Bucky and Steve are out in the park for the first time in forever and it is a much needed break. Lately all kinds of people summoned them to make deals, and that leaves little to no time for some privacy. It was only a few minutes of silent walking before Steve turns around to him, apologetic smile on his face.
"Oh, this can't be real," Bucky exclaims and Steve helplessly shrugs.
"I'm sorry. But someone is desperate to lose their soul. Who am I to say no to that?"
"Yeah, yeah. Just go. But make sure to be home tonight. Send Natasha or Clint if you have to but I want one evening for us!"
Steve leans in to kiss him chastely, a whispered "I will" on his lips, before he vanishes. Bucky decides that he doesn't really want to go back to an empty flat and so he keeps on walking.
It isn't long before he comes across a man on a bench, obviously depressed and lonely, and Bucky decides to work as well. The man looks like the ideal victim to earn another soul tonight and Bucky casually sits next to him.
The man doesn't even look up at him, just mumbles "I'd prefer to be alone. And I won't give an interview."
That last statement prompts Bucky to take a closer look at the human and he realizes it's Tony Stark. Demons all over the world have heard about him, his weapons sent a lot of people to hell or heaven, but lately no one heard anything about the guy.
Bucky had assumed that he must have died, but he hadn't bothered to look into it, but now he realizes that Tony was very much still alive.
"I'm not a reporter," he says after a long minute and Tony tenses further.
"No matter what you want, I won't give it to you," he says, but still doesn't look at Bucky, eyes closed and face buried in his hands.
"This is more about what you want, gorgeous," Bucky tells him, and that prompts Tony to finally lift his head.
He looks tired and worn out and Bucky finds himself wishing he could help him. Really help him, with whatever is bothering him, without taking his soul in turn, but that is not how he works.
Tony's eyes narrow when he sees Bucky and he crosses his arms in front of his chest. "And how is that supposed to go, huh?"
"You're going to tell me what you want and I'll give it to you," Bucky smiles at him and Tony frowns.
"Yeah, right. Like it's that easy."
"It can be if you make a pact," Bucky shrugs but Tony doesn't seem convinced.
"A pact?" he asks, disbelieve obvious in his voice.
"A pact with a demon," Bucky further explains and now Tony outright laughs.
"Sure. Did you forget your medication today?"
Bucky had taken on his human form to go out with Steve but now he lowers that disguise, just enough so that Tony could see his horns and his, admittedly demonic, face. Tony's eyes grew wide and he doesn't move away from Bucky.
"Wow," he breathes, but makes no move to run or even leave and that's the moment Bucky knows he has won.
The amazement only last for a few seconds though, before Tony frowns again. "I doubt you'll give me whatever I want out of the sheer goodness of your heart."
"I wish I could," Bucky says, not untruthfully, "but such a pact requires in fact some form of payment."
"What payment?" Tony asks suspiciously, but to Bucky it's clear that it's just for appearance. Tony will definitely take the deal, no matter what.
"Your soul. Or the soul of your firstborn. Depends on your wish, really."
Tony scoffs at that. "There's not much of my soul left, I'm afraid," he tells Bucky who immediately takes a closer look at the soul in question. It's tainted, that much is true, but even that does nothing to hide how bright his soul burns. Tony is a thoroughly good man, who went wrong a couple of times, but that does nothing to diminish the worth of his soul.
Bucky isn't about to tell him that though, not risking that Tony will change his mind, and so he says "Who says whatever you think is left of your soul isn't mouthwatering to a demon?" He lets that sink in for a moment before he adds "But there's always the soul of your firstborn I can take."
Tony outright laughs at him, which seems a lot less happy to Bucky than he thinks is intended, but in the end Tony nods. "Fine, why not. So how does this go?"
"You agree to this pact by forming a blood bond. It guarantees that your wish gets fulfilled and I get the soul of your firstborn after they passed their first year of age."
"You don't even want to know my wish first?" Tony asked a bit suspicious and Bucky smiles at him.
"You cannot wish for this world to end right now, to die or to somehow get out of this contract but that's it."
