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Bucky tapped the brush a final time to give one last splash of edible glitter flakes to the entremets for this afternoon’s event. When Nat suggested doll tea parties as a way to bring in more customers, they didn’t anticipate it’s popularity. He thought they’d make up a few cucumber sandwiches and slap a couple of macarons on a plate and be good.
Not after Tony Stark and his daughter Morgan showed up.
New York’s most eligible omega drew a crowd, and that crowd brought publicity. The parties usually appeared in review columns and Buzzfeed listicles about hidden gems around the city. Now Bucky created different tasting menus for each party, with parent and child sized portions, and treats with increasing difficulty. It was so much more work than they had planned.
And Bucky loved it.
He got to flex all the skills he’d learned in pastry school. Entremets, macarons, tarts, opera cakes, bon bons, profiteroles, and enough petit fours to make his eyes cross. He ordered themed sprinkles and glitters and edible gold foil. Nat found a supplier for child resistant tea cups and plates, doilies, and lacy tiered dessert stands that all the littles oohed and aahed over. Not bad for a couple of Brooklyn alphas that were told they had no place running tea parties. They were able to pay Steve to take over all the art design for advertising, and they hired another employee to work the counter with all the success so far.
His business partner’s head popped into the doorway, “Almost done? There’s a gaggle of giggling little kids who’s dollies are very hungry, from what I hear.”
Bucky threw off his apron covered in frosting for a fresh one and grabbed his waistcoat. Having him come out dressed as a fancy waiter was originally a way for Nat to torture him, but it made the kids feel like they were in a real french teahouse. At least he got to flirt with Stark in the sharp suits he wore to every party, matched perfectly to Morgan’s poof of tulle and satin that passed for little girl dresses these days. He pulled off poppy pink and lilac and every shade of blue and Bucky was entranced every party with how stunning Tony looked in the afternoon light that filtered into the shop.
“How do I look?” Bucky futzed with his hair in the mirror before washing up a final time.
“Like Stark’ll spend the entire time with his eyes glued to your ass again.”
“Nat…” “Like that wasn’t the reason you chose those pants. It’s not because they’re easy to bake in.”
Bucky loaded the little cakes on the stands with the rest of the nibbles, everything in a delicate shade of baby blue with gold sprinkles and buttercream sunflowers pipped on top. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Bucky sassed, catching Nat’s smirk giving a smirk right back.
Nat held the door open as Bucky pushed the cart loaded with tiers of treats out to the cafe floor. Juice and tea were already served to each table, so Bucky made his rounds delivering the food, complimenting the doll’s outfits and greeting guests. The Starks were sitting by the big bay window today with two other families. Their familial scent of sweet orange blossom always stood out, no matter the other stronger or competing scents flooding the cafe on party days. A scent that would go well with the Barnes’ family dark chocolate, as Nat and Steve often reminded him.
Morgan and Mrs. Potts-Rhodes’ little girl Jamie were bouncing in their chairs as he finally got to their table.
“Hello Ladies, Mr. Stark,” Bucky said, tipping his head to everyone. Bucky didn’t recognize the other parent or the little girl tucked shyly into her mother’s side. “Today, we have a sunflower seed-butter cake with strawberry gelee, blueberry mousse and Swiss meringue buttercream. There is an assortment of tea sandwiches, vanilla bean macarons, berry ricotta tartlets, and gougeres with prosciutto for the adventurous.” He placed the stand in the middle of the table, and leaned over to the newcomers with a wink, “And if there are any allergies or issues, I have cheese and Wonderbread in the back, Mrs…?”
“Call me Maria, and this is Monica. Monica say ‘Hi’,” Maria moved so Bucky could see Monica clutching tightly to her doll.
Bucky knelt down, “Hello Monica, who did you bring with you today?” He grabbed the doll teapot and mimed pouring a cup in the littlest place setting.
“Amelia,” Monica whispered, making her mom chuckle that she is rarely this shy.
“Pleasure to meet you and Amelia. I hope you have fun, Morgan and Jamie are great party buddies. Follow their lead,” Bucky whispered back. As he stood back up, Bucky heard a low murmur.
“God, what that does to my ovaries.” It looked like Mr. Stark was staring at his backside over the rim of his barely tinted sunglasses.
“I’m sorry, what?”
“I mean, you’re so good with the kiddos,” Tony smiled before grabbing a sip of his tea. The other adults in earshot snickered and hid behind their own cups. Thankfully the girls all seem absorbed in pouring tea and chattering about which sweets they wanted.
Bucky shot him a wink before putting the last of the treats on the table, trays of little sandwich soldiers that wouldn’t fit on the tiered stand, “I have 3 younger siblings, lots of practice.”
“Any of your own?” Mrs Potts-Rhodes asked while selecting things for her and Jamie’s plates.
Bucky could hear Nat snickering from another table that needed a refill already. “No, not yet anyway. Business has been a little too busy for dating recently for some reason.”
“Hmm, a shame for such a sweet alpha as yourself to be single,” she responded over her teacup, eyes seemingly boring a hole straight into Tony.
He felt a tug on his apron strings as he rounded the table to take away the empty cart, “Chef Bucky, Dad said I could have a tea party for my birthday this year!”
“That’s a great idea, we would be happy to host your party, if you wanted it here,” Bucky winced a little at her high pitched squeal as he answered.
“We’d hate to close you down for the day, I was thinking of having it at our penthouse. Maybe we could exchange numbers to discuss the plans?” Tony said. He popped a gougere in his mouth in a way that shouldn’t have been seductive, but damn if Bucky wasn’t a little jealous of cheesy choux pastry.
“Mr. Stark, if you wanted my number, you could have just asked,” Bucky’s blood rushed in his ears, usually he was much more subtle, but Stark was a gorgeous omega and upping the ante was too delicious to resist, “Maybe we could discuss it over dinner sometime.”
“Sounds perfect,” Tony looked to make sure his daughter was focused on whatever Jamie and Monica were talking about before continuing, “I look forward to working closely with you on this.”
“I see many late nights in our future, Mr. Stark.”