? You must care at least a little to put us all through something like this.”

“Not necessarily,” Wanda pondered that for a moment before shrugging again. “Maybe I just wanted to have a little fun.”

“You’ve been corrupting Peter’s mind as well, haven’t you?” Stark accused, though he already knew that the answer was yes. He could remember back to when he had asked to speak with Peter alone in the den and the boy had immediately assumed he’d wanted to do more than just ‘talk.’ Stark shook off the memory, pushing it from his mind.

“Like I said before, I haven’t touched Peter,” Wanda repeated.

Stark gave her questioning look, before speaking bluntly, “Then why has he been showing signs of someone who has experienced sexual abuse?”

Wanda tilted her head to the side, slowly smirking, letting the engineer come to the conclusion on his own. She had done her part, more than her part, actually. Banner had asked her to erase Steve’s memories, but he had never pushed her to mess with the captain – not in the way she had been the last several weeks. Wanda had taken things into her own hands. She had decided that if it did come to light that Peter was being assaulted, that Banner would appreciate a scapegoat. Wanda had helped Banner more than enough, had helped him accept his true feelings about Stark and Peter. She’d done so much for him without being asked to, and now she wanted something for herself.

“You- you didn’t mess with Peter’s mind, did you?” Tony whispered, his heart dropping into his stomach. Peter’s PTSD was real, it wasn’t a trick, it wasn’t magic. Someone had actually laid hands on him; someone had made him scared- terrified him enough to submit without fighting back.

“Another snake in the grass,” Wanda mused, clearly enjoying his anguish, delighted by his reaction.

Though, that changed drastically when Stark rushed her again – his hands wrapped back around her throat as he slammed her down against the same table he had before. He pressed his thumbs into her windpipe, holding her down, cutting off her air. Stark, in all honesty, wasn’t thinking too rationally. A part of him knew that he couldn’t kill her because they still had no idea who this other person was. However, the larger part of him, the louder part, was screaming at him to kill her because she had had a hand in hurting Peter, and that was utterly prohibited in his book.

Wanda’s hands flew up, revealing his mistake, and Stark was flung backwards by the red mist.

He hit the wall, landed on the floor and then immediately went to get to his feet, but found he couldn’t as more of her magic swirled around him.

“Nice try, Stark.” Wanda applauded the brunet slowly, mockingly as she crouched down beside him. She eyed him for a moment, noticing a hickey on the side of his neck. She wondered who it was from but voiced nothing about it. “You almost had me,” she went on. “Truly, I was super worried there.” She laughed before straightening, “Don’t worry, I’m sure Peter will be fine, he is only unconscious after all. What’s the worst that could happen?”

“You fucking bit-” Tony cut off with a sputtering gasp as something wrapped around his throat, choking him. He struggled against the pressure, trying to get away but not being able to. There wasn’t anything grabbable around his neck that he could physically latch onto – he really hated magic.

“I’m not going to kill you, not yet,” Wanda continued. “We just need you out of the way for a little while.” 

Stark choked out gibberish as pain exploded in the back of his head, his vision blurring before going black.

Bruce panted softly as he tucked himself back into his jeans and zipped them up. He slowly slid Peter’s pants back up as well, finished with his hole. He hadn’t bothered cleaning him up, he assumed the boy would think that the ‘present’ he’d given him was from Cap. Bruce ground his teeth together, making a note to speak with their captain sooner rather than later.

“Bruce?” A voice asked from behind him, sounding hesitant.

Banner reached up to wipe the sweat from his brow before turning around to face Natasha. “Hey, Nat,” he greeted, trying to keep his voice steady. “What’s up? Did you need something?” He hadn’t seen her in a few days as she’d been out on mission – he wondered when her, Barton and Wilson had gotten back. He also wondered how long she had been standing there. Though he figured if she had seen what he’d been doing to Peter, she would have stopped him, and she hadn’t.

“We just got back, all three of us, though Sam went out for some fresh air, I think,” Natasha informed him – it was as if she had read his mind. “I brought down mine and Clint’s gear to be inspected. Sam should be bringing his down when he gets back.” Her eyes flickered to settle on the unconscious teen behind him – she recognized the shirt he was wearing as it had been a Christmas gift from her last year. “Is Peter alright?”

