Chapter Text
Home means his apartment. Bucky doesn’t want to think about the losses of the shop in the days he was out. But he will get by, he thinks. Tony, who is strolling after him with Steve at his side, has already offered to cover at least the rent and Bucky refused. This won’t hinder Stark at all to offer it again and maybe Bucky will accept. Until then he wants to be as independent as possible.
Alpine leaps into his arms when he opens the door to his apartment.
“Yeah, I missed you too. So much,” Bucky murmurs into the soft fur of the cat’s neck. “You’ve gotten fat these days with Tony, I see.” With a chuckle, he lifts the cat up, jokingly judging his weight.
With Alpine in his arms he steps into the apartment and just stares. His plants, his herbs, they all look as healthy as if he had never been away. In fact, they look so luscious, as if a bit of magic would have helped them to shine.
“I hope I gave them enough water?” Steve says, sounding unsure.
“Apparently enough,” Bucky says and smiles. A bit of magic indeed. It must be the bond and he can hear the plants whisper of how they love his mates. Maybe they share more than a bond in Fate.
Alpine wriggles himself free and hops on the kitchen counter as Bucky proceeds to make some tea. He opts for a calming mix of herbs as Steve walks by.
“It looks just like in my dreams,” Steve says. ”Your kitchen, I mean.”
Bucky feels the warmth in Steve’s voice, the wonder, but chooses to not say anything about it. It still feels a bit unreal to him after all that happened. With slightly shaky hands,he pulls out three blue mugs to fill them with the herbs and boiling water.
“It’s like a promise, huh?” Bucky says as he pushes one mug into Steve’s hand and carries the others into the living room where Tony is slumping down on Bucky’s lumpy couch with Alpine on his lap. “The warmth. Like something good can come out of this.”
“It’s already good,” Tony tells him and his fingertips caress Bucky’s as he accepts the mug.
“You haven’t tasted the tea yet.”
“Don’t need to. I know it.” And Tony looks at him like Bucky personally hung the stars up the sky.
Heat pools inside his belly and he loves them, even if he doesn’t know much about them. Is this how soulmates can feel? This trust in them, the confidence and the proudness of being with them? He feels it through the bond, a slight tugging at his heartstrings pulling him towards his mates, molten heat in his blood.
Bucky knows he’s smiling because both Tony’s and Steve’s faces are lighting up.
“The Cure,” he says. “My favorite band, but I pretty much listen to anything. I don’t really have the time to read but I love all kinds of sci-fi and my parents met at a county fair when the fireworks started.”
“A county fair?” Tony chuckles.
“With fireworks,” Bucky nods. “I love fireworks.”
“Then let’s go to the fireworks together some time.” Tony stretches out his arm for Bucky and pulls him onto the couch until he’s seated almost on top of him, to Alpine’s chagrin.
Steve finally joins them on the other side of the couch so Bucky is in the middle. They drink their tea as the sun is settling down, flooding the room with golden light. Bucky still feels tired and exhausted but they’re talking and talking, learning more from each other.
They talk about Bucky’s studying and how his mother taught him Divination. Steve holds him tight as he tells them about Becca’s illness, how she descended into depression but recovered with the help of medication and therapists and is now happy with their parents, studying. Tony listens raptly as he tells of how he found Alpine on the side of a road and took him home, how he feared for him as he worked hard to put some meat on the weak kitten’s bones.
And then they talk about their shared dreams and things heat up between them. For a short moment, Bucky still feels the gnawing doubt in him. Does he really belong to them? But there is nothing but warmth from Steve and Tony. So he snuggles between them, taking in the heat that comforts him and draws the blanket his mother knitted around them a bit tighter. It’s time to trust his instincts that scream so loud that these two men are here for him. He shouldn’t ignore that. He knows better than that.
Steve’s hand is stroking his thigh and Tony leans his head on his shoulder, his beard tickling his neck as he breathes steadily and warmly. Bucky looks at him, thinking about how lost Tony really sounded when he called him that one day and he tilts his head down to press his lips to his hairline. The dam seems to have broken after that because Steve then gently cups his jaw to draw him into a kiss as Tony strokes his hair, also demanding a kiss after that. Pressing his lips against Tony’s feels just like in his dream and Steve arranges them so that Bucky lies with his back against Steve’s chest and he can gently nibble at his earlobe as Tony snuggles himself into Bucky’s arms. It doesn’t get further tonight, soon there sounds slight snoring from Tony who falls asleep first like he said he would after almost three days without rest.
