Speak of the devil and (s)he appears?
“I honestly think you’re lucky.” Clint confessed, throwing a tennis ball towards the ceiling and catching it from where he laid on a cream colored lounge chair. The glint from his platinum wedding band glimmered on his finger. He and Buck had been married three years now.
“Who me or the dog?” Tony replied from where he was sitting reading in an armchair.
“Both of you I guess,” Clint replied, sitting up twirling the tennis ball on his finger before throwing it across the room.
A chocolate lab puppy immediately bound after it yipping happily. The dog slid on the floor past the ball which bounced on the wall over it’s head and right into the wall.
“Oh Lucky.” Clint said, shaking his head and trying to hold in a laugh as the puppy quickly got up and continued its pursuit. “But I am serious. Steve really does love you, Tony. And it’s clear to everyone who sees the two of you.”
Tony buried his nose further into the book he was “reading”. “Perhaps. But it’s only until his soulmate shows up if they ever do.”
“So it’s the same for you?” Clint asked getting up to get the tennis ball from the puppy’s mouth.
“Never how could you say that!” Tony snapped the book shut. “You know I love Steve!”
“Then why don’t you apply the same rules to Steve.” Clint asked, manhandling the ball from his dog’s mouth ignoring the puppy’s indignant whimper. “Relax, Lucky.” He said petting the puppy’s head.
“Because it’s different! Some amazing person is going to show up one of these days and sweep Steve off his feet and he’ll just forget about me.” Tony sounded so exacerbated and annoyed with this whole conversation. It felt like a dialogue that had been going on for years already. (It was indeed a dialogue that had been going on for years already.)
“I really doubt it.” Clint said with a shrug gently throwing the ball again and watching his puppy run after it clumsily. “You guys have been together forever and Steve’s proposed to you twice already-“
“I know that.” Tony said, putting the book down. “But I can’t. If we got married and then Steve found his match…” the idea of having to divorce Steve so he could be with someone else took Tony to a dark place.
“I think you’re over complicating it.” Clint sighed, noticing the dark look on his friend’s face. “You have the right to be happy Tony. And Steve definitely makes you happy so what if you don’t have matching birthmarks.”
“Easy for the guy married to his soulmate to say.” Tony’s rebuttal was salty and bitter as hell. “I’m going to the kitchen.” He said walking out of the room ignoring the fact the puppy was bound off behind him.
Clint groaned and got up to follow them.
In the spacious modern kitchen Tony was now sitting at the counter top on a stool drinking a glass of water.
Across the room in the open floor plan Lucky was couched down low and slowly creeping towards a white fluffy ball sleeping in a sunny spot on the floor.
“Oh that’s probably going to end in violence.” Clint said dismissively as the puppy slowly and clumsily inched his way closer to the cat on the floor. By the time Clint got to the fridge a loud angry hiss escaped the living room followed by a startled yelp.
While they had done proper introductions for Alpine and Lucky, the eldest child did not seem keen on getting to know or like the new addition. To be fair Clint wasn’t even sure if she really liked him. They could barely share a couch without her giving him a side eye some days.
“Shouldn’t you go check on the puppy?” Tony asked as the cat jumped up onto the counter and head butt him in the hand. “Alpine, why are you mean to that baby?”
Alpine let out a meow and ran her tail across Tony’s face.
“Lucky has to learn how to approach Alpine. She’ll teach him.” Clint replied dismissively. Though he would make sure Lucky was okay later.
The talking after that devolved into plans for the weekend and Clint’s latest updates about the dog trading academy he was building.
The two had grown a much closer friendship over the years as their respective others literally seemed to live inside one another’s skin sometimes. Honestly Steve and Bucky took being best friends to an almost unholy level. And as a result Clint and Tony spent a lot of time together.
(Not even mentioning the fact they’re neighbors.)
—
Speaking of said best friends they were ending a game of doubles tennis. The four men walked off the court and over to a table to relax and cool off after a rather intense match.
“Nice match point.” Bucky said, popping open his water bottle and spraying some of the water into his mouth. He enjoyed playing the deuce side because he had a stronger volley than Steve and was better equipped to return Brock’s serves and pace.