“Oh, uh-” Bruce glanced over to Peter. “Cap brought him down in this state, I was just trying to figure out what was wrong with him.” Bruce was wishing he’d had the time to flip Peter back over, it would have looked less suspicious that way. Nonetheless, he twisted back to her, “You can leave the gear on that desk-” he gestured- “I’ll make sure Stark looks it over when he returns.”

Natasha barely nodded and her gaze remained on Peter a moment longer than Bruce would have liked. Eventually her eyes drifted back over to the scientist – he couldn’t read her expression.

Bruce stood there and watched as she inspected his face, the sweat he’d missed on his brow, his dilated pupils, his reddened lips from kissing the boy’s back bruisingly hard. He truly wished she’d leave it alone. Truly. Bruce shifted slightly, reaching back behind himself to grab his water bottle off of the desk.

One of Natasha’s hands immediately flew to the gun on her hip, the more ‘techie’ gear dropping to the floor. “Don’t,” she hissed.

“I’m just thirsty,” Banner proclaimed innocently as he held up the water bottle and uncapped it. He moved slowly, not wanting to test how trigger-happy she was feeling.

“What the hell was going on in here before I came in?” Natasha questioned, tugging the gun out of its holster and pointing it at him – she clicked the safety off. “Why is Peter flipped over like that? And why do you look like you just…” Nat faded off, unable to comprehend everything. She was having trouble putting her thoughts into words as she didn’t want them to be true.

Bruce merely lifted the bottle to his mouth and took a small sip before swallowing. He licked his lips as he screwed the lid back on and set the water bottle back down on the desk behind himself.

“I honestly wish you had just turned around and left, Nat,” Bruce confessed to her – he appeared genuinely sincere, almost saddened. “Minding your business really would have saved you a lot of pain.”

Natasha pressed her other arm against her thigh, activating her communication device, which she had yet to take off. She raised it to her face calmly, watching Banner very cautiously.

Bruce only continued to stare back at her, seemingly unworried about what she was doing. It was quite unnerving.

“What’s up?” Barton’s voice came over the device, “You wanna watch a movie or something?”

Natasha took a step back from Banner, her focus never leaving him, the grip on her gun unwavering. “Find Steve and bring him down to the lab, now,” she spoke directly into her comm.

“What? Why? I gotta shower and-”

“Barton, now,” Natasha snapped urgently. She knew if she used his last name, he’d know she wasn’t fooling around – he’d know it was an emergency.

“Understood, be there soon,” Clint replied instantly before the device disconnected.

Natasha reached out and held the gun with both hands then, a little concerned as to why the older man in front of her hadn’t made any move to stop her from reaching out for backup.

Bruce smiled softly and casually took another swig from his water bottle before capping it once more. “So,” he said after setting it down again. “How did the mission go?”

“What the hell is wrong with you?” Natasha snapped – she had to force herself not to look back at Peter. “He’s just a kid.”

“Peter doesn’t think so,” Bruce told her, still unsettlingly cheerful. “He actually asked me not to call him a kid. He said that he can do things ‘kids’ his age can’t do.” He chuckled lightly, “Guess I just wanted to show him that he was right.”

“This isn’t you,” Natasha stated, shaking her head slightly. “The Bruce I know would never-”

“You know?” Banner boomed as he pushed off the desk he’d been leaning up against and took a step towards her, his features contorting in fury.

Despite being the one with a firearm, Natasha found herself stumbling another step back at the anger in his voice.

“I do know you, Bruce. And this isn’t-” she made the mistake of glancing to the unconscious teenager in the chair. Natasha felt bile rise up in the back of her throat as her eyes located a smear of some kind of glistening substance (it could have only really been one thing) on Peter’s lower back, which was bared as the boy’s shirt hadn’t been pulled down all the way.

Bruce took advantage of the distraction. He lunged at her, gripping both of her wrists and jerking, dragging them apart. The gun dropped and he kicked it to the side out of her reach.

Natasha’s head came crashing forwards into his, but his grip didn’t loosen on her. She brought her knee up in between them, hitting him hard in the stomach.

Bruce growled and threw her.

That’s not possible, Natasha briefly thought as she flew across the room much farther than she should have gone with Bruce in the state he was in, he should not have been capable of that kind of strength in his current, normal form. She crashed into a group of file cabinets before smacking down against the floor, her breath abandoning her. Natasha blinked, lifting her head dazedly to watch Banner as he stormed over.