“You okay?” Steve whispers in his ear and draws the blanket over Tony and Bucky.
“Yeah…” Bucky says. “Yeah, I am.”
And the dread was just nervousness, he thinks and soon falls into a deep sleep full of hope.
****
The next day Bucky wakes up with a crick in his neck as his alarm on his phone goes off. The blanket has long since gone, tangled between Tony’s legs and he gently shakes him.
“Have to get up,” he whispers and Tony grunts in an attempt to answer. At first, he snuggles up but then at Bucky’s insistence slides to the side to let him stand up. “You can sleep while I make coffee.”
He takes a quick, perfunctory shower and slips into fresh clothes as the coffee machine brews the concoction. A quick look into the fridge tells him that he doesn’t have enough to make breakfast for three people but he guesses they won’t mind. His shoulder is still a bit numb and his neck will give him a hell of a day, but still Bucky feels well-rested. He hears Steve and Tony shuffle around in the living room and then they finally show up with bags under their eyes and big smiles on their faces.
“Good morning,” Steve greets him and looks like he wants to draw him into his arms and kiss him as Bucky is feeding Alpine.
“Come ‘ere,” Bucky smiles and quickly embraces him to tilt his head up for a kiss on the jaw. It feels natural to do so and then Tony’s arms are around him too. He hesitates only for a moment, giving them both a quick kiss before he lets go.
“Coffee is ready?” Tony asks, scratching his belly where his shirt rides up.
“Yeah,” Bucky pulls the three mugs out of the dishwasher where he put them last night before they snuggled into his couch. “You can use the shower if you want.” It’s not that they reek but they certainly don’t smell fresh like dew. Tony grins like he knows what Bucky is thinking (and yes, maybe Bucky makes a face too) and then squabbles a bit with Steve over who should go first, briefly considering they could go together but then deciding otherwise. Steve graciously yields and Tony disappears into the bathroom.
“How do you feel?” Steve asks and reaches for the coffee Bucky hands out to him.
“A bit overwhelmed,” Bucky answers truthfully. “A few days ago I wouldn’t have dared to dream that both you and Tony would be at my place, wanting to be with me.”
Steve considers his words and nods. “Is it going too fast for you?”
“It feels good. Natural, like this is how it should be,” Bucky says and sips his coffee. Yes, it’s going so fast that he’s dizzy from that. But it’s really good. The warmth has gotten stronger, steadier. He feels it coming from Steve, feels the waves from Tony, who has stopped showering and is now taking his time with whatever else. It will take time for the bond to really take place, for the strings to entwine stronger for the bond in the Web but Bucky feels ready for it. “I have to open the shop soon. I still have a job to do,” he eventually remarks. “I really should hire some help.”
He gets a smile from Steve for that and Tony strolls into the kitchen with wet hair and a relaxed expression on his face. “Coffee’s still warm? Perfect,” he says as he helps himself to a mug. “And you don’t think you can’t keep the shop closed for today?”
Bucky raises his eyebrows. “No?” He says incredulously. “I still have to pay rent and that’s not exactly cheap.”
He’s somewhat relieved that Tony doesn’t promptly offer to buy the house again, but the other man simply grins and that’s that. Steve meanwhile excuses himself into the bathroom and doesn’t take as long as Tony, who taps on his phone and then tells him that someone called Happy is coming to pick them up.
“But we’ll see you later,” Tony promises and looks at Bucky for a long time before crossing the few steps between them and grasps his hand. “I would have never believed that I would trust something so unscientific as magic, but I trust you, Bucky,” he says solemnly but there is a twinkle in his eye.
That’s good to hear , Bucky guesses. “And I would have never believed that I would suddenly have two mates after believing for so long that a mate might not be out there for me.”
“Yeah, you beat me to it. It’s fast and overwhelming, right?”
Bucky nods and tells him the same as he told Steve. “But it feels good.”
