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Bucky had been avoiding Tony and after three months of living in the same building it was starting to get irritating. Tony started tracking him with help from Jarvis because they seriously needed to learn to talk like adults, but whenever he entered a room Bucky was supposed to be in the soldier disappeared into the vents or through a window or a door. One time he heard Clint yelp out in surprise as Bucky suddenly appeared in the vents where he was not at all spying.
Tony tried recruiting Clint to help him but Clint refused.
”If he doesn't want to talk to you there's nothing you can do, man.”
”We're on the same team, we need to be able to behave like adults.”
”That's really coming from the right person, Mr I'll-throw-a-tantrum-if-I-don't-get-my-coffee.”
Tony huffed and abandoned that idea. He'd figure it out on his own. Occassionally he would join the team for movie and game nights and every time without fail he would see Bucky quickly disappear to wherever he was hiding out. He considered building traps, but the winter soldier would be able to look through them and get away and he gave up on that idea as well. Instead he started leaving little peace offerings around the tower. Simple things like food he knew Bucky enjoyed, magazines he liked flipping through, books Steve told him Bucky had loved when they were kids. He even got him a dog one day, because Bucky's eyes always lit up whenever he saw a dog outside and maybe Tony shouldn't know that but he had seen him quite a few times when he was outside and heading to a meeting or just to grab a quick cup of coffee. Bucky outside of the tower always looked different from the Bucky he never quite saw in the tower.
He kept his distance outdoors though, he didn't have time and if Bucky felt safer outside the tower than inside he wasn't going to trample over it. No matter what people thought he wasn't heartless.
They had lived together in the tower for five months when Tony literally ran into Bucky. He was on his way to a meeting, already running late and not watching where he was walking when he slammed right into Bucky's metal arm and fell to the floor. His head swam, pain radiated from his sternum. Two paws stepped on his ribs and a very wet tongue licked his face. He blinked, shook his head and pushed the dog off his chest. He got to his feet, had to put his hand against the wall to steady himself. Bucky's blue eyes were staring at him, wide, worried and terrified and Tony was alert again.
”Excuse me but what the fuck?”
Bucky looked ready to bolt and Tony grabbed his sleeve.
”You do not get to run away this time, Robocop. I have no idea what I've done that made you hate me, but whatever it is I need to know how I can make it up to you.”
Bucky's hands clenched and unclenched and clenched again. His whole frame tensed up. Tony stretched his back.
”We live together, work together, we can't keep doing this. Are you unhappy with your floor? Because I can fix that. Or is it just resentment that I was born with a silverspoon in my mouth because I can honestly not do anything about it but for fuck's sake I'm trying to make the world a better place with it.”
Bucky's breathing was picking up and great, if he was getting the assassin angry maybe they'd finally get somewhere, maybe Bucky would just blurt out what was going on and why he was avoiding Tony to begin with. The dog was waving her tail and pressing against Tony's leg demanding pets but he did not have time for that right now.
”I'm serious, Barnes. I've done what I can to be a good host and tried to at least begin to build a friendship but it's hard when you keep avoiding me like this. What more do you want from me? I fixed your arm, which was freaking hard when you refused to be there to answer my questions, I got the trigger-words out of your head, I gave you a home, I talked in your favor in front of the whole bloody american government to keep you from being thrown to death row, to get you pardoned.”
”You should shut up now.”
”Why? Because I'm making you angry and I wouldn't like you when you're angry? Boo-freaking-hoo. I live with the Hulk and if anyone can do angry it's him. Fuck it, you know what. I'm done. I'm done trying to do this, done trying to get your pretty ass to not run away every time I show myself, done longing for those pretty eyes to look at me, done wanting you to sit with me for breakfast and movie nights. I'm just fucking done. You happy? I'll see you never because I have a meeting to attend to.”
He let go of Bucky, whipped around. His head got dizzy at the movement and he must have hit Bucky's shoulder harder than he thought. Bucky's hand grabbed his arm and Tony snarled, but Bucky pulled him closer.
”You should shut up, because otherwise I won't be able to stop myself from kissing you.”
And then he was facing Bucky again, Bucky's face just centimeters from his, milimeters from his. Bucky's lips were soft and warm against his own, the taste of maple syrup lingered on them after the breakfast Bucky must have just eaten. Bucky's arm wrapped around his waist and he leaned against it, tilted backwards and Bucky followed, his lips splitting apart and his tongue making it's way into Tony's mouth and Tony's knees grew weak, he felt lightheaded. The kiss ended, but Tony wanted more and he was still falling. Bucky's arms caught him, lowered him to the floor and Tony let out a whine.
”Fuck”, Bucky said and it was the most beautiful word Tony had ever heard and maybe he was still a little disoriented after the impact but Bucky's voice was so soft.
