Story also posted on AO3 under my username: Chaosia
Thank you to Kirain and Liz who helped me write and edit this monster of a story. This story will be multichapter.
This story was written for the Winteriron Bang.
A/N: Will be stuckony ending, but majority of the fic will be pre-stuckony and getting together with winteriron already established.
Warnings for Chapter: Alcohol
Bucky remembers once, finding himself lost in a newborn forest of his older sibling's creation. The trees towered over him with their trunks extending long passed his head. Their branches reaching out like curious hands and fingers trying to touch the world they were birthed in. The ground and most of what his eye could see was completely covered in the color of green, the leaves above filtering the sun's rays in the same hue. The best part was that the delicate, yet sturdy trees were resistant against his touches. It was something Bucky's never seen before in any of his siblings' forests or woods, nor was it something he could ever hope to produce in his own creations.
While walking aimlessly through the forest, Bucky encountered a variety of new creatures. Although they were never as tall as him, each species seemed to be bigger than the last. He suspected it was for a reason, but he didn't mind. Skittish and afraid, the creatures never ventured too close, their instincts telling them just what a predator he was. However, the swimmers crept ever closer, following behind him and to the sides. Curious as ever, they seemed content to just watch, keeping him company as they swam between the trees. Not seeing them as a threat, he let them be and continued on his way.
As day settled into night, he ran into no more creatures.
The trees moved now.
They scuttled away from his burning presence, taking the swimmers along with them. Once the plants had settled down, the pale light of the moon bathed both him and the clearing in a silver light. The stars visible under the moon's watch were strange. They were not the ones his sister had made. The familiar energy that radiated from them, calming down their creations while they slept, was gone. Instead, the stars remained beautiful and cold and distant, silent in his attempts to talk to them.
He revered this memory as it was the first time Bucky felt like a human; insignificant. He wasn't a god, nor was he a man or an animal. He was just…there. It was a feeling he couldn't ever forget, for as long as he lived. But that moment couldn't hold a candle to the wonder he was experiencing right then and there.
Tony dancing under colored lights.
The music drowned the entire club, enchanting the people to dance to its calling. Bucky and Tony were no different. They were settled in the thick of the crowd, squished together but managing to move to the rhythm with grace. Unlike the other humans surrounding them. The way Tony moved his body to the beat, hips swaying in just the right way to entice Bucky to lay his hands on them and pull him closer, was breathtaking. It was like a ritual to capture Bucky's attention, trapping his eyes from leaving the fluid movement of Tony.
Brown eyes peeked from underneath eyelashes, soaking in the reaction their owner was creating. As the song reached its crescendo, Tony's dancing changed into a more sultry style as he moved closer to Bucky. They stayed in each other's space, oblivious to the dancers pushing into them. Bucky, already at his limit, eagerly leaned down to press his lips to Tony's smug ones. They kissed like there was no tomorrow, hands grasping each other in their need to touch, to be closer. Much closer.
It ended as quickly as it started. Both a little out of breath, they continued to dance along with the hypnotizing music. As the song ended and faded into a new one, they reluctantly broke apart. Bucky led them through the crowd, taking them upstairs to the second floor. There, another bar with booths and couches was set up. The music, loud and heart pumping, quieted a bit from up there making it easier for people to talk to one another.
They quickly snagged a loveseat in the corner, beating another couple that looked ready to get handsy and didn't care who saw them. They left in a huff, the mood leaving them immediately as they were forced to look for a semi-private place. Bucky, who couldn't of cared less, succeeded in holding in the urge to roll his eyes. Tony on the other hand, had no problem in rolling his.
"So," Tony started, leaning back into Bucky's shoulder, so he was now facing the dance floor below. "What's the real reason we are here?"
"What? I can't take you out to a club to dance?" Bucky widened his eyes, overselling the innocent act. "I am a gentleman, Mr. Stark, I promise you I don't hold ulterior motives to get in your pants." He batted his eyelashes to embellish a little.
Tony snorted. "Please, you're not as sneaky as you seem to think you are." He held up a hand when Bucky opened his mouth to protest. "As much as I would appreciate your gentlemanly attempts at my pants, you're on a case aren't you?"
"How'd you guess?" Bucky was sure Tony hadn't seen him assessing the woman at the bar downstairs. The target. He had only glanced in her direction for less than a minute, a casual glance to any observer.
This time, Tony rolled his eyes at Bucky and didn't hold back in being dramatic about it. "If I couldn't figure it out, then clearly I'm not a good detective. But I did and I am. So what is it this time? Cheating spouse? Identity theft? Am I getting warmer?"
"Close, an angry ex-girlfriend stole her ex-boyfriend's credit card. However, rather than taking the simple approach of getting a new card or calling the police, he wants us to get it back from her." Bucky explains, running his right hand up and down Tony's arm. "He even said the password and everything."
The password, of course, being a phrase the client would casually mention in the conversation with them. This phrase would clue Bucky and Tony in that the client was aware of the supernatural and would require their own brand of expertise. It was spread through word of mouth amongst the supernatural clientele, producing loyal and new customers.