"It's a bit like the genie in a bottle form Aladdin, don't you think?"
Bucky can't help but to laugh at that. "Close, but I'm a lot more powerful. Bringing back the dead? No problem. Making someone love you? Done. It really just depends on you agreeing to it."
"Okay. How is this blood bond formed?" he asks and Bucky lifts his hands, taking the disguise off them so show his claws.
"The same way as becoming blood brothers. A little cut, a handshake and it's done."
"So I get some demon blood in my bloodstream," Tony says and before Bucky can answer that he mumbles, "It's not like it can get any worse."
"It won't be enough blood to change you. You won't even realize it's there. To become a demon, or even get demonic traits it requires a lot more blood than just these few droplets."
Tony nods at that and he offers up his hand without hesitation. Bucky takes it and makes a shallow cut on Tony's forearm. He repeats the same motion on his own arm before he takes Tony's arm, to press the two cuts together.
He lets go after a few seconds and almost has to laugh at the disappointment in Tony's face. "Sorry, that there's no firework or pain or some enchantments. It works just like that."
Tony flushes a bit, obviously surprised that he got caught, and Bucky smiles reassuringly at him. "A lot of people expect that. Part of the myth, I guess."
"Can't say I'm disappointed about the pain," Tony eventually says and Bucky's smile widens. "So how does it go now? I tell you what I want, you snap your fingers and I get it?"
"The finger snapping is not required, but I'm willing to do it just for you," Bucky teases him and he finds he thoroughly enjoys Tony blush. "What do you want?" he asks Tony, now serious again.
Tony opens his mouth a few times, but always changes his mind, before he looks down at his hands, and mutters "I want someone to love me."
That one would be easy, Bucky instinctively knows that Rhodey does love Tony, but he guesses that is not what Tony really means. Since Tony's phrasing gives Bucky some leeway, he decides to take full advantage of that.
"That one's easy. I shall summon your ideal lover to this very spot, and they will love you the instant they arrive. How's that?"
Tony looks up at him with wide eyes and barely manages to nod. Bucky feels a pang of uneasiness but he decides to ignore it. It's not like anything can really go wrong.
"Remember. I get the soul of your firstborn for that. I will collect my duty on time and there's nothing you can do to change that."
This time Tony's nod is more firm and Bucky yet again smiles at him. He raises his hand and cups Tony's cheek, says "It'll be alright" before he snaps his fingers to summon his ideal lover.
Bucky vanishes for a second before he appears again, next to the bench, standing shoulder to shoulder with someone else. It's a bit strange, Bucky really shouldn't have moved, but he hadn't made a love contract in a long time and maybe it was supposed to go like that. Bucky sees how Tony's eyes snap towards the new person before they widen almost comically. The small smile still plays around Bucky's mouth but he loses it completely when he hears his name.
"Bucky? Why did you summon me here? I was at work!"
He whips around and is faced with an angry Steve. "No," he manages to whisper, before Steve's gaze falls on Tony and Bucky can pinpoint the exact moment Steve falls for the human. Bucky stumbles a few steps back, until his legs hit the bench again and he heavily falls down on it.
Bucky's mind starts to race, desperately searching for a solution, even though he knows there is none. He can't break the contract, that would end in the death of all the involved parties, as would killing Tony. The fact that it's a male he summoned, and a demon at that, means there won't even be payment for him. The only way the contract will end, is the death of Tony and it can't be brought on by Bucky.
He buries his hand in his face and only feels how Steve comes closer. Bucky knows that a human life is short, so short compared to his and Steve's life, but it will still last few decades and he cannot watch Steve live with Tony. He has always been a jealous lover and while Steve is undoubtedly his he can't help but to feel that same possessiveness towards Tony. He hadn't realized that fulfilling Tony's wish would end in this many conflicted feelings.
"Bucky?" Steve carefully asks and gently places his hands on Bucky's shoulders. "Hey, sweetheart, what's wrong?"
Bucky hears how Tony makes a surprised noise and Steve's focus shifts to him as well.