”I'm sorry”, Bucky continued and Tony wanted to assure him that there was nothing at all to be sorry for, but he couldn't get his mouth to obey. ”Shit, I promised I wouldn't do this, I wouldn't take advantage of you. You hate me, and you have all right in the world to do so and I shouldn't use the fact that you're obviously longing for human touch against you.”
”Is not”, Tony's voice was slightly slurred and he swallowed, tried to gather his bearings. He forced one of his eyes open to look at Bucky but had to close it again. ”It's not advantage if we both want it.”
”You only want it because no one else is giving it to you.”
”Think I can decide that on my own.” He made a new attempt at opening his eyes, but pain soared through his head and he put an arm over them to close out all light.
”...oh. Oh no. I took advantage of an injured man. Holy flying shit, Steve is going to kill me.”
Bucky put his arms under Tony, lifted him from the floor. The dog barked and Tony made shushing noises at her.
”Jarvis, what's the way to Banner's lab?”
”Noooo”, Tony started to twist in Bucky's grip. ”Don't have time, there's a meeting.”
”You have a concussion.”
”I've done meetings hungover, I can handle it. Besides it's mostly lack of sleep.”
He could hear Bucky roll his eyes and it was the most amazing thing ever. He let his arm fall down from his face, buried into Bucky's shoulder instead. The flesh one he noticed because of course Bucky wouldn't risk him hitting his head on the other again, because Bucky was an angel like that (which Tony had not at all noticed while he was absolutely not spying on him). Doors opened, closed, opened again as Jarvis directed Bucky through the tower and then Tony was lowered onto a bunk. He could hear Bucky telling Bruce what happened and then Bruce was over him, forced his eyes opened and asked him questions he didn't actually care about answering. Bruce let out a sigh.
”Talk to me or I'm ordering bedrest for a month.”
”You're not that kind of doctor.”
”He's fine. He needs a few hours of sleep and a couple of days taking it easy and then he'll be right back to his old annoying self again.”
”Well then”, Tony held his arms out. ”Is my knight in shining arm going to escort me to my room?”
Bucky chuckled and Tony swore that before the week was over he was going to get Bucky to actually laugh because he could just imagine how sweet it must sound. Bucky lifted him again, thanked Bruce for his help and then they were out of the lab. The dog's claws clicked against the floor as she followed them up the stairs to Tony's floor, followed them to Tony's bedroom. Bucky lowered Tony into the bed, took his shoes off, his tie and Tony protested weakly when he started unbuttoning Tony's shirt.
”I'm not dying, I can undress myself.”
He sat up, another dizzy spell hit him and then the dog was in the bed, licking his face and Tony groaned.
”What's she doing up here?”
”Helping”, Bucky lifted her and put her back on the floor. ”She's used to being in my bed.”
Tony changed into his pyjamas. Bucky stood nervously by the door and Tony wasn't sure what he was waiting for. He sat down on the bed, placed his fingers against his forehead to massage it but winced at the pain it sent out.
”...You're going to get a bruise”, Bucky supplied.
”Pep's going to kill me.” Tony sank down on the bed and glanced at Bucky. ”We're still not done you know.”
”We should... wait with the conversation until you're feeling better.”
”Uh-huh”, Tony patted the other side of the bed. ”Get up here and keep me company.”
Bucky twitched nervously and Tony would have grinned if his headache wasn't slowly getting worse with every passing second.
”I'm going to take advantage of the fact that you have the hots for me.”
Bucky moved painfully slowly, but he came up to the bed, sat down and kicked off his shoes. Tony closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.
”Why should I hate you?”
”...I killed your parents.”
”Fair, but that's water under the bridge. Forgiven and forgotten. Why do you hate me?”
”I... what?”
”You keep hiding from me and running away when I get near and... ” Tony clenched his eyes and rubbed his temples. ”Feels like my head's gonna split.”
”You should sleep.”
”Soon. So, answer.”
”I don't hate you, I...”
Bucky fell silent and Tony opened an eye to look at him.
”Did you mean it?”
”I think I should ask you that.”
”The kiss, did you mean it? Because no one kisses like that without meaning it.”
Bucky blushed, looked away, and Tony definately needed to make Bucky blush more often because holy heck the sight made Tony giddy inside.
”I did.”
”...Can we do it again?”
Bucky looked at Tony again, cheeks still red. He blinked, then leaned down. Tony closed his eye again, his breath hitched, he felt his own cheeks getting red. Bucky's lips gently brushed against his forehead and Tony whined.
”When you've slept, I promise.”
”Dog's not allowed in the bed though.”
Tony rolled over to his side, wrapped an arm around Bucky and snuggled close. His breathing got slower, relaxed. Bucky tensed up for a few seconds, then leaned against the headboard, carded his fingers through Tony's hair.
”Sleep well, princess.”
The mattress shifted as the dog jumped up and rolled up against Tony's back, but he didn't have it in him to protest and instead let sleep pull him under.