Bruce overturned several desks as if they weighed nothing before he reached her – he dragged the redhead to her feet by her neck. He was grinning wildly, his pupils so big they almost overtook the brown.

“How?” Natasha only asked the one word – she was sure he’d know what she meant. How was he so strong?

“A man is only as safe as his secrets, but I can tell you something else.” Bruce held her in close, ignoring the beating of her hands against him as they were doing absolutely nothing to loosen his grip. “You just killed your best friend,” he whispered darkly.

Natasha narrowed her eyes, “I sent him to- to Steve,” she choked halfway through her sentence, her voice breaking.

Bruce laughed, “Exactly.” He slammed her back against the plaster hard enough to hear her skull crack on impact.

“You- you don’t-” Natasha slurred before her eyes glossed over and her lids slid shut. Her heart slowed but didn’t stop beating, though killing her had never been his intention.

“You really should have just walked away,” Bruce tsked, clicking his tongue as he dropped the redhead to the floor.

“That looked like it hurt,” Wanda commented from behind him – he hadn’t heard her come in, but he wasn’t surprised by her arrival.

Bruce turned around and moved back over to where she stood beside Peter. He had been going to flip the boy back over, but now he wasn’t so sure – the adrenaline from the fight was making him want to take Peter again. “So?” Bruce wondered after a moment, lifting his eyes from Peter to Wanda.

The other teen smiled slowly, glancing up at him, confirming, “Good to go.”

Clint moved swiftly down the hallway, searching for their leader as quickly as he could. He hadn’t bothered to ask his partner why she needed Steve down in the lab, but at hearing the severity in Natasha’s voice, he hadn’t questioned her. He took the elevator up to the floor where he knew Steve resided, although he wasn’t certain he would find him in his bedroom, he wasn’t sure where else to start. He was right to follow his first thought. As Clint stepped off of the lift, he spotted the older man lying in a heap on the floor halfway down the hall. He rushed over to the blond, sliding down onto his knees beside him as he checked his pulse. He let out a sigh of relief as he confirmed that Steve was breathing.

“Hey, Cap, you in there?” Clint shook the captain’s shoulder hastily, concerned that he was lying face down on the floor. Clint turned Steve over onto his back carefully – he hadn’t checked for any injuries and didn’t want to cause the older man any unnecessary distress. The moment Clint raised his hands to examine him, Steve’s eyes popped open. However, Clint’s relief was short-lived as the captain’s hand shot out and wrapped around his throat.

“It’s me,” Barton gasped out, his eyes bulging.

Steve either hadn’t heard him or hadn’t cared that he was choking one of his fellow teammates as he kept on doing what he was doing – his grip tightened, so Clint assumed it was the latter.

Clint was able to get his leg in between them to kick himself away from their leader. He slid across the floor before scrambling to his feet.

Steve jumped to his, obviously angry and set on violence. He closed the distance between them very quickly and shoved Clint up against the wall – his hand went straight back to his throat.

“What are you- what’s going on?” Clint struggled in the strong grasp, trying to kick out at the older man once more.

Steve remained silent, though it was very apparent what he had in mind.

As a last resort, Clint reached down and withdrew his pocketknife from the holster on his hip before he plunged it down into Steve’s forearm.

Steve made no sound of pain, but he let the archer go and stumbled backwards.

Clint wheezed and coughed, holding the small knife back up in front of him. “What the hell man? What’s wrong with you?” He had no idea why Steve was acting like this. Sure, he had noticed his weird mood swings the last couple of months, but nothing like this. The man that stood before him was unfamiliar, a stranger – a dangerous stranger.

Steve didn’t acknowledge the wound in his arm in the least, except for his initial response of letting the other go. He lunged forwards, tackling Clint to the floor.

Clint grunted as Steve’s hand closed around his wrist and squeezed before bending it in an impossible angle. He dropped the knife – he had no choice.

After he had disarmed the archer, Steve’s hands immediately went back to the brunet’s neck, squeezing hard, pressing his thumbs into the hollow of his throat and blocking his airway once more.

Clint fought against him, but he was no match for the super soldier, especially when he didn’t have his more tactical gear on hand. Then suddenly Steve’s weight was lifted off of his body, and Sergeant Barnes was standing over him.