Bucky and Tony ran a small hole in the wall detective agency called Jibber Jabber. It is located between two nondescript buildings in the slums of Manhattan. Ordinary people would pass by it every day without giving the building a second thought. This was due to an enchantment done by Tony to keep humans from prying into their affairs. However, supernatural creatures or those rare humans gifted with psychic abilities were able to overpower the charm and see the building for what it was. Ultimately though, both choose to ignore the agency unless their services was needed.
Their agency also helps those in need who can't turn to the police due to the risk of supernatural exposure, human or otherwise. This is why Tony had also set-up an official page for their agency online where everyone could find them. Just because the humans passing by couldn't see them, doesn't mean they wouldn't provide help to them either. After all, humans were one of their main sources of financial income, what with all the cheating spouses and investigations into corporations or employees. Still, they get the occasional strange job request, and as their motto states, they get the job done no matter what that may be….
"He's a super?"
"No, but his girlfriend is. A succubus."
Tony whistled. "Damn. I haven't ran into one since after the war where I saw one trying to seduce her way out of paying for a meal." It wasn't that Succubus' were rare or anything, it was just they mainly hung around places with lots of sexual energy, like clubs or strip joints, if they didn't already have a partner. Since Tony's been busy starting up the agency with Bucky, and keeping a low profile because he hasn't aged since the 40's, he hasn't had the time to indulge in nightly club hopping.
"Did she?"
"What? Succeed in having a free meal? I'd say so if the waitress' looks were anything to go by. She probably ended up with two free dinners." Tony shrugged. He wasn't interested in staying to find out at the time, too focused on not trying to drunkenly puke up his greasy burger.
"So what's your angle? The Bar Bill? The Beijing Tea? The Mustard Drip? The Change Raising? The Fiddle Game? Glengarry Glen Death? The Cuban Sandwich? The Skagway Shuffle?"
Bucky chuckled, using his arm to pull Tony closer so he could lay a kiss onto his temple.
"Okay first off, half of those have nothing to do with grifting an individual person. Second, I was just going to charm the card right off of her." He smirked, holding up Tony's wallet.
Tony stuck his tongue out and snatched his wallet back. He didn't even feel it when Bucky picked his pocket. He wasn't so bad himself, having done it a few times for jobs or getting out of a sticky situation, but he could never pick Bucky's pocket. He's made it into a game, randomly trying to steal Bucky's wallet, but each and every time he was caught. It was like Bucky had a six sense for it or something. With each failure, Tony grew more determined to successfully rid Bucky of the heavy burden that was his cash.
"Yeah? When were you going to charm her when you've been busy seducing your boyfriend?" He licked his lips and winked, smirking when he felt said boyfriend shift uncomfortably.
"Well…" Bucky drawled, playing along. "with all that seducing you were doing; we would need to get some drinks. I, being the awesome boyfriend that I am, would have graciously offered to fetch us some while you continue to inspire jealousy into people with your positively sinful moves."
"Oh, I think I'd've inspired more than just jealousy." He wiggled his eyebrows, making sure Bucky caught his drift.
Growling, Bucky was quick to snatch his lips in a bruising kiss. Tony responded in kind, tilting his head to make the kiss deeper. It ended up turning almost lazy, the fierceness it started with quickly melting away as they realized they weren't in any competition. While they were technically on a job, it wouldn't hurt to indulge a little. This was their first date in a long while, and even though Bucky was an ass to turn it into job, it didn't mean they couldn't have some fun. This was their time and they were going to enjoy it, succubus or not.
Easing out of the kiss, Tony shifted more to the side to better face Bucky and give them some space at the same time. Bucky's eyes were glossed over, pupils dilated in lust and want. Tony would bet his fortune that if they weren't in public, Bucky would waste no time in ravishing him. As it were, he was in no better condition, and as much as he would love to drag his boyfriend off into the bathrooms for a quickie, they did have a job to do. Tearing his gaze away from wet pink lips, he looked into gray eyes. He was just as captivated as a moth to a flame.
Shaking the fog of lust from his brain, he held up his hand, splaying out his fingers.
"Let's make this interesting. I bet you couldn't pick the card from her within 5 minutes." He glanced down as Bucky intertwined his left hand with Tony's. He felt a little disappointed when the glamored metal hand felt warm to the touch instead of the familiar cool.
"Sure, doll." Bucky smirked, obviously confident in his skills. "What do I get if I win?"
"If you win? We'll try that position you've been bugging me about." Tony knew he had him hooked onto his game.
Bucky sucked in a breath. As a gag gift their friend Clint, had given him the kama sutra. He had rolled his eyes at the book and tossed it into a corner to be forgotten. It wasn't until he was by himself that boredom and if he was being honest, curiosity, got the best of him and he pulled the book back out. Turning page after page, Bucky was intrigued and amused at the different sex positions. Some of them were too ridiculous to try out, and others were better suited to a hetero couple than them. However, there were a few that caught his eye. There was one in particular that required flexibility and great balance, but Tony refused to try it out. What better way to put Tony's yoga experience to practice, right? Bucky totally thought so. Tony was stubborn though, but then so was Bucky.