Sometimes it felt like it was just the two brothers out there playing singles their partners long forgotten. The two brothers had been partners all through most of their youth and for a bit of college too. Now as adults they still enjoyed their weekly games regardless of if its singles or doubles.
Brock liked to try to catch Steve watching if he could for easy points. He always caught Steve at least once a game sleeping or watching on the ad side.
“It was a good game, only caught Rogers sleeping twice.” Brock replied, opening up a protein bar. “Eat this.” He almost shoved the bar into the other man’s face.
Sam snatched the bar out of his husband’s hands and then replaced it with a water bottle, “Thanks now drink that.”
Brock made an annoyed sound but drank from the bottle anyway.
Steve watched the two for a moment. They really gave Steve hope that he and Tony could really make it even though their marks didn’t match.
Both Sam and Brock had found their soulmates and were instead married to each other. Both men had platonic soulmates who even after meeting weren’t interested in more than being friends. They often had what was coined as “pure bonds”. And some of the best friendships were formed from these bonds.
Then men kept up with the small talk as they walked back across the sports club to the kid center.
“Trust me, Buck don’t have kids.” Brock said as two rambunctious kids ran out of the play area and right to his legs. He let out a groan keeping himself upright.
They began to chat excitedly over one another at him about what they had been doing. Their speech a mix of words and sounds.
Slower than his sisters came a boy who went right over to Sam and offered him his hand.
Sam chuckled and took the boy’s hand, “Did you have a good time at kid’s club?”
The boy nodded, “Did you beat uncle Bucky and Stevie?”
“Of course, you know how much Ima hates losing.” Sam replied with a wink.
The boy laughed at that.
“Like I said don’t do it.” Brock said having to walk with two five year old ankle weights attached to his legs that giggled with each step he took.
“Clint and I are good with animals for now, thanks.” Bucky replied, “Though I tell you Steve, puppy’s are so much more difficult than kittens.”
Steve shrugged. Honestly he’d wanted to talk to Tony about maybe having a kid or two. But when his boyfriend refused to even get engaged a kid seemed like a tough sell.
Bucky patted Steve on the back as if he could sense the blonde’s thoughts. “You’ll get through to him eventually Stevie.”
“I know… I just wish Tony wouldn’t…” Steve paused. It wasn’t fair that he understood his boyfriend’s hesitations and fears. Even though he didn’t know Tony in his previous engagements he did have to deal with their aftermath everyday. And even still he loved Tony. Regardless of all that he still wanted to be with Tony.
There wasn’t anyone else.
“Sometimes I just wish I’d meet this person.” Steve said motioning towards his wrist now uncovered, “So we could get it over with and then Tony and I could just move on from this.” He was so frustrated about this whole thing. Twice Tony had turned down his proposal even though they lived together and did everything together.
“I know Steve, I know.” Bucky replied sympathetically.
Sam offered him some encouragement. The guy had a lot of practice at it as a licensed therapist.
Brock didn’t have much to add as he was now carrying their son on his back and the two girls on his legs while reminding them he was not a tree to be climbed. The children all just laughed at his statement.
The two older men and their kids parted ways with the friends at the pro shop. Bucky had said he needed to go inside and pick up some supplies.
Bucky walked into the pro shop and made his way to pick up some new string and grip tape. He’d be leaving his racket here to be restrung and he'll pick it up later.
The woman at the checkout counter was new. He’d never seen her before. He offered her a kind smile as he placed his items down and began to fill out his card to have his racket restrung and grip replaced.
They were having pleasant small talk when he caught sight of it. There on her uncovered left wrist was Steve’s mark. Well he assumed it was her mark too.
“Oh shit.” He said out loud, startling them both.
The woman looked at him confused, “What was that?”
“Nothing my phone buzzed in my pocket.” Bucky recovered quickly reaching for his phone.
Fuck fuck fuck…. His mind raced. What was he supposed to do with that information?
Before Bucky had time to question the morality and ethics of the info he had just learned Steve wondered over, because of course he would.
“Buck what’s taking so lo-“ he choked on his words as he caught sight of the mark on the girl’s wrist.
How did the phrase go? Speak of the devil and (s)he appears?