"Who are you? Did he make a deal with you?"
"Kinda?" Tony says and then he goes right on. "But I'm guessing it didn't turn out like he wanted, if I interpret this correctly, and I'm not sure how this whole thing works, but can I get out? I don't think I want to be responsible for his pain."
"What pain? Bucky, are you okay?" Steve asks him again and this time Bucky lifts his head. He doesn't look at Steve or Tony, doesn't think he could handle that, and so he looks at a point between them.
"He wished for someone to love him. I promised him I'll get him the ideal lover." He stops there, trusts Steve to fill in the rest on his own and it only takes a moment for Steve to understand what Bucky is implying here.
Steve's head whips around to Tony, who avoids his eyes and instead is looking intently at Bucky.
Bucky squirms under the scrutiny and lowers his head again.
"Bucky, I won't go with him," Steve desperately tells him and Bucky can almost feel the hurt that radiates off Tony at that. "I love you. I won't go living with some human, and leave you behind."
"Eehh," Tony says and audibly swallows. "Not that I know how this magic stuff works, but Bucky appeared as well? I mean, he relocated?"
Steve's hands tighten slightly on Bucky's shoulders and pull him closer to Steve. "What do you mean? You will explain this properly," Steve demands and Bucky doesn't need to look at Steve to know that he lowered his disguise to make it a proper threat.
"Wow, that really shouldn't be hot," Tony breathes and then louder says "Bucky was sitting on the bench here with me and when he snapped his fingers he stood next to you on the path. I don't know if that means anything, but I'm willing to guess it does."
"Bucky," Steve addresses him again and this time his voice sounds urgent. "Sweetheart, look at me." He waits until Bucky does before he goes on. "Is it true what he says?"
Bucky manages to nod, but it doesn't really matter now, does it. It's not like there's a chance to break the pact and Steve really can't stay with him.
Steve's face lights up at that and Bucky is filled with indignation at that. It's not like this is a good thing!
"Ah, so it does mean what I think it does," Tony says and Steve chuckles.
"I like you, human," Steve tells him, but when Bucky flinches he pulls him closer to his chest.
"My name is Tony," Tony explains to Steve who cocks his head.
"Tony Stark? No wonder you need to people to love you. I've heard extraordinary things about you."
"What do you mean?" Bucky weakly asks Steve and clutches a hand in his shirt. He won't allow him to leave him. Not even for Tony.
"See, Buck, it looks like our human here is a really special case." Bucky is surprised at the possessiveness Steve's choice of words bring out in him, but he can't help to notice the pain that also comes with it.
"That's a nice way to say that I'm so fucked up that I need two people to love me."
"No," Steve says and extends a hand towards Tony. "It means one person alone could never give you what you deserve."
Bucky had listened to the exchange intently and now he finally raises his head. "So what you're saying is….," he trails off but Steve completes his sentence without hesitation.
"That we're both his ideal lovers. Possibly only together. You shouldn't sulk like this anymore, Bucky."
Bucky looks between Tony and Steve, the one worrying at his lower lip and the other beaming with joy, and then he looks at their joined hands. Suddenly this seems right, like it was supposed to be and he covers their hands with his. If this is meant to be, they damn well would make it work.
Steve knew that Bucky was already on board with the idea, but Tony was still biting his lip and they couldn't have that. There were only two people who were allowed to bite that lip and Tony was neither of them.
Bucky raises his hand and gently lays his thumb on Tony's lips. "Stop worrying," he tells him and Tony scoffs.
"You were the one freaking out a second ago," he accusingly tells him and Bucky brings his face closer to his own.
"But that was a second ago," he whispers right against his lips and it's only thanks to the proximity that he sees how Tony's pupils expand.
Steve leans closer as well, and rests his forehead against Tony's temple, never letting go of his hand.
"Bucky is quickly convinced, if he likes something," he says into Tony's skin and Bucky feels him shiver.
"I could get used to this," Tony tells them and Bucky pecks his lips against Tony's.
"You better," he tells him right before he closes the space between them properly.