It was an unnerving sight.
It took all he had to not growl openly at the Winter Soldier. Only Steve’s steady, firm hand on his shoulder kept him grounded.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
Everything had been thought through and it had made sense. It had been the right choice.
It was just that nothing had happened like he had wanted.
The Winter Soldier was in Tony’s lap, purring and headbutting the man as if the murderous thing was a giant, snuggling cat instead of a murderer and security threat.
It made Bucky’s blood boil seeing the man like that, already succeeding in getting Tony to sneak a hand into the long brown hair to scratch him behind his ears.
The genius had his STARKpad in the other hand and was reading the newspapers, discarding his coffee- His godforsaken coffee!- to pet the former assassin. Winter, or Snowflake as Tony called the soldier, purred happy and closed his eyes, his back open and vulnerable to Natasha who watched it all with silent curiosity.
Bucky knew he had no right to feel that jealous. Tony could decide himself whom he wanted to pet. Whom he wanted to snuggle up to him and curl around his lean form. It just wasn’t fair.
He had tried to get rid of the program, get rid of the Soldier to finally be able to ask Tony out.
Instead the Soldier had become his own person. Got an own body and before anyone could do anything he had latched onto Tony, not to kill him but to snuggle up and purr.
Fucking purr.
Tony, his Tony had been smitten by the damn murder Cyborg and instead of getting rid of him he had decided to take care of him. He had embraced him and told him that everything would turn out fine. They could solve it together.
“He can’t do that, can he?”
Bucky hissed to Steve grabbing his best friends arm while the murder kitten opened one of his eyes and stared at him almost smug.
“He’s mocking me.”
“He’s sleeping Buck. Nat is looking out for Tony. Nothing will happen. Let’s make something to eat.”
It took all of Steve’s strength to drag Bucky away from the sight. Bucky could still feel those mocking eyes on himself, now not only from the thing, but from Natasha too. Damn them. Why didn’t they see what he was? That murderer could do anything to Tony. He could kill him in his sleep. God forbid that he take him to bed to cuddle with him!
Surely the thing only wanted to *cuddle* - more like cut Tony’s throat.
“Bucky, you’re acting ridiculous.”
Startled, he stared at Steve who shook his head.
“Could you perhaps stop growling? And stop killing the poor plum. It’s not alive and it won’t attack you when you’re trying to eat it. In fact, nothing in here needs to be killed.”
Bucky looked down to his metal hand where a plum was sitting. Well, more like the miserable remains of a plum. He sighed and went to the sink, shaking out his hand and trying to get the fruit out of the plates. He hated doing that. Something always stayed behind and he really didn’t want Tony to think he didn’t care about his gift. His gift.
Tony had gifted both of them an arm, made as they wanted. Bucky had first wanted a normal looking arm but when he saw the joy in Tony’s face over Winter’s choice, he had only choked out that he wanted a metal one with all features.
Whatever all features included.
Tony had started to talk and explain, but Bucky had only had eyes for the murder kitten and for the lovely engineer, not for the arm itself. Of course it was nice. Tony had made it and he had done so stunningly well. Bucky just couldn’t look at anything other than Tony’s face and his eyes and his booty and the damn man snuggling his back. Bucky hated it.
He wasn’t able to meet Tony without his new attachment and Tony didn’t seem to mind. Not at all. In fact he looked way happier than before.
It hurt.
Tony should be happy with him.
That had been the plan.
Not with- that thing.
Happy with Bucky at his side.
Bucky had everything planned out.
After the destruction of the Winter Soldier program, he would have taken Tony out on a date. He would have asked him to go out, into the world, where they would have joked. Bucky would have asked him for his interests, would have taken him out on a dance. Maybe he would have gotten a kiss out of it. Bucky would have gone all gentleman on him.
But no.
He couldn’t meet Tony without the damn man. The soldier answered his glaring with one of his own. Tony seemed to find it cute. Yeah. No fucking way.
“I want him gone.”
Bucky hissed to Steve who silently prepared the sandwiches and nodded, as if it was clear for everyone.
“I know.”
“I want him dead.”
Steve sighed soft and shook his head, not buying anything Bucky was saying at all. Maybe he shouldn’t want it. And maybe he’s acting childish when he crosses his arms in front of his chest.
“You don’t.”
“Yes. I do.”
There was a pained noise behind his back and when Bucky turned, he could see Winter leaving the room, followed by a concerned looking Tony who turned again to smile sadly at Bucky.
