(AA) Thanks to everyone who stuck with this story, even as it went places I didn't originally see it going. Thanks especially to you, OP, for the great prompt and the continual encouragement! _______
It was the morning after an intensive mission, and the Avengers compound was buzzing with the remaining tension. It had been Steve, Bucky, Sam, Nat, and Clint on duty, and they now sat in the TV room after their secondary team debriefing.
“Give it here, James.”
Bucky currently had possession of the remote and had the television tuned to a marathon of How the Universe Works on the Science Channel. A new episode had just started. They’d already watched four.
“C’mon, Barnes, hand it over!”
Steve didn’t really care what they watched, although some of the images of shining galaxies reminded him horribly of the Tesseract. Clint had also expressed no opinion on the entertainment, but Sam and Nat were insistent that they blow off some steam with a bad action movie. Bucky handed the remote to Nat, glaring comically at Sam. Nat high-fived Sam, flipped to a movie channel, and started up John Wick: Chapter 2.
“I haven’t even seen the first one,” Bucky grumbled.
“You’ll catch up quick, smart guy like you,” Sam assured him sarcastically.
“Does the dog die in this one, too?”
Clint chimed in for the first time. He sounded genuinely concerned.
“What kinda movie are you making me watch?”
Bucky rounded on Nat who gave him a wide-eyed look of innocence. Her eyes narrowed as Bucky dived for the remote, and she deftly rolled off the couch to avoid him. She was laughing.
“Oh, that’s how it is now?”
Sam grinned and tackled Bucky playfully off the couch as well.
“Children,” Clint admonished mildly, his lips quirking into a small smile. “Behave.”
“Pretty sure I’m the oldest person here.”
Bucky said from the floor. He’d caught Natasha by the ankle and she was swatting at him with a decorative pillow while Sam held him from behind.
“And yet,” Steve laughed, snatching the remote from Nat’s hand while she was distracted.
“No fair, Rogers!”
As Steve grabbed the remote he accidentally pressed a button. The intro of the movie changed into the ending of an advertisement for a fast food restaurant. A new ad began for something called Build-a-Bear Workshop’s special edition Avenger Bears.
“Oh my God,” Clint sat up straighter on the couch. “My kids were talking about this the other week.”
Steve watched images flash over the screen. A fluffy brown bear dressed as Captain America, complete with a plush shield. Another dressed as Iron Man, then Thor, then Hulk, then Black Widow, then Hawkeye, and finally Nick Fury.
“And now,” the TV announcer intoned as if it were the most important news in the world. “Introducing for the first time, the new Avenger Bears!”
A Falcon bear appeared in a much more colorful costume than Sam’s actual EXO flight suit. Sam didn’t seem to mind the change.
“About damn time.”
There were also images of bears dressed as War Machine, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Ant-Man, and finally, a bear in the friendlier version of Bucky’s Winter Soldier gear with a silver sleeve mimicking Bucky’s prosthesis over its left arm. Steve chanced a glance at Bucky, wanting to see his reaction. An idea was brewing in the back of his mind. Bucky’s face was blank, unreadable. The commercial ended and a competitive cooking show came on.
“My kids already have the ones of me and Nat,” Clint said, almost boastfully.
“Well, clearly they need to expand their collection,” Sam said. “With the best one.”
While Steve was distracted, Nat snatched the remote back from his slack hand. He let it go without a fight. Bucky shook his head slightly and looked at up Steve, smiling softly when he caught Steve already looking at him. He rose from the floor.
“Oh, hey, I like this show,” Nat said as she settled back on the couch.
“Fine, whatever,” Sam agreed easily.
Bucky sat on the couch. As he did, Nat shot Steve a look, silently asking him if Bucky was okay. Steve nodded and Nat relaxed. Steve sat by Bucky on the couch, throwing an arm over his shoulders. He remembered Bucky in his arms the night before, relaxed and content in their bed. They’d been sharing a room for months now.
“I’m going out,” Steve decided, kissing Bucky on the mouth before he stood. “Anyone need anything?”
Everyone shook their heads and told him they didn’t. As he roared down the road on his Harley, heading for the mall, Steve hoped he wasn’t making a mistake.
*
“Hey,” Steve said when he returned a few hours later and found Bucky in their room, pacing. “What’s going on?”
“We all got bored with cooking shows,” Bucky shrugged. “What’s in the bag?”
Steve had a large plastic shopping bag in his right hand. He looked at it. He was sure this had been a mistake.