Bucky jerked Barton to his feet, “You need to get your gear and find Wanda. Put. Her. Down,” Bucky barked the order, without any further information.

However, even with the lack of an explanation, Clint immediately obeyed and took off running down the hallway. He raced back to the elevator to go down to the lab to retrieve his things.

Once the archer was out of sight, Bucky turned back to look down at his best friend who he had thrown off of the other.

Steve hadn’t gotten back up this time – he lay motionless on his back, one leg curled up, his eyes screwed shut.

Bucky eyed him for a minute before scoffing, “That trick hasn’t worked in a long time, pal, there’s no point in trying to pull one over on me.”

Steve cracked one eye open, “No harm in trying,” he said with a grin. Then his legs shot out and swept Bucky’s out from under him.

Bucky landed hard on his tailbone, groaning, but that was the only thing he had time to do before his best friend was on top of him.

“It’s just like you to get into things you have no business being in,” Steve snarled out as his hands circled around Bucky’s throat.

Bucky would have laughed if he had been able to, as he knew Steve’s whole personality growing up had been him getting into things he shouldn’t have.

“Well, I would say it isn’t like you to do this, but then I would be lying.” Bucky’s metal fingers slid up and around Steve’s neck before he twisted them into the baby hairs at the base of Steve’s skull. Bucky jerked Steve’s head back hard, giving himself a better target. His other hand, his fleshed one, lifted and he smashed the heel of his palm up under Steve’s jaw, catching the other off guard long enough for Bucky to flip him over to gain control of the situation.

Steve growled up at him before his eyes softened a little, but it wasn’t into anything akin to kindness – it was mischief. Steve’s lips quirked up at the sides, “How did I know you’d like it like this?”

Bucky understood what he meant right away, but he didn’t let it distract him.

“I know that Wanda has been fucking with your brain. I know that everything you have been doing hasn’t been your fault- none of this is your fault, Steve,” Bucky told him instead, basically pleading with him – trying to break through to the person that he had grown up with, the man that he loved.

Steve snorted, “Oh, yeah? I thought you liked what I was doing.” He lifted his hips up, pressing into the older man purposefully – more than suggestively. “We never did get to finish, did we? Seems you want to pick up where we left off.”

“We grew up together; we have been in each other’s beds multiple times. Don’t you think it’s a little weird that you suddenly have these feelings about me?” It hurt to say, but Bucky knew it was the truth. Steve had never said or done or looked at him the way he had when he’d come back from the battle, the one that had seemed to change everything between them. Bucky had found Wanda leaving Steve’s room, and now he knew that she had been doing something to mess with his mind – it really couldn’t have been less of a coincidence. However, the short exchange between them when Bucky had given Steve mouth to mouth had taken place before Wanda had had a hand in anything, but Bucky was too strung out at the moment to piece that together. “Use your-” well, Bucky couldn’t say brain as Steve’s brain was obviously corrupted- “heart,” he decided on. “We’ve loved each other, but it was because we were best friends, and-”

“That’s not true,” Steve cut in, sounding devious though there appeared to be something else lurking underneath the surface. “You told me that you’ve always loved me,” he reminded him. The memory of those words weighed heavy on Steve’s chest, and he felt a twinge of pain in the back of his skull – he only barely registered that his hands had begun to shake.

Bucky blinked, but recovered as fast as he could, “Yeah, as best friends, nothing-”

“Buck,” Steve blurted out suddenly as he clutched at the front of the brunet’s shirt, his eyes finally focusing. “I was looking for y-you. Wanda she- I think she-” Steve’s body convulsed violently, but he was able to remain conscious.

“Steve?” Bucky truly wanted to believe that Steve was himself again, but he couldn’t help but doubt. What if this was another act? “What did Wanda do?” He asked, needing more proof.

“… m-made mee forget, made me doo…” Steve was slurring now, his head drooping forwards.

“Shit,” Bucky hissed. He tugged them both back up to their feet, though he found that he had to hoist Steve over his shoulder to carry him. Bucky brought Steve into his bedroom before lying him down on the mattress. “Don’t worry, I will get the doc,” he told him, turning away.

Steve’s hand shot out and gripped Bucky’s wrist, bringing him to a halt. “No,” he gasped. “Please, don’t leave me.” His eyes flickered around the room anxiously, searching the shadows as if someone was going to pop out of them.

