A/N: This chapter isn't beta'd so please bear with me all the mistakes, especially grammar ones! Hopefully i'll get it edited soon enough.
Warnings for chapter: none
The next day found Bucky dying on top of his desk.
He had pushed away all of his papers to the side or completely off the desk, making enough room for him to bury his aching head in his folded arms. What's the point of having fast healing if it doesn't work on hangovers? Sure, regrowing a limb is no problem but a super migraine on steroids is where the line is drawn? Fuck that, Bucky thinks, wincing at the sheer action of thinking.
He could hear Tony at his own desk, pen scratching against the paper, adding to the overall pain. For some God awful reason, Tony was a-okay and spared the tragedy that was a hangover, the bastard. He actually woke up refreshed and bless his soul, he pandered to Bucky's undeserving ass. He even took over Bucky's reports after picking them up when they were knocked down.
After they had gone back to dancing, they had left the club to go to a nearby bar where Bucky had tried to drink Tony under the table. It was not his proudest moment. After a couple of rounds of shots, Bucky ended up passing out and Tony was in no better condition. Luckily, he managed to get them both home where he too knocked out beside Bucky. Neither of them remembered who won (although Tony insists it was him, Bucky was humble enough and hungover enough not to refute the claims). That was the first time in decades since Bucky had gotten so drunk. So drunk, that he had hallucinated his own dead sister in a stranger for a moment. Bucky thinks it'll be another few decades before he does that again.
While Bucky was moping and whining at his desk (even though he was the one that brought on his own suffering, it was just fair that Tony suffered too somehow) his head still buried in his arms, the bell above the door rings. He groans, hunkering down even further, thinking that if whoever it was couldn't see him, then they would go away. No such luck.
Tony glanced up when the bell sounded, distracted from the reports he was filling out for yesterday as well as several cases ago they neglected to ever finish the paperwork for. He felt like he did a double take at the man that stepped into their tiny office. He was tall and broad, built much like Bucky, but blonde and blued eyed instead of brunette and gray. He was smoking hot and Tony had trouble thinking any coherent thoughts. Bucky's groan had him blinking away his trance and forcing a smile onto his face, embarrassed.
"Hello, hi, welcome! Uh, sorry about my partner. Please ignore him, he's in denial about his lack of charm." He waved away Bucky's crumpled form, liking the way the stranger's eyes crinkled around the corners as he laughed.
"It's okay."
Bucky's brow furrowed at the lame introduction Tony did of him. He didn't have to announce to the entire world that he failed at charming people. Apparently it was a fluke when he tried charming Tony. That or Tony was just weird enough to fall for it anyways. Either way, it was a huge blow to learn he sucked after all these years (not really, he knew he was good at charming regular humans and other nonsexual-feeding supers, she was just…an outlier. Yeah that's it).
The guy laughed at Tony's jab, and it was…nice. It didn't make his headache worse. He has a nice voice too, Bucky thinks, not as nice as Tony's but it was pretty damn close. If he was being honest to himself, and he always was, he wouldn't mind hearing it again. An awkward silence takes over and Bucky silently counts the seconds until Tony breaks to fill it. At 19 Mississippi's, he asks, "So, what brings a handsome guy like you to our humble little agency-?".
"Steve. Steve Rogers." Steve answers the unasked question.
"What can we help you with Mr. Rogers?" Tony asks again, voice dipping a little at Steve's last name.
And holy hell if Bucky didn't know that tone of voice. It's the tone of voice Tony uses when he's talking to Bucky. More specifically when he's very interested in getting into Bucky's favor and therefore pants. Brows furrowed, he looks up and his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. Well shit! Now he understands. Steve was hot. Hot as a whore house on dollar day. Steve was hot and has a very nice voice. And Tony was interested in getting to know Steve better if his subtle lean closer towards the guy was any indication. Bucky wasn't sure whether to be amused or to be annoyed that someone else caught Tony's attention (and rightfully so, that shirt was doing nothing to hide those killer abs and biceps).
Bucky turned serious when Steve started talking.
"I got a recommendation from someone that thought you could help me? Uh, I was hoping you could help me figure out what's going on at my apartment building. You see, people have been experiencing unpleasant things; hauntings and poltergeist for one, then having random bad luck happen to them for no reason. I myself have been experiencing the bad luck, more so than the others. I was honestly surprised when I found this place." He smiled wryly. "It's not just that though, my fairy neighbors have been acting strange recently, and my werewolf neighbors were acting a lot more inhuman than normal, more paranoid and scare? I think something's making them act this way." His stance changed into a more shy one, hands coming up to fiddle with each other. He looked up through his lashes. "But if you aren't able to help, then maybe you know someone who does?"
