Foxx Hunting

by Phantomchajo

((A/N: No, I haven't forgotten about my other stories. Just waiting on one muse to step back and let others have some time.

A wonderful thanks to my friend Lady Moonhawke, who is also my co-writer, co-conspirator, Idea tester, plot hole finder, monkey wrench thrower, and ghost editor.

Italics usually means another language that I'm too lazy to have translated into that language. An adult variation of Johnny's offer in this chapter is currently WIP - See my profile for the link to my A03 account. I will not be publishing it here on FFNet, thank you.))

Chap 5

Mid-April, the El Cerrito compound….

Steve made his way down to Johnny's office, which was located in the basement of the multi-story house. It felt good to be his proper size again and able to do things on his own instead of relying on someone else to do it for him. And as much as he enjoyed playing with the kids, there was only so much he could take before even his stamina was exhausted. How Johnny managed it along with everything else he did during the day was a mystery. Once he reached the office, he saw that the door was open and could hear voices. Stepping into the doorway, he leaned against the casing, tucking one hand into his jean pocket, he waited.

Johnny was leaning against the front of his desk with his ankles crossed, one arm crossed over his chest and the elbow of his other arm resting in the palm. His right hand was manipulating a holographic book as he spoke to an older sounding man on the phone. "Yes Mr. Moreland, I'm looking at your accounts right now. I've gone over last year's financial records with the proverbial fine toothed comb and found nothing amiss. Every mistake I found was of the clerical nature, which I backtracked to the original receipts and corrected. So you are good to go on filing your taxes for this quarter."

"I'll have my people get on it as soon as possible. Thank you once again John."

Johnny winced slightly, he always hated being called 'John'. "You're very welcome Mr. Moreland. Have a good day." He disconnected the call with a sigh. A simple gesture had the holo-book close, then tuck itself away on what looked to be a shelf before vanishing completely. "What can I do for you Steve?" he asked as he pushed himself away from the desk.

"Just wanted to say thanks for opening your home to us these last few weeks," Steve said as he straightened up and entered the office. It was the second time he'd been in the room, but the first time he'd been able to look around, being one foot tall made looking at what was on the wall a bit difficult. With an artist's eye he examined the room and decorations on the wall. The wooden furniture were simple, tasteful, and above all, functionally comfortable. The natural color and grain of the wood was offset perfectly by the lighter color of the wood paneling and complimentary color of the hardwood floor. Japanese silk screen paintings hung on opposite walls depicting sakura blossoms, willow trees and of course foxes. Hung on the wall behind Johnny's desk was a beautiful kimono depicting a bamboo forest with lake. The full moon was reflected in the tranquil waters as a family of foxes frolic on its shore. Below it was a low table with sword display. "You really have the whole fox motif going don't you," he said as he sat down in the proffered chair.

Johnny waved it off as he took a seat behind the desk, then gestured for Steve to grab a chair his own self. "They were gifts from Alara's mother and great-grandmother. They've been in storage for years. When I moved here I was finally able to bring them out and display them properly," he said. "Considering you guys put up with me for over three months at the Tower during that fiasco with Doom, this doesn't even come close to paying you back."

"The Tower was always Tony's. We didn't have a lot to say about who did and didn't live there," Steve countered.

"You'd be surprised," Johnny said with a laugh as he leaned back in his chair. "Seriously, what can I do for you?"

Thinking about what he was going to say, Steve studied Johnny for several moments. "I'd like to start off with an apology for not being fair to you the first time around. I didn't consider you Avenger material due to your past," he said. "Only recently have I realized just how hypocritical I was being. After all Wanda volunteered to be experimented on by HYDRA, yet we accepted her. Both Romanoff and Barton were assassins who killed on orders without questioning them most of the time. Before he retired, Barton was one of our best and Romanoff has proven herself more times than I can count." He paused, thinking of how he was going to word the next part. "And then there's Buck…. my best friend, who was turned into a brainwashed killing machine by HYDRA, for HYDRA's benefits. Yet after everything that happened, here he is. A solid member of the team."

Johnny stayed silent, listening to what Steve was saying.

"What I'm trying to say is, after watching you when you came to our rescue, I think you'd make a fine addition if you ever want on the team," Steve said.