He’s paranoid, Bucky realized. Paranoid and terrified.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes, I won’t be long,” Bucky said as he tried to pry Steve off of him.

Steve wasn’t having it though – his fingers tightened around Bucky’s wrist, “Please, stay with me,” he whispered, almost inaudible.

Bucky frowned – he was torn between going to get help for his best friend and staying with him. Eventually, Bucky circled around the bed and settled down next to him. “I’m not going anywhere,” he assured him in a gentle tone.

Steve visibly relaxed before another horrible shudder went through his body – it had him gasping out in agony, his limbs quivering.

Bucky, upon hearing that, pulled Steve closer to him. He wrapped an arm around his shoulders, letting the blond rest his head against his chest.

“I’m sorry f-for everything,” Steve whispered. He had learned too much- had remembered too much.

“It wasn’t you,” Bucky stated. “No harm, no foul.”

Steve’s body shook against Bucky’s again, and he let out a whimper, “I think I’m dying,” he admitted in a small voice.

“You better not be,” Bucky retorted – he wasn’t upset with Steve, but he was with himself. He’d known something had been off with Steve from the start, but he’d chosen not to dig deeper into it. He blamed himself for what was happening to him now, knowing that maybe he could have stopped it. Bucky brushed a couple of stray strands of damp blond hair back from Steve’s face, “I just got you back,” he added even though it’d been quiet between them for at least several moments.

Steve meant to laugh but it turned into some awful, hoarse garble of a noise, “That- that would definitely suck, huh?”

Bucky tightened his arm around Steve’s shoulders protectively, “Stop talking, I don’t think it’s helping,” he mentioned, somehow succeeding in keeping the tremble out of his voice. Steve was probably already panicked, and Bucky didn’t need to add onto that.

“When- when have I ever answered to you?” Steve coughed hard before wheezing – his head lulled back against Bucky’s chest. After a few deep breaths, he surrendered, “Okay, for- for once you might actually b-be on to something, but j-just this once.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let it get to my head,” Bucky told him with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. He stroked his metal fingers up and down Steve’s arm soothingly. “I’m sure Barton will find Wanda in no time,” he uttered after a minute.

“Mhm,” Steve mumbled as his eyes slid shut.

Bucky exhaled, his gaze lingering on his best friend while the younger of the two quieted down. He really hoped that Clint would succeed sooner than later, he wasn’t sure how much more Steve could take.

Sam popped a couple of Tic Tac’s into his mouth before drinking from his bottle of water, relishing in the coolness of the liquid made more cold by the minty flavour of the candy. He had been planning to go down to the lab to return his wings, but he had decided that he’d wanted to check out some of the notes in the briefing room first. He wasn’t certain, but for some reason it had seemed like they’d been missing a section of information when they’d been out on mission. He was pretty sure it hadn’t been on purpose, though he still wanted to confirm that they’d be given all of the essential info, if only for his own peace of mind. Sam strode into the briefing room, initially heading towards the whiteboard with the notes that Steve had outlined for their mission, but as something caught his eye, he came to a halt.

Stark was lying on the large oval table that took up most of the room – he appeared to be unconscious.

Sam narrowed his eyes as he went over to the engineer, abandoning his task to read the board. He shuffled up beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking him. “I don’t think this is the right place for a nap, Tony,” he spoke out teasingly. Though when Stark didn’t rouse right away, he knew something else was at play here. Sam cleared his throat and shook Stark with both hands before he lightly tapped his face. He considered slapping him but eventually decided against it. If there was a chance that Tony was injured internally, hitting him could have made it worse and that was the last thing Sam wanted to do. Instead, he continued trying to wake the older man up in a less harmful way. “Tony? Hey, can you hear me?” When the brunet remained unconscious, Sam pulled out his phone and called Banner.

The scientist picked up on the second ring – he sounded a little annoyed. “Yes, Wilson?”

Sam got right to it, barely hearing the irritation in the other’s voice, “Are you in the building?”

“Yes, why?” On the other side of the phone, Banner glanced up and locked eyes with Wanda. “What is it?” He asked Sam.

“Could you come up to the briefing room? The main one. I found Tony passed out in here and he’s not waking up. I think he might need medical assistance,” Sam told him. He held his phone between his cheek and shoulder as he filled the doctor in. He’d kept his hands free to move over Stark, searching for any bleeding or bruising.