Tony glances at Bucky. He was already looking at him, no doubt thinking the same thing. It sounds like someone was practicing dark magic and the effects are beginning to leak out into the others. Bucky tilts his head towards Steve, who was patiently watching them, silently asking if they were going to take the case. Tony shrugs one shoulder, maybe. They silently communicate a bit longer before Bucky takes over the physical conversation.
"Are there any witches, mages, warlocks, wizards, sorcerers or druids that live there?" He asks, wanting to gather more information before they get involved. It wouldn't be the first time they've had to interfere with a wayward witch.
"Well," Steve intoned, "there is a witch that lives below me with her twin brother. But I don't think they're the cause. They're as affected as everyone else. In fact, she's the one who has been giving residents some protection charms to help with them getting hurt." He pulls out a small safety pin that had some beads laced through it.
"May I?" Tony asks, hand held out.
"Sure." He hands the pin over and continues on. "She's been investigating but nothing is popping up."
"And what about the fairies? What type are they? Could it be possible they're the ones behind this curse?" Bucky inquired, reaching over his desk to receive the pin next. He turns it over in his hands, feeling the little bit of magic imbued in it, but no dark or black magic. It really was a simple protection charm. He hands it back.
"I don't know what type of fae they are, but I know they aren't pixies." Steve answers right away.
They continue to bombard Steve with more questions, narrowing down potential causes. When it seemed as if they've ran out of questions, they do the silent communication thing again before telling Steve that they will accept his case. Happy, Steve eagerly fills out the forms Tony hands him and gives them his contact info. They set up an appointment for a walk through later that evening, agreeing to meet Steve in the very front. After laying the forms on the desk ("I don't like people handing me things."-Tony), Steve bids them goodbye and leaves.
Bucky waits until he loses sight of Steve's blond hair before saying, "He's human" to the room at large. The words floated in a sea of surprise. It was hard to tell at first glance whether Steve was a super or a human. His nose told him super but his magic said what he was smelling was simply residual energy from his supernatural neighbors. He wouldn't be surprised if Steve owned a demonic cat, thinking it was a normal one. Nekomata tend to be tricky like that.
Tony made a noise but remained silent, not knowing what to say. It made sense. He felt many things around Steve, making him think he was a super but he couldn't match the energy to anything he's felt before. Oh, he thought catching on to Bucky's train of thought, his neighbors. Or maybe it was something else? Either way, the kicker there was that he was living in harmony with the supers and that's decidedly rare. Humans are more prone to hate than they were to acceptance, if the Salem witch trials were any clue. There were, of course, exceptions. Humans born into a supernatural family for one, like in werewolf packs. Werewolves could produce both humans and wolf pups, so it was common to see humans in their packs.
"Will you be okay using your eyes tonight?" Bucky questions softly. "I think we'll need them when we do the walk through. I could smell magic. Dark magic. I don't know whether it was from him or from the apartment itself."
"I should be okay; I ate 3 days ago." He thinks about it. "Probably best I don't eat anything, just in case. Don't wanna be full if I need to." He shrugs.
Bucky nods and goes back to burying his face in his arms. He still has his killer headache and he thinks the aspirin Tony shoved at him earlier were finally starting to kick in. Tony goes back to finishing the report for the credit card guy who's scheduled to come in, in an hour. By the time he does come in, Bucky's headache was just a dull throb and Tony was halfway through the paperwork for the day.
They don't collect much for the services, but that's okay. They get a few more people in: a cheating wife claim, a feral basilisk in the park, and a domestic in trolls. By then it was almost time to meet Steve again. Bucky starts packing up the office to close while Tony starts gathering things for the walk through; some talismans, charms, some dry herbs that had a general purpose, Bucky's knives etc.
Once ready, they turn off the lights and lock the door, making sure the closed sign is visible. Tony's car was parked nearby across the street. They were in the middle of downtown, making parking space impossible but meters are a plenty. When they reached the car, Bucky took off a cover from the meter before getting in. So far they've been getting away with it, and until they're busted, they're going to continue parking for free. It was easier to get away with, with Bucky's motorcycle, but it was at the body shop for repairs. Turns out Mongolian death worms were not fond of people disturbing their trash mounds at the dump and as a complaint, spewed yellow acid all over Bucky's bike. Now Tony was stuck driving them for the near future. Bucky had never bothered getting an automobile license, but he does own a motorcycle one.
Tony eases the car onto the street, easily getting lost in the late night traffic.