"Apology accepted," Johnny replied without a hesitation. "As for being an Avenger, I don't think that's a life for me. I'd always have a fear that someone would go after my kids to get to me," he shook his head. "But, if you ever need my assistance for anything or need backup in general, I'm more than willing to lend a hand." He chuckled, "Even if it's nothing more than being the accounting manager." He gestured to the office in general. "I have plenty of experience as you can see." He sat up straight once more, his curiosity getting the better of him. "I'm curious. Tony once commented that he paid for everything when the Avengers called the tower home. Did he mean that? That he paid for everything, including any personal items you or the others may have wanted or needed? Which brings me to the question, how are you getting paid for doing what you do?" He picked up a stylus from off the desk, and tapped the top right corner. The desktop itself lite up like a giant tablet. Another tap brought up the notepad program. "If you don't wish to speak about it, that's perfectly understandable," he added.

"No, actually I don't mind. It was 1941 when I crashed the plane. Back then a dollar was worth a dollar and you could buy a hell of alot for it. Then again, banks still weren't fully trusted," Steve said.

"Huh… that's right. You actually lived through the Great Depression," Johnny said, looking up at Steve in thought before he leaned back. "You know, if you ever wanted to get out of being an Avenger, you'd have universities and colleges fighting over each other if you got a teacher's degree in history."

Steve laughed, "Most tell me I should be an artist."

Johnny shook his head. "Artist on the side. Become an educator. Get kids interested in the past so they can see where we came from, to better understand where we are going. And also to show them where we went both wrong and right along the way."

"I'll think on it," Steve answered with an easy smile. "No, back then if someone brought home than 20 a week, they were making the money. Before the serum, I was honestly doing good to make enough money to pay for a one room apartment in Brooklyn. Now Buck on the other hand, he was making the money, and he was always lending me money back then," he said as he settled back in the chair. "Once I'd been picked for the project, I was getting army pay. A whole 50 a month, but I didn't have to pay for a place and most of my clothes were provided. After the serum but before I really became Captain America, I was on the USO tour making 75 a month. All over America before we headed to Europe. Didn't smoke, rarely drank since alcohol didn't affect me anymore. No dame or family to send money home to. I think I blew most of it on sketch books and art supplies." He's starting to feel a bit nostalgic and misplaced so he shook his head to clear it. "Once I woke up, things were so much different. Turns out I had back pay owed me. Once everything was tallied up I'm sitting on a pretty pile of money and no idea what anything is worth anymore. I let SHIELD handle it. Still do to be honest. Money goes into an account, if I need anything I just swipe a little plastic card and it's mine. As for when I was living at the Tower, it was pretty much the same, except the plastic card had SI on it instead of my name. Only so much I could take of it before I started using my own money instead of Stark's."

Johnny arched an eyebrow. Tony he could understand, the man was born rich, raised rich and doubtfully had any idea of what the value of things were. He carried 100's and 50's in his wallet, when he even bothered with a wallet that is. But for Steve, someone who knew the value of a dollar when it was worth something, to just let someone else handle it all. That was a surprise. "Tell you what, if you ever want to know what your finances really are, let me take a look." He held up a hand and ticked off points. "First, I have little interest in the fact you are Captain America. You're just a man who happens to save the world on a regular basis. Second, I have nothing to gain from it. Scamming money off of you would be a pointless endeavor. I work for Stark directly, money is not an issue. And third, this is a good way to debunk those conspiracy theories of people who think you are secretly laundering money or funneling it into financing the groups you go against as a way of making sure you are needed." He saw the look on Steve's face. "Trust me when I say there is a conspiracy theory for anything and everything nowadays."

"I'll take your word for it," Steve said holding up a hand. "Now that everyone is back to our proper size, we should contact Fury." He thought about it for a few moments. "Should..."

"But you're not, are you?" Johnny asked, leaning forward and propping his chin on his fist.

Steve just smiled. "If you don't mind us staying for a little longer, then no."

Johnny glanced down at his desktop, his grin turned into a long drawn out sigh. "Not at all. You're more than welcome to stay as long as you like. If you can put up with tattletales, jealous tantrums and the general havok a pair of children create," he nodded towards the door. "Incoming."

A soft ding from down the hall indicated the small lift had arrived on the floor. "Papa! Papa!" Riley called as she ran down the hall to her papa's office. "Papa! Donnie pushed me then hit me with his door, Papa!" She bypassed Steve, went right around the desk and started bouncing on her toes. She grabbed her papa's arm and started tugging. "Papa! Do something!"

Johnny swiveled his chair around so he faced his daughter head on as he extracted his arm from her grip. He placed both hands on her shoulder to stop her bouncing. "Alright, I hear you. You don't need to yell," he said calmly, in a slightly softer tone. Once he had Riley's attention, he started the often repeated process of getting to the bottom of the matter. "Alright Imp, now tell me what happened."