“I’ll tell him that he misheard you. Please don’t hate him.”
With that Tony was gone and Bucky hid his face in his hands.
“Good god.”
Bucky had fucked up bad. He knew.
“Buck-”
“Oh shut up. Couldn’t you warn me that they were standing in the hallway, listening to me?”
He knew he was unfair, knew that Steve only wanted to help. He knew that Steve was worried because he acted funny after they were separated. His best friend knew about his crush, about what he had wanted to do. Steve had been worried, but understanding and had tried to help him.
It was just that he seemed to think Winter to be cute too.
Bucky had actually caught him petting his hair. The soldier had leaned into the touch with a soft and pleased expression. Of course he did, he got all the attention while everyone was shunning Bucky. That was a bit far fetched, but it seemed like they liked the Murder Program more than him.
Bucky could see that Steve wanted to calm him down, but he shoved him away, hissing that he wanted to be alone, and fled the kitchen. He didn’t want to talk to anyone now. He didn’t want to hear Steve’s lecture that he should act like a grown up. Like a fucking adult.
He hated it.
He felt good and at the same time like he was a real dumbass as he threw himself onto the bed and kicking into the pillow, before dragging it near to hug it. Bucky curled around the pillow and buried his face in it.
He hated this century.
***********************
Bucky didn’t know when he fell asleep. His head hurt a bit from crying himself into a short nap, but that wasn’t why he was awake.
Someone was in the room.
For a second he laid still. The next moment he had a gun trained on the intruder, his eye twitching when he saw himself standing in the middle of the room. Well, not himself but the part of himself he wanted to be gone.
Bucky lowered the weapon when the man didn’t flinch, didn’t move an inch.
“Fucking creep.”
Bucky tucked the gun back under his pillow and sat up so that he could lean against the headboard.
“What the fuck do you want here?”
The room was dark but Bucky didn’t need light to see the man flinch. The serum helped with the nightvision. He was curious what the man wanted in here. His anger was gone, left only an empty feeling in his stomach. Bucky didn’t know what he wanted. They had never been alone since they were separated.
“You want to be with Tony.”
Yeah, no kidding. Of course he wanted to be with Tony. He was head over heels for the man.
“You can- you can have him if you want.” The whisper was almost too quiet to be heard. Not for a supersoldier like Steve or Bucky, though.
“What did you just say?”
“I can- You’re better with him. I can’t give him what he wants.”
Bucky frowned. Trying to get the man to talk was like pulling teeth.
With a loud, exasperated sigh he shook his head. Seriously?
“Sit.”
Bucky patted to the bed next to him, rolling his eyes when the man followed the order immediately. At least he was following orders. A tiniest bit of himself felt bad for the man who sat on the bed, muscles stiff like he would break apart any second. Now that he was nearer Bucky could see that he must have cried too. Because of what Bucky had told him? Well, more like what he’d overheard.
Bucky shouldn’t feel sorry about that, shouldn’t feel that pang of guilt coiling in his chest. Winter acted like a cat or a child. Sometimes he didn’t understand things, and it was just plain mean of Bucky to act like that. He knew it and it didn’t help him one bit right now.
“Come on. What’s the matter.”
Lying a hand on Winter’s back was enough for the man to break down and tackle Bucky right back into the pillows. There was no ill intent behind it, otherwise Bucky would have been dead long ago. Instead, a dam seemed to have broken and Bucky could feel Winter shaking. Crying? Bucky blinked in confusion.
Carefully he closed his arms around the body - and wasn’t it strange to hug himself?
“Hey… It’s okay. It’s okay.”
The man was crying, Bucky could feel his body shaking violently and his shirt soaking from tears. There was nothing he could do but wait until the shaking mess had calmed down a bit. Bucky sighed and shifted a bit, trying to get a more comfortable position, all the while drawing circles on Winter’s back.
Somehow that really wasn’t what he had expected. The whole situation was worse now that he felt like the biggest asshole on the planet. Winter was not murderous, instead he was kind and cute and very cuddly. He sought out bodycontact whenever he was able to. At first he had flinched from everyone else, only allowing Tony near him. It had taken reassuring and soft words from Tony to let Steve and Nat touch him. After he had encountered no pain for getting pats he was mostly found sitting on everyone, cuddling, hugging, touching. Usually on Tony.
Never Bucky.
Winter seemed to be wary of him, perhaps because Bucky had been mean to him from day one.