“Is this what I get when I’m told to be a bit more open-minded?” Tony chuckles and finishes his coffee. When Bucky says nothing to that and just smiles, he draws an arm around Bucky’s hip and sighs.
“Please, don’t push this away, okay?” Bucky says. “It will be hard for all of us, but we can make it work.”
“I want this,” Tony draws him closer. “But don’t tell me this when I’ve had another nightmare that keeps me awake the whole night.” His face darkens a bit and Bucky feels it.
“I can imagine,” he tells him. “But we’re here for you and… maybe you should see someone about that.” Steve and him can offer only so much. Tony had gone through hell, Bucky sees no way out of this without professional help. Becca’s descent into the depths of depression was hard enough, never had he felt so helpless when she refused to see a therapist. It’s not something he wants to experience again.
“Pepper tells me the same over and over again,” Tony admits quietly and takes a deep breath. “Okay, maybe it’s time for a shrink.” He winks but Bucky only nods solemnly.
“But don’t do this just for us,” he says. “Do it for you. You deserve happiness.” Otherwise, it won’t work, as he’s seen firsthand. It had taken years for his sister until she finally could accept the help for herself and since then she’s thrived.
Tony sighs at that and then Steve comes back from his shower which is Bucky’s cue to excuse himself. He doesn’t want to let potential customers wait. “You can let yourself out,” he tells them and grabs his keys to hurry down the stairs. He’s already late when he opens the door to the store.
After a few minutes of hastily cleaning the saleroom, Steve and Tony appear to bid him goodbye with chaste kisses and then a black limousine parks in front of the store. Bucky watches as they get in and drive away, a part of the warmth leaving them and he misses it and them already. But they’ll see each other later, that’s what they promised.
****
It’s not always easy to be with Steve and Tony, but together they manage it just fine. In the past few weeks they were mainly at his place after Bucky closed the store and he occasionally went over a few times to their now shared apartment in the Stark Tower.
“Why don’t you just live with us?” Tony asks him one morning after they shared a kiss that tastes like coffee. “Here in my tower.”
“And not have to pay for rent anymore?” It’s not a bad thought, Bucky guesses. One he could get accustomed to. Although not a night has passed that they didn’t spend together, he likes the thought of them officially living together.
“Who says you don’t have to pay rent here?” Tony grins. “Just kidding. But seriously, consider it. Or is it Black Widow? Does she scare you?”
Bucky actually laughs. “Nah, not Nat. She’s nice.” Without Natasha’s consent, he would never tell them how they met. And whom she met through Bucky. Tony can prod as much as he likes and he likes that a lot. Good thing that Bucky already learns how to block out Tony’s voice when he gets like that. Tony doesn’t hold it against him anyway, his mood today is good after all.
Later that evening Tony has a surprise for them. Tony was giddy as he led Steve and Bucky to the large patio on the roof of the tower. Ever since Bucky started coming over, the outdoor plants are as plush as his own. The rooftop is decorated with large pillows to sit on or to just lay down and look at the first stars which already twinkled in the rapidly darkening sky.
“It’s not exactly a county fair,” Tony says and pops open a bottle of champagne. “But we have booze and candy,” he points to several bowls on the coffee table filled with candied almonds and of course strawberries in chocolate. “Aaand…” At his dramatic gesture with his free hand, the first firework shoots up and lights up the sky in silver and gold.
“Oh Tony,” Bucky says, wonderingly and Steve wraps an arm around his hips to draw him closer.
They’ve seen glimpses of the world through the other’s eyes and Steve swears that he and Tony could feel Bucky’s worry deep in their bones whenever they head out for Avengers’ business. Sometimes Bucky feels a punch to the guts and knows that Steve got hit by an enemy or there is a tiredness in his bones that comes from Tony. One night both Steve and him woke up, filled with the images of Tony’s nightmare and they held him for the rest of the night.
Seeing the fireworks, drinking expensive champagne (how Tony can attribute this to simple booze still baffles him sometimes), nibbling on the almonds and letting himself be fed the strawberries reminds Bucky of the good times they have. After a while, they just lie on the big, cushy pillows and look up at the sky filled with colorful sparkles.
“It’s so beautiful, Tony,” Bucky mumbles as he cuddles up between him and Steve. “Thank you.”