“Uh-” Banner cocked a brow at Wanda, who’d been listening in. She gave him a small shrug and he squinted at her – he didn’t believe she knew nothing about this. “Of course,” he replied to Sam without taking his sight off of Wanda. “I’ll grab my bag and be up in a couple of minutes.”

“Okay, hurry.” Sam hung up, shoving the phone back into his pocket as he continued his examination of Stark.

Banner closed his phone, lowering his gaze to slide it back into his jacket. He took a breath before his eyes shifted back over to the conscious teenager. “What did you do?” He asked. He would have given her the benefit of the doubt, but he knew too much about her now to do that.

Wanda peered up at him, “What makes you think that I had something to do with-”

Bruce’s fist came down hard on the desk next to them, denting the metal and sending a few beakers spinning off to the side. “Don’t lie to me, Wanda,” he warned.

Even though Peter was still on the slab in between them, Wanda found herself taking a step back as a precaution. She folded her hands together in front of herself, toying with her rings for a few seconds before saying, “I was only trying to help,” in a muted voice.

“What did you do?” Bruce asked again after he had composed himself. He began to pack up a small first aid kit – it was for show, he had no intention of actually helping Stark.

“I just- Stark, he- he caught me.” Wanda frowned. “I wasn’t counting on him catching on so quickly.”

Banner froze, “He knows about-” he cut off, his eyes sliding to Peter, panicked.

“No.” She shook her head hastily. “I mean, he knows that Peter has been getting... hurt, but he knew that before I said anything. He doesn’t know it’s you, he thought I- I was the one-”

“And what does he think now?!” Banner roared as he slipped around the boy, closing the distance between him and Wanda – he trapped her back against another desk, looming over the young woman.

Wanda gulped. “He- he knows I’m working with someone, but I swear I didn’t tell him it was you.” She leaned back against the desk behind her, the metal digging unpleasantly into her lower back. “I tried to use my power on him, but he was ready for me. He had tech that shielded him somehow. He already knew before I confronted him.”

“How?” Bruce snapped before glancing at the clock on the wall – he really didn’t have time for this right now, but he wasn’t sure he’d get another chance to learn about her misstep.

“I- I don’t know.” Wanda fingered her rings once more, “I think Sergeant Barnes must have seen and said something to him about me.” She pursed her lips, “I can only control Barnes for a short amount of time because of how messed up his mind already is.”

“Control?” Banner deflated slightly in his confusion, “What do you mean?”

“I will fill you in later, okay?” Wanda looked to the clock on the wall as well. “You should get going, Wilson might get suspicious.”

Banner set his jaw, grinding his back molars together, “You stupid, fucking child,” he snarled. “I knew you couldn’t handle this.”

Wanda flinched at the harshness of his words, “Stark doesn’t know it was you,” she gritted out. “Isn’t that enough?”

Bruce’s top lip curled up in a scowl, “For now it’s going to have to be, but we’re not done here. Do you understand?”

“Yes, sir.” Wanda nodded.

Bruce ran his tongue over his teeth before backing off, “Keep an eye on Peter,” he ordered before leaving the room.

Wanda relaxed against the desk, letting out a breath she’d known she’d been holding. Her eyes darted over to Peter and narrowed. “All of this for one boy,” she mumbled to herself distastefully. Wanda reached over and was in the middle of flipping Peter over onto his back when the doors to the lab smacked open. She sighed, “Back already, B-” the name caught in her throat when she saw that it was Barton and not Banner. “Oh, hi-” Wanda forced a smile- “could you maybe help me get Peter onto his back?”

The first thing Clint did upon entering the lab was take in his surroundings, which is how he noticed his partner on the floor, she was pushed off to the side near the back wall, right away. Next, he looked for his gear, specifically the zapping tech he’d used on Wanda in the past to keep her out of his head that one time. His gaze eventually snapped back to the young woman standing in the centre of the room.

Wanda raised her hands up, offensively, “Or not,” she said.

Clint dove out of the way as a wooden chair came hurdling in his direction – he hit the floor, somersaulted, and grabbed his quiver and bow from the desk they’d been moved to. He had to push against the tiles to slide the last couple of feet he’d needed to gain cover.