He sighed again.
Now with Winter in his arms, comforting him, he felt bad. Winter had been so nice and Bucky hadn’t given him a chance at all.
Bucky lost track of time. He didn’t know how long they laid there like that.
With a bit of a struggle he had managed to drag a blanket over both of them. They couldn’t get cold very fast, but if Winter was even a tad bit like him then he hated the cold.
The sobbing had quieted down a bit, but Bucky waited for Winter to talk again. He didn’t want to put pressure on him.
Winter wriggled a bit until his face was pressed into the crook of Bucky’s neck and murmured something incomprehensible.
“I’m sorry can you please repeat that?”
“I don’t want to lose him.”
Ah.
It was clear who Winter meant by “him”.
“Then why do you want to give him to me?”
Bucky didn’t understand. Couldn’t understand. It made no sense. Why latch onto Tony, then shove him away when he clearly had the best chances?
“He likes you and you like him. I know that he wants to have sex with you.”
“Huh?”
Winter buried his face deeper, not so deep that Bucky couldn’t still see the blush on his face, his neck and his eartips. He was pretty sure he didn’t blush like that himself.
“He- he moaned your name in the shower. I thought he was hurt but there was a finger in his butt and he was touching himself.”
Bucky’s mouth went dry. He didn’t know if the man sounded pouting or offended. Maybe he didn’t care. The only thing he had in his mind was Tony standing naked in his shower, touching himself while moaning Bucky’s name. Maybe his forehead was pressed against the cold tiles to support himself? The water droplets glistening on his naked back, one of them slowly dropping into the crack where-
“There. I knew you liked him.”
Winter frowned at Bucky and shifted a bit in the embrace so their hips didn’t meet. How he was still able to lie almost completely on Bucky was a mystery.
“You like him too.”
“Yeah. But not like that. I want to hug him and kiss him and cuddle and not- I don’t know why we should do that. It’s boring. I tried the thing with the hand but it’s really, really boring and I don’t want to do boring things with Tony.”
Bucky stayed quiet for a bit, pondering over that. He wasn’t sure if he could help Winter with that, nor if Tony would really be bothered that Winter didn’t like sex.
“You don’t need to do that with him if you don’t like it. He will still like you.”
“But I like his face when he thinks of you.”
Ah.
Well. That was kinda interesting. The blush on Winters face was deepening and he shuffled around a bit clearly uncomfortable until Bucky felt something brushing his hip. Oh. He looked into Winter’s face who had averted his eyes and looked anywhere but at Bucky.
“Look I’m trying to understand. Is it uncomfortable for you to have an erection?” More blushing and a shy shake of Winter’s head was the answer.
“Does it happen when you think of Tony?” A nod this time, still not looking into Bucky’s eyes.
“Would you feel disgusted if Tony would touch you?” Winter froze, then shook his head almost violently.
“Is it disgusting for you when I touch you?”
Another shake of Winter’s head, this time followed by a shy looking up into Bucky’s eyes. Winter didn’t look disgusted, more curious and shy and somehow not knowing what to do.
Bucky sighed and rearranged them, Winter lying on top of him, still snuggling but this time their hips were touching and Bucky could feel his half hard member.
“There, that bad?”
Winter shook his head, lying it onto Bucky’s chest as much as he could with them both having the same height.
“I thought you wouldn’t like that. It’s okay to lie like this. I just thought you hate me.”
Bucky was silent for a long time, just caressing Winter’s back and hearing for their heartbeat, they had the same rhythm, almost the same smell. They were almost the same in everything and still there were little differences. Bucky sighed.
“I don’t hate you. I was jealous because you did what I didn’t dare. You were all over Tony from the second I tried to- I tried to get rid of you.” Bucky strengthened the hug around Winter before he continued to talk. “You were cute and funny and not at all murderous as I thought in the first instance. Well I didn’t know that you could become a real person. I was just overwhelmed and then you fitted right in where I didn’t know how to deal with it all of a sudden.”
“I was scared too.”
Winter sighed quiet and shook his head careful to not disturb Bucky.
“I could feel everything what you felt. You felt love and affection and people touched you. When- When I tried to come out people never touched me. They were scared. They wanted me gone and tried to get you back. I just wanted to be held like that. The only one never scared was Tony, he touched me and gave me something to eat. He touched the arm and my shoulder and he ruffled my hair. He wasn’t scared at all and he didn’t let me feel like I was a monster. He didn’t hate me.”