"You got yourself a deal, sugar." He agreed, because he would be an idiot not too. It would be piece of cake to lift the card from the succubus. She's been drinking the whole night which should give Bucky an initial advantage to sweet talk her enough to redirect her attention.
So, gently nudging Tony away, he gets up and goes. Tony follows him all the way up to the railing and leans over it, watching as Bucky navigates the crowd as easily as a captain does at sea. He's met with some wandering hands and stray hips trying to get him to dance with them along the way, but he easily fends them off. He walks up to the bar, a couple seats away from the succubus whose focus was currently on her almost empty drink. Bucky raises a hand to flag down a bartender and smoothly steps closer to the woman. He says something, his flirting smile stretched across his face.
Tony bites his lip to hold back a chuckle. That was the same smile he gave to Tony the first time they met. Of course, Tony responded in kind with his own flirty wink, but the moment was ruined when Bucky told him the reason he was seeking him out. As a Curse Eater, his main sustenance was magic. Not very much of it was needed as he could also eat normal food, but a sip of magic was required at least every other week. People mostly sought him out for his ability to eat ill magic placed upon them. While his species was good for purifying, it was a double edge sword. Dark and black magic made him sick with nausea, and the eviler the intent, the more damage it caused to his body. After meeting Bucky, he was able to negate the affects by quickly eating some of Bucky's magic.
But while Bucky had asked him to Eat his curse, Tony simply couldn't.
He tried time and time again to explain why he couldn't, but the words seemed to fail him every time he opened his mouth. He didn't know how to explain that Bucky wasn't cursed with magic, but rather by magic. When he tried to eat, the curse resisted him and reformed, burning hot like some kind of mystical fire that was sentient. It burnt his fingertips when he tried to coax it from around Bucky, but warmed when he instead ran his fingers through. Tony was mystified by such a phenomenon. The magic that Tony consumed from Bucky when he got hungry was different from his curse; softer, duller, like a diluted and archaic version of it, tasty nonetheless.
Tony shook himself out of his thoughts when he noticed a scowl decorating Bucky's face. He talked to the bartender who grabbed him a beer before he was leaving the bar in a huff. Tony raised his eyebrows in surprise, casting a quick glance at the time on his phone. It had only been about a minute since he started talking to her. Ouch, he thought, conflicted between trying to cheer him up and gloating that he won.
In the end he did neither as Bucky ushered him down to try before he could utter a single word. Doing as directed, he left his boyfriend to stew in his misery. On his way over to the bar, he let his thoughts of Bucky take over, thinking about what he wanted to do to him and what he wanted done to him. He was sufficiently horny and on the edge of sporting a semi when he approached the succubus. She wasn't that hard to look at, but any interest he might have felt was negated by the fact that he didn't do succubus'. The potential they had to take control over his own body using a primal urge, scared the crap out of him.
He approached her casually, giving her a small smile when she looked at him. He ordered a beer for himself, then turned to ask what she wanted. Taking the bait, she ordered another of the same drink, stilling Tony's hands when he went to pay for them. She boldly offered her own card to the bartender before engaging into a conversation with Tony. She had seen him dancing with Bucky earlier that night, and she was impressed with what she saw. He ran with the opening, blatantly flirting with her and keeping her focus on him. When the bartender returned with her card, he took it, and tucked it into her bra. They chatted for a few more minutes before he gently excused himself.
Halfway back to Bucky, he couldn't contain the smug smirk forming on his face. Bucky could be butt hurt all he wanted, but either way Tony had completed the challenge. It wasn't his fault he was the more interesting one. In fact, he was happy that Bucky got shot down, his ego needed it. Taking the stairs two at a time, he stood in front of his grumpy boyfriend with credit card in hand.
Grumbling, Bucky snatched the plastic away and into his pocket. "What'd you give her anyway?" Bucky saw the sleight of hand Tony did, quickly switching one card for another before he slid it into her bra.
Here Tony full out grinned, pulling something out of his own pocket. Held aloft in his hand was Bucky's wallet. "I gave her your Domino's gift card."
"What? I was going to use that! Tony!" Bucky whined, betrayal laced in his voice, but was moot due to pride shining through his storm gray eyes.
"Aw, don't worry babe, I'll buy you pizza." He pulled Bucky in close, slipping his wallet back at the same time. "From Pizza Hut even."
"Better be meat lovers and stuffed crust." Bucky muttered, allowing himself to be embraced. He always was a sucker for those big brown eyes.
"You got it sugarplum."
"Good, now let's go dance." He had some frustration to dance out. Chugging down the last of his beer as well as Tony's ("Hey, that's mine!") he led them back down to the dance floor where they got lost amongst the bodies once again.
If he couldn't impress a succubus, he'll settle for planting the seed of envy in other people's hearts for not being the lucky guy dancing with Tony. It's petty, but then again Bucky was a petty asshole. Plus, it makes him happy. He made a mental note to take Tony back to the dance club more often. He truly was a sight to behold under the pulsing colored lights.