“You could have that every night,” Tony answers and Bucky can hear the cheeky grin on his lips.
“Really?”
“Mh-mhm.”
“Are you trying to seduce our mate with your rich lifestyle?” Steve asks fondly as his fingertips caress Tony’s cheek. When he pinches Tony lightly, Bucky feels it on his own cheek and smiles.
“Well, it’s working,” Bucky says. He likes his independence but being with Steve and Tony all the time gets more and more appealing. Not just because of Tony’s gifts that he likes to present. The media was in a frenzy when they got hold of Tony’s and Steve’s relationship and Tony did all he could to shield Bucky from it, sensing that it may be too much for him. But when they make it official, it would mean that he would be in their spotlight too. Maybe it’s time to risk that, seeing that it would come out eventually. “I would like to be with you all the time,” Bucky whispers, fearing for a moment that he was too quiet and they didn’t hear him. But there is a rush of white-hot warmth through the bond.
“You sure?” Steve murmurs.
“We’ll make an interview to let the world know, just nice and cozy,” Tony adds.
That sounds too good to be true but Bucky takes it and nods. “Okay,” he just sighs and snuggles into their embrace, looking up at the night sky.
The fireworks have stopped by now and their gentle touches turn to demanding kisses.
“Is the door to the rooftop locked?” Bucky asks between two kisses as he slowly loses his clothes by Steve’s hands and Tony nods.
“No sudden visitors tonight. J will make sure of it.”
Reassured Bucky lies back to let himself be kissed by Steve and feels Tony rummaging around the pillows.
“Lube and condoms?” Steve laughs. “You planned for this.”
“Had a feeling,” Tony grins and joins them again.
They take their time, with Tony kissing his way down Bucky’s neck where Steve already left a tender bruise. Bucky hears his own quiet gasps for breath as Steve’s slick fingers gently prepare him and soon there are fireworks of different kinds as stars explode before his eyes. Steve has found that sweet spot so fast already, rubbing it so tenderly, Bucky has to stifle a sob.
“Everything okay?” He hears Tony ask, unnecessarily. The answer to that is a hot kiss, dancing tongues and he wraps his arms around Tony as Steve slowly enters him. There is Tony’s warm, calloused hand around his shaft, stroking him in time with the lazy rhythm they fall into and it doesn’t take much for Bucky to come hard, clenching around Steve.
There’s so much warmth around him. Tony’s blue-white heat and Steve blazing like the golden sun.
“We love you so much,” he hears them saying and can only smile in return, sinking back into Tony’s embrace with Steve still in him.
“I love you too, you know,” Bucky answers them after a moment of searching for his voice as Steve begins to move inside him again, chasing his own release. Bucky reaches around for Tony and his hand gets covered by Tony’s when he touches Tony’s hard and leaking cock.
“You two are making me so hot,” Tony groans and comes in no time when Bucky strokes him just right, squeezing here and there, rubbing the tip. Just as he likes it.
Sweat cools on their bodies as they lie in the darkness on their soft pillows and slowly Bucky drifts into a dreamlike state. The city never sleeps but here they lie on the rooftop, content and sated and he feels himself falling asleep, barely catching on to Steve carrying him inside.
~*~
Tony’s workshop is lit in the shining light of the setting sun. Bucky hears the clanging of Tony’s hammer, tinkering at his workbench as he enters the room. Steve is already there, sketching Tony as he works on something Bucky can’t seem to recognize. It’s a serene scene.
“There you are,” Tony smiles at him and Steve puts aside his pen.
They both smile at Bucky and beckon him closer. It’s one of these dreams. They share a lot of them, almost every night. Tony’s nightmares are becoming more and more infrequent and as Bucky thinks of that he’s embraced by both Steve and Tony.
Electric-blue light engulfs him and Steve’s golden sunlight joins in. He could drown in their love. Their encompassing love, this never-ending affection. He receives their bond and in turn gives his. Around them Bucky feels the Web of Fate, ever-knowing. He bid it and all the gods his thanks for bringing him his mates. He loves them so much even if it sometimes hurts.
But it’s so good.
Soon the sun will rise again and Bucky’s home .
~*~