Bucky could hear the ‘like you’ ringing loud in the room. Winter was right. He had hated him, but now he couldn’t bring himself to, only felt sad for treating him like that, making him fear like this.
“I- When we were seperated I knew I didn’t have much time. I needed to hug Tony, one time. I just wanted to feel that once. I knew I would die and I thought he would shove me away, but he didn’t. Nothing of that happened, he hugged me back and it was the best feeling I ever had.”
Winter was shaking, he didn’t suppress it, that was something Bucky could learn from him. Winter was all feelings. He showed them. Showed his expressions when he liked something, when he feared something. Bucky hadn’t known that Winter had thought they would kill him. Somehow it made him nauseous that the man needed to fear that the whole time and still managed to smile. It made much more sense now. He had tried to get as much out of the little time he thought he had left. He had been desperate and scared and Bucky hadn’t seen it. He had been to consumed in his own hate and fear that he hadn’t seen the other part of himself scared and lonely.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Winter. I didn’t want to hurt you, not like that. I wanted to be angry at you and hate you, but I know it was mean and not very kind of me. You don’t deserve that. I’m sorry.”
He was sorry. Winter didn’t deserve that.
“I am sorry to interrupt, Sergeant but Sir is worried about Winter. He was in distress when he left Mr. Stark and didn’t return. Shall I inform him that he is safe with you?”
Bucky smiled when he heard the AI sounding almost pleased.
“No, don’t tell him, J. We will go to him and show, okay?”
It might be strange but he had a plan.
Somehow.
“That sounds like a splendid idea.”
At least he thought so until he looked into Winter’s face. The man looked scared as hell.
“What-”
“I told him.”
He told him. He told him what exactly?
“I told him that I killed his parents.”
Winter curled around a pillow but instead of burying his face in it and cry, he glared at Bucky. Only indication that something wasn’t right were the trembling fingers almost ripping the pillow apart.
“You told him about his parents? When? And mostly why? Why now?”
“He told me that you’re wrong and that I don’t deserve to die. But I do. I told him I do and then he told me that we’re both wrong. I told him that I killed his parents and that I deserve to die, to suffer. That he should kill me and I screamed at him but he wanted to hug me and told me that I’m still wrong and that he already knew. He told me that it wasn’t us. Wasn’t you and wasn’t me. He- he is wrong. It was all me.”
“Oh Winter.”
Bucky sighed and shook his head, slowly walking to the bed and grabbing Winter, who didn’t defend himself, into a tight embrace. At first he froze, not fighting back but also not running before he started to cry again, his fingers buried into Bucky’s shirt. The stains on his shirt from before weren’t even dried.
“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry-”
It hurt Bucky that he had brought Winter to think he hated him. They belonged to each other. They were one. They shouldn’t be like this.
Bucky sighed and kissed Winter on his hair.
“You don’t need to cry. Tony doesn’t lie. It sounds like he knew the whole time and gave us the choice to decide when to tell him. It was very brave of you to tell him. I’m glad this is out I feared he would hate me. Us. But Tony is a bigger man than that. He’s kind and sweet. He’s everything. We should do everything to make him happy. You already do, Winter. He knew about his parents, but he still hugs you. He still eats your sandwiches and whatever that burned charcoal last time could have been. He smiles so much more since you’re with him.”
Bucky’s voice trailed off, not wanting to tell Winter that this was why he had been jealous. Tony was so much happier with Winter now, there was no place for him.
“But he likes you more, I’ve told you.”
Bucky sighed.
“Winter. You know that you can love a person too, without needing to go to bed with them. Yes, most of us want sex, but it’s not that important when someone loves you. He’s still loving you. Come on, he’s worried about you. You don’t want him to be worried do you?”
Winter shook his head, his eyes still red rimmed and glassy from tears.
“I don’t want him to worry.”
Bucky tried to smile reassuring, held out his right hand and waited for Winter to take it. He did. Not looking convinced to leave bed and meet Tony, but it was important to do it. For all three of them.
It didn’t take long to get to Tony’s room. Everyone had their own floor- there was even one for Bucky and one for Winter - but somehow everyone chose to live on the common floor. They only retreated to their floors when they needed some alone time. Everyone had a rough time once in a while and it was nice to sit back and don’t be bothered.
Bucky loved it. It felt like home, like family. He missed that and he was glad Steve had found a new family after everything that had happened to him and he was glad that he was allowed to share this experience too.