Still relaxed back in his chair, Steve brought up a hand to cover his mouth. Otherwise his grin might get him in trouble with the petite, fiery little imp of a child.

Taking a big breath, Riley launched into her tale. "Donnie's girlfriend is here and I wanted to play with her and they went to his room and Donnie got mad and shoved me out of his room and slammed the door in my face and wouldn't open it when I told him to and.. and… and he's being mean Papa! He's bad. He won't let me play with Kala." She started bouncing again, her face taking on the slight red hue of anger and breathlessness.

"I see," Johnny said. "So for no reason, Donnie refused to let you play with his girlfriend, Kala, after she came over. Then he shoved you out of his room, slammed the door in your face and refused to open it when you pounded on it with your fists and demanded he open it." He caught her hands, turning them over to look at the slight redness.

"Uh-huh!" Riley said, nodding vigorously. "He pushed me real hard too!"

"Alright," Johnny replied. "So, if I go up and talk to Donnie, he will tell me the same thing?" he asked.

The expression on Riley's face changed. From almost gleeful expectation of seeing someone punished to uncertainty at her own standing in all of this. "Uh...no…" She was at an age where, if she got in trouble for anything she wanted to get others in trouble as well.

Johnny glanced at Steve, rolling his eyes as he did. "No? So he'll say he didn't push you out of his room or slam the door in your face?"

Shaking her head, Riley answered after several moments. "I don't know…."

"You don't know…."

"I don't know…" Riley repeated.

With a sigh, Johnny leaned forward, placing his hands on his knees. "Well then, looks like I'll just have to get down to the bottom of this matter." He looked at his daughter, then glanced once more at Steve before looking back at her. "Now, you remember what the punishment for fibbing is?"

"But I haven't lie-ed. I'm telling the truth!" Riley said forcefully, her voice getting louder at the end.

"Ah-ah-ah!" Johnny said, shaking a finger. "None of that. Now let's go." Standing up, he snatched Riley up and threw her over his shoulder as he poked her in the side then went after her feet.

Steve slowly stood up, shaking his head and laughing as he followed Johnny out of the office.

By the time Alexei and Riley were put to bed, Johnny was ready for a drink. As he figured, the deal with her getting 'exiled' from Donnie's room was due to her trying to take up all of Kala's time. The teenager had gotten tired of it, had shooed her out of his room on multiple occasions before finally closing his door and locking her out. When Doc had her days off, Kala would sometimes come over and babysit for some extra cash and Riley adored her. Conflicts were expected, looked for and caught as soon as possible so they could be dealt with. Dealing with Alexei on the other hand, was much simpler yet more exhausting. Mock wrestling, hide and seek, chasing and being chased, building stuff with his legos then wrecking it with giggling abandon. He had yet to reach the stage Riley was in.

Standing in the doorway between the kitchen and the den, with a glass of his preferred drink in hand, Johnny looked the gathering over. "Ladies and gents, feel free to do as you please. All I ask is that you keep the chaos to a dull roar as to not wake the sleeping demons called children," he said then took a sip. "Oh, and don't worry about offending me if you decide to hide out until after they go to bed as long as you're here. It's very understandable. I call them my little demons for a reason. As for me, I plan on retiring to my rooms. I should be up for a while though if you need me for anything. Good night," he said as he saluted with his glass then disappeared from the doorway.

Natasha and Bucky were polite and waited a whole 15 minutes before they took their leave and headed up to Johnny's rooms. This was going to be the best opportunity they would get, to have that talk between the three of them, about where they were going relationship wise. Natasha knocked on the door as Bucky stood with arms crossed.

When the door opened, Johnny was still dressed in jeans and a loose long sleeved shirt. He leaned on the door frame, lips curled up in a welcoming smile. He looked at Natasha then Bucky then back to Natasha before he raised an eyebrow and motioned with his head for them to enter. He let his eyes roam over each of them as they passed him, his smile grew into a smirk when they turned and did the same. He closed the door, locked it, then turned to lean against it casually.