“What’s going on, kiddo?” Clint called out to her from behind a file cabinet. He strung up an arrow, activating it, as he waited for her reply. The only answer he got was something heavy smashing into his cover – Clint grunted, but the cabinet held steady enough. “I thought we were friends,” he tried again. “I’m sure we can talk this through,” he added.

Whatever this is, he thought.

“I think we’ve done our fair share of talking,” Wanda responded, winding up another shot.

Clint waited for the next hit. The second the cabinet behind him shook with the impact of something else, he jumped to his feet, swung up and around, and let the arrow fly.

Wanda merely lifted her other hand and stopped it mid-flight, “So much for talking it through, hm?” The red mist around her flared up once more as she readied another attack. She barely noticed the arrow in front of her as it dropped to the ground, clattering lightly, but it was loud enough.

Peter sprung up from behind Wanda, twisting his body and jerking the other teen backwards by her hair, dragging her down to the floor. He wrapped his legs around her ribcage tightly as he trapped her arms behind his back, his hands clutching at her forearms. “Clint, if you’re gonna do anything, now would be cool,” Peter shouted at him, even though the archer was already halfway across the room.

Clint landed on Wanda, straddling her waist as he activated another arrow – this one was flat-tipped and sparked as he lowered it towards her temple.

Wanda cried out and seized up when the electricity reached her brain – her mouth remained open. She then started thrashing wildly, trying to get out from under both of them.

“Hold her!” Clint urged, continuing to hold the arrow against her temple with one hand while he used his other to keep her head still.

“I’m trying,” Peter spoke out through his teeth. He was doing his best. He wasn’t at full strength just yet – he could still feel the drug coursing through his blood stream.

Eventually, Wanda’s eyes rolled back into her head, and she went limp in their grasp – she let out a wheezing breath of defeat.

“Wait!” Peter exclaimed, when Clint went to move away. “Smack her.”

Clint looked at him oddly, “What now?”

“Smack. Her,” Peter said again. “I want to be sure she’s out.”

Clint, despite being in battle with the younger woman moments ago, felt odd hitting her. “Uh, I don’t know if-”

“She’s been helping Banner sexually assault me for weeks,” Peter informed the archer, lifting his searing gaze to meet his straight on. “If I do it, I’ll kill her.”

Clint swallowed hard before smacking Wanda across the face, she didn’t react to it at all.

“Good,” Peter uttered as he got to his feet. He wobbled a little and had to catch himself on the side of the desk beside him. His backside hurt and he could feel something inside of- Peter shook his head, pushing the thoughts and pain from his mind.

Clint rose to his feet his well, noticing the unsteadiness exhibited, “Are you o-”

“Find something to tie her up with,” Peter interrupted, glancing away from him. “I have to go find Steve, and-” he cut off as his eyes found Natasha. “And you should probably check on Nat,” Peter added. He hoped she was alright.

All of this... and for what? Peter looked back to Clint, who hadn’t moved. The expression on the older man’s face was filled with sympathy, it was unbearable – Peter averted his gaze again.

“I have to go find Steve,” he repeated quietly as he turned to leave the lab.

“Peter?” Clint called out, sounding a bit uncertain.

When Peter glanced back at him the archer was already tying Wanda up with some computer wires he had yanked out from under the desk of a monitor.

“Yeah?” Peter paused by the double doors, hitching a brow.

After some hesitation, Clint gave him half of a smile, “Watch your back,” he told the teen.

Peter appreciated Clint not asking or saying anything about what he’d let slip out priorly in his anger, “You too,” he replied before leaving. Peter made his way to the elevator, partly limping, due to both the drugs and the throbbing of his backside. He called the lift before getting on. He thought back to what Clint had said to him, frowning. Peter had spent all of his time here not watching his back because he had assumed he hadn’t needed to. The people that lived here were superheroes, at least in his eyes. They were The Avengers. They had welcomed him in after his aunt had passed, they had treated him like family – how could he have known that- that one of them could even be capable of-

Peter slammed his fists into the back wall of the elevator, denting the steel outward and slightly disrupting the machines ascension. He rested his head between his hands against said wall, trying to catch his breath, even though he knew he needed to be angry for what was soon to come. Peter spun around, as the doors to the elevator opened, and got off. He didn’t really have any sort of plan, but he did know one thing for sure. He wasn’t the one who needed to watch his back – Banner was.