Winter’s feet slowed when they arrived in the hallway outside Tony’s bedroom. Bucky took his time and let him be, let him choose his own speed until he was ready to face the man he obviously adored and loved. Winter looked so scared.
Just as Bucky wanted to open his mouth to talk to him, the door opened.
“Snowflake. Oh thank god.”
There was no time to react, Tony just grabbed Winter and dragged him into a tight embrace, one hand around his back, one in Winter’s hair to pull him closer.
“You found him. Thank you so much.”
Bucky tried to smile, but seeing them like this, watching Tony fearing for Winter’s safety, it hurt. He knew there was no place for him in that.
“Oh come on. I hate it when you both look at me like that.”
Tony opened his arms and dragged Bucky into the hug too.
“You’re both stupid idiots. Come on. I don’t want to stay here all night, you’re both getting back into bed and then I demand snuggles and know what the hell is happening.”
Surprised Bucky let himself be dragged into Tony’s room. It was the first time ever and he couldn’t help to look around. Somehow he felt a bit disappointed that no robots were to be seen.
“They are in his workshop. They love to play fetch.”
Bucky blushed, were he that obvious?”
“Winter asked the same question. You are both very alike and yes, you are always welcomed in the workshop. You were from day one.”
Bucky let that sink through. Tony knew about his parents death and he still trusted them to go down and visit him in his workshop. A small voice reminded him that there were also all the weapons, but Bucky knew from Steve that Tony didn’t allow everyone in his workshop. It was his sacred place. His own floor.
Tony waited for them to sit down onto the bed, Winter snuggled into Bucky’s side, his gaze on the ground. He was slightly twitching when Tony sighed audibly.
“First of all. You are both idiots. You are old and experienced idiots and I’m not ready to be the most responsible adult in a relationship. Yes. Don’t look so surprised Buckybear. I don’t know if you really didn’t get it, but now I think you suppress your feelings a lot. Please. Don’t interrupt me, just let me talk.”
Tony started to walk in front of them, his hands waving in the air. Bucky always loved how little he was able to stand still, how he radiated with energy.
“I like you. Really like you. At first when I found the video of my parents- it hurt. Hurt a lot. But before and after I found tapes of you. I knew it wasn’t out of your free will. My father he - he spoke highly of you and Steve. He wouldn’t want you to be hurt so I tried to help Steve. Help him to find you and then help you to deal with what had been done to you. No one of us can relate, no one of us needed to live through any of that shit. But all of us has problems, nightmares, fears.”
Tony stopped walking and looked at them, Winter was sneaking a look at him from behind long hair, still to shy or too embarrassed to look at him full on. Not like Bucky. His eyes didn’t leave Tony at all.
“I don’t hate you. Didn’t hate you before and don’t hate you now. Never. I was deeply hurt and there was hate, but not at you. At HYDRA. At every asshole out there hurting someone so brave and funny and loyal. I liked the stories of this James my Dad told me. I liked the man out of Steve’s memories. Both of them are gone. In their place is a new guy, well now even two. I want you to allow me to learn about you. To get to know you. I am blunt here, I was never good with waiting. I like both of you. I wanna get to know you, spend time with you. You’re both precious to me and I don’t want to lose either.”
Tony stopped and stared at Bucky, panic slowly creeping into wide brown eyes.
“I mean. You *do* like me too, don’t you? I didn’t read it wrong? If you’re uncomfortable now or think I’m a creep, please shoot me right now.”
Bucky stared at him, how Tony fidgeted with his hands and suddenly so vulnerable that it almost broke his heart. Damn those two. Without second a thought he grabbed one of Tony’s hands and dragged him closer. Catching him when the brown haired genius stumbled over his own two feet and right into Bucky’s waiting arms.
He took a moment to just enjoy the warm body in his hold, Winter pressed into his side, his observant look trained at both of them.
“You’re an idiot too.”
He whispered before he took Tony’s face in both of his hands. Tony was half kneeling in his lap and he would be damned if he didn’t enjoy every second of it. Careful, as to not scare the man he pressed their lips together. Soft and chaste, giving Tony time to back away, to flee out of Bucky’s grasp.
Instead Tony whined like an injured animal, pressed himself closer and returned the kiss eager like a dying man searching for water in the desert. Bucky laughed breathless into the kiss, startled by the sudden eagerness and returned the kiss to show how much he wanted it. God. He had waited for so long. Bucky didn’t know how long they kissed, he didn’t even know when he had closed his eyes. When he finally opened it there were curious blue eyes, staring at them in a flushed face.