Bucky was positioned so he could see Natasha from the corner of his eye, even as he was looking at Johnny. He saw her make a subtle gesture for him to proceed as she shifted her stance. He didn't question it or wait for her to change her mind, instead he walked right up to Johnny, slide his right hand behind his head and his left hand around his waist. He locked his eyes with the other man for a few seconds before moving in, to capture his smirking lips in a dominating kiss. He moved one leg forward to wedge between Johnny's thighs, pressing his growing arousal against him. He felt hands slip around his waist, into the back of his jeans to cup then squeeze his ass. A second set of hands moved around to his groin, teasingly caressing him through the material. One of the hands vanished but a moment later the ones on his ass spasmed as he felt/heard Johnny moan enticingly.

Johnny was more than willing to pick up where he and Bucky had left off back during the New Year's eve party. He melted into the kiss, submitting with ease, as he slid his hands into the back of Bucky's jeans to caress and knead warm skin and strong muscles. He sensed Natasha moving close, but wasn't expecting her to start caressing his hardening length, causing him to moan in pleasure.

Natasha let out an amused chuckle as she continued to caress both men while she leaned against Bucky's back. "Not much talking going on," she murmured, shifting to her tiptoes to place a light kiss on Bucky's neck, just below his ear.

Bucky finally broke the kiss, but only for a moment so he could reply to Natasha. "Just started the preliminaries. Patience Natalia...," he commented.

"Gods, I don't care that I don't understand you, but it sounds sexy as fuck," Johnny uttered.

Bucky chuckled before nipping along Johnny's jawline, muttering random words in Russian. He received a rather firm squeeze from Natasha for it. "Like you wouldn't do it either," he said with a chuckle.

"True," Natasha replied as she placed another kiss to the other side of Bucky's neck. "When you're done with the 'preliminaries', come join me on the couch," she instructed as she gave both another lingering caress before turning around and sauntering off to the couch.

After several more minutes of intense making out, Bucky gave Johnny one last kiss. "So what do you have in mind?" he asked finally as he pressed close to Johnny.

"A lot," Johnny replied. He turned his head slightly so Bucky's ear was less than an inch away from his lips. His lips caressed Bucky's earlobe before he took the flesh between his teeth and nibbled. "No interference until morning when the little demons get up." He took Bucky's earlobe between his lips again and sucked gently. "We can do anything you two desire to do tonight." He felt Bucky shiver against him. "Just tell me what you want to do. With me, or to me. Tell me and I'm sure we can work something out, but after we talk."

Bucky nodded as he reached back and patted Johnny's hands (that were still tucked inside his jeans). "Gotta let me go first so we can sit down to talk."

"Hmm….. I guess so," Johnny murmured, slowly withdrawing his hands from the back of Bucky's jean. He teasingly drew his fingernails across the taut flesh of Bucky's backside. Slipping away from Bucky's grasp wasn't hard, but he also knew Bucky wasn't trying either. He sauntered over to the couch and sat down on the right hand side, unashamed of the obvious erection he had.

It took Bucky a few moments to move to the couch since he had to adjust himself before he could walk without too much discomfort. Relaxed, well broken in jeans or not, no underwear plus an erection equals some discomfort of some type. Once he settled on the couch on the opposite end (Natasha in the middle obviously), he gestured for Johnny to start.

From his place on the couch, Johnny studied both for several minutes. "I want to know what you two are looking for. Because what you want will affect what I'm willing to offer. One or the other, separately or together as a pair. I can work with any of those as long as I know what it is you two are wanting or needing."

Bucky laid a hand on Natasha's shoulder and squeezed. What Johnny was asking was both so simple yet so complicated all at the same time. He honestly wasn't sure what he wanted, besides the most obvious of physical release in the form of sex. But if it was just sex, then Natasha could fulfill that need just as easily as anyone else and he knew she would keep the secrets he was willing to share, just as he kept hers. So no, sex wasn't the answer. He had to look further for the answer to the question asked.

Reaching up, Natasha laid her hand on Bucky's hand and squeezed back. Like him, she was having to look deeper for an answer that could be given. What she wanted was something she had always been forced to watch, like an outsider looking in, even when the door had been opened for her. For a little while she did have what she wanted, but when Clint retired, he had unwittingly taken it away from her. Oh sure she could take off at any time to visit, but enough time had passed that that closeness was no longer there. Not to mention the little fact that no one outside a handful of people even knew Clint had a family.

Standing up, Johnny walked around the back of the couch where he placed his hand over Bucky and Natasha's joined hands. "Think on it, the answer need not be given tonight. Tonight can be simply a pleasurable night of physical closeness. To enjoy and savor." He withdrew his hand as he turned away, absently shucking his shirt and tossing it onto the bed. "I'll be back in a few, I think the shower was calling my name," he said with a chuckle. It wasn't a complete lie, he had wanted to take a long hot shower and relax. But it was also a way to give them some privacy if they wished to slip away to think. He left the door cracked as an invite should they wish to join him.