“Hi.”
The one word was shy, curious and Bucky leaned sideways, not thinking about what he was doing and kissed his spitting image softly on the lips. Winter returned the kiss too, just not like Tony. It was careful and slow.
“Oh man. It’s so sad Winter doesn’t like sex, I would pay money to watch you both together.”
Bucky interrupted the kiss and stared at Tony in surprise.
“You know?”
“Of course I know. We talked about it. I tried to explain to him that it’s okay. It’s okay to wait and it’s also okay if nothing like that ever happens. I really like you both and I don’t want to lose one of you. I won’t lie. It would be something I miss but I have two hands and I could build myself something to hmpf-”
“Good god.” Bucky pressed a hand on Tony’s mouth to make him stop. “Don’t scare him.”
Bucky poked Tony into the side, playfully only to make the man squirm in his lap.
“Someone ticklish over there?”
Bucky grinned wolfishly, his fingers dancing over Tony’s sides, Winter watching with big almost innocent eyes, both listening to the carefree laughs, gasps and pleas for mercy.
“He’s built a vibration mode into both of our arms. Bet he will regret that.”
Bucky snorted and shook his head, innocent. Hah!
“Et tu, Snowflake.”
Tony gasped in mock defeat, wiping away the tears in his eyes. His face was lit up in a giant smile so Bucky didn’t fear overstepping his boundaries when he sneaked an arm around Winter’s waist and dragged him into an awkward threesome hug.
“So I guess you’ve talked to each other?”
Bucky smirked when Winter giggled and whispered loud into his ear. “They call him a genius for a reason.”
“Rude!”
The instant pout was a cute thing on Tony’s face and Bucky resisted the urge to kiss it away.
“Yes Tony, we talked. I’ve been a jealous asshole and we both really like you. There will be more talking involved between the three of us, if we want this to function. Actually I would love to take you out on a date. I wanted to do that right after getting well rid of the programming, but I would like to take both of you to a date. To get to know each other. I didn’t know you had your own personality Winter, I’m really sorry for not wanting to know you. I hope you will forgive me one day for how I treated you.”
“I’m sorry too. I knew I would hurt you and was too selfish to give up Tony. Or to talk to you.”
“There will be a lot talking in the future, I fear. Seriously I am not good at talking. Good at babbling, but not about - feelings. I’m more the doing and watching what happens type of a guy.”
Bucky nodded, he could do with not so much talking, even though they should talk a lot. It was just too tiresome right now.
“We should go to bed. Winter looks as if he’s falling asleep any second. It was a long day and I’m glad we’re going to talk about it. I’ll leave you two alone and go back, we can talk tomorrow.”
Tony’s face morphed into a frown and Bucky found himself in a aggressive hug, legs around his waist.
“And where do you think you are going? You are not allowed to leave us alone now.”
“I don’t want you to go either, please don’t leave us.”
Warmth bloomed in Bucky’s chest and he smiled at both of them.
“If it’s okay to stay, then I will stay of course. I don’t want to be separated from any of you.”
It was the truth.
He was in love with Tony and Winter wasn’t that bad either. In fact he came to like the cuddle starved murder kitten.
It should have been awkward to cuddle close to them both, to hug them and fall asleep spooning Winter who somehow ended in the middle. It wasn’t. It felt right.
Winter had insisted for Tony to lie in the middle, but both of them had agreed to ignore that and just hugged the exhausted man and dragged him into the middle. It was nice to lie there like that, watching Winter falling asleep while Tony’s hand was searching Bucky’s to entangle their fingers. Both pressed against Winter. What a wonderful way to fall asleep.
In fact Bucky started to love naptime.
Mostly when it involved Tony sitting on a couch, Winter’s head on his one leg and Bucky’s on the other. There wasn’t much he could do to work when he petted both their hairs, but neither Winter nor Bucky would allow working at naptime. Bucky didn’t care for their friends looks either. He just flipped them off with his middle finger, closing his eyes and turning on Tony’s leg to snuggle his face into Tony’s belly.
Yeah.
He could totally understand why Tony was their favourite pillow.
Bucky could hear Tony’s soft laugh and Winter’s quiet snore, lulling him into sleep.
He could live like that.
There was still a lot of talking to do, but they would manage.
As long as Tony’s fingers didn’t stop moving.