With her back still to Bucky, Natasha spoke. "Do you wish to leave, so you can think about your answer?" she asked.

"Do you?" Bucky asked back.

"No….," Natasha replied. "Do you want to take him up on his offer for tonight?"

Bucky thought about it, then slowly nodded. "Yes, but only if you want to as well." They were partners, and if she didn't want to, then he would turn down the offer as well.

Natasha let out a soft sigh as she turned around to face Bucky. "You do not have to leave just because I might choose to do so." She maneuvered so she was sitting in his lap, facing him with her arms draped over his shoulders, fingers playing with his hair. "You were the one who has wanted him the most," she said.

"Yes, but would you stay if I asked you to stay?" Bucky asked, sliding his hands onto her hips and pulling her in closer. "Would you be willing to participate if I asked you to?" he asked as he started to nuzzle her neck, placing small kisses along her jawline as he had done to Johnny. "If I asked you to, would you be willing to just let yourself go and feel? To reconnect the emotion to the act, like you ask of me?"

Natasha laughed softly. "Emotional blackmail? You know that doesn't work."

"Ummhmm… but as they say, what is good for the gander can be just as good for the goose."

"You have the saying backwards," Natasha pointed out. She gave him a quick kiss on the tip of his nose before sliding off his lap. "I'll be right back with our bags. Wait for me, I'd like to watch."

"Then don't take too long," Bucky answered back as he stood up and started towards the bathroom, slowly stripping as he did.

Natasha returned a little under 10 minutes later. She shook her head after hearing the loud music coming from the bathroom when she opened the door. Johnny's room had some serious soundproofing. She was half expecting it to be club music, but instead it was rock n roll of the 50's. After closing and locking the door, she dropped her's and Bucky's bags on the couch then started picking up the trail of clothes that lead to the bathroom. "Still cleaning up after you boys it seems," she muttered to herself as she deposited them into a pile before stripping off her own clothes. Walking into the bathroom, she raised an eyebrow at the decadent nature of the room. The bathtub was a 4-person jacuzzi tub. The toilet was enclosed in its own tasteful stall and the bathroom counter held 2 sinks and plenty of room. The shower enclosure was large enough for several people with plenty of room to move and it featured a waterfall on one wall with a bench directly under it and no less than a dozen shower heads at various heights. "What did I say about waiting for me?" she said as she stepped into the enclosure.

"You were taking too long," Bucky said with a smirk.

When everyone was thoroughly squeaky clean, they moved from the bathroom to the couch in the bedroom. The holographic fireplace was blazing away merrily while the space heater it disguised put out soothing warmth. Above it, on the ultra HD TV, RED was playing. Bucky and Natasha had fun dissecting the movie from the viewpoint of a trained assassin, while Johnny went through and decided who represented who. All three agreed that Fury was best represented by Marvin, for all his paranoia and hiding secrets. Steve and Sharon were Frank and Sarah, while Natasha was Victoria, making Bucky Ivan. Neither could decided if they agreed or disagreed. And as for who fit the character of Joe, no one could decide.

Once the movie was over, things started to heat up again. Especially when Natasha decided to remind Johnny of one of their first meetings. Bucky definitely enjoyed the show more than the movie. In their post coital bliss, they somehow ended up on the bed finally. For the next few hours the pace turned languid as they explored each other to the fullest extent allowed. Before passing out completely, Johnny made sure both Natasha and Bucky were wearing something, then he unlocked the door and opened it just a tiny bit. When they gave him a quizzical look, he just smiled enigmatically in return. They got their answer around 7am the following morning.

Both Alexei and Riley 'snuck' into their papa's room for the usual ritual of morning cuddles before she had to get ready for school and Doc claimed him for the day. The children were confused for a few minutes as to why there was two other people in bed with their papa, but it went away when they discovered that they were almost as good at cuddling as their papa. Though given a choice papa will always be the one they go to.

After Doc finally arrived to claim the kids then left, Johnny rolled over to his side, facing Natasha and Bucky. "Here's what's possible. All of it. Think about it," he said before sliding closer to give both a very sensual good morning kiss before slipping out of the bed to start his day.

Once Johnny was gone, Natasha and Bucky went one more round together, but found something was missing. They decided to think on everything and discuss it after lunch, then give him their answer later that night.