“I had a thought, and I, uh, didn’t want to ask, ‘cause I wanted it to be a surprise, but- ”
He closed the door behind him and went to the bed, strewing the bag’s contents over the comforter. Bucky stared at them. The same fluffy brown bear dressed as Bucky that had been in the commercial. A Captain America outfit for the same type of bear. He looked up at Steve.
“Yeah, I know, it was stupid. I got Sam a Falcon one, too, left it outside his door- ”
“Steve,” Bucky was smiling as he stepped forward to hug Steve. “Thank you.”
The Steve bear was a little smaller than the Bucky bear. It swam in the Captain America uniform.
“Like old times.”
Steve made a face at Bucky.
“Sorry.”
Both men were competent with needle-and-thread. They were considering taking some of the stuffing from the new bear and plumping up the old, when Bucky had a realization.
“Wait, have we washed this? Since- ?”
Bucky held up the old bear with a wide-eyed look. Steve shook his head.
“That’s gross,” Bucky said. “We’re gross. We should wash him.”
“This is gonna be more of a project than I originally thought,” Steve sighed. “I was just looking to make some big romantic gesture and have sex.”
"That's still in the cards," Bucky assured him.
Bucky went to a craft store while Steve took apart the old bear, removed the stuffing, and put it in the washing machine. It was dry when Bucky returned, hands full of bulging shopping bags.
“Think you overdid it there, pal,” Steve raised an eyebrow. “What took you so long, anyway?”
“I got distracted,” Bucky growled, dropping the bags on their bed. “They had two aisles of just buttons. Who the hell needs that many types of buttons?”
They filled the clean Steve bear with the stuffing Bucky had bought. He still wasn’t as big as the new bear, but he could fit in the Captain America costume when Steve hemmed the arms and legs. Bucky sewed on a replacement left ear, and put two sky blue buttons into the empty eye sockets.
“That’s what took you so long, you were trying to match my eye color,” Steve needled him. “Weren’t you?”
“Bite me, Rogers.”
When they’d finished, they looked at their handiwork sitting on the end of their bed. The Steve bear was still mostly without fur, but it didn’t look sad anymore. It sat by its new friend in its bright new costume, holding its shield and staring with its blue button eyes. They hadn't put the mask on, and Bucky had sewn its mouth into a smile.
“I don’t know,” Bucky said beside Steve. “Do you think it’s creepier now?”
“I love it,” Steve decided, pulling Bucky by the hand to sit beside the toys on their bed. “And I love you.”
Bucky landed heavily in his lap, swinging his legs up out of instinct and kissing Steve deeply with a moan. Blood surged hot between Steve’s legs. He handed Bucky both bears, and Bucky held them tightly as Steve began to rock him.
Fill: Berceuse (11/11)
_______
It was the morning after an intensive mission, and the Avengers compound was buzzing with the remaining tension. It had been Steve, Bucky, Sam, Nat, and Clint on duty, and they now sat in the TV room after their secondary team debriefing.
“Give it here, James.”
Bucky currently had possession of the remote and had the television tuned to a marathon of How the Universe Works on the Science Channel. A new episode had just started. They’d already watched four.
“C’mon, Barnes, hand it over!”
Steve didn’t really care what they watched, although some of the images of shining galaxies reminded him horribly of the Tesseract. Clint had also expressed no opinion on the entertainment, but Sam and Nat were insistent that they blow off some steam with a bad action movie. Bucky handed the remote to Nat, glaring comically at Sam. Nat high-fived Sam, flipped to a movie channel, and started up John Wick: Chapter 2.
“I haven’t even seen the first one,” Bucky grumbled.
“You’ll catch up quick, smart guy like you,” Sam assured him sarcastically.
“Does the dog die in this one, too?”
Clint chimed in for the first time. He sounded genuinely concerned.
“What kinda movie are you making me watch?”
Bucky rounded on Nat who gave him a wide-eyed look of innocence. Her eyes narrowed as Bucky dived for the remote, and she deftly rolled off the couch to avoid him. She was laughing.
“Oh, that’s how it is now?”
Sam grinned and tackled Bucky playfully off the couch as well.
“Children,” Clint admonished mildly, his lips quirking into a small smile. “Behave.”
“Pretty sure I’m the oldest person here.”
Bucky said from the floor. He’d caught Natasha by the ankle and she was swatting at him with a decorative pillow while Sam held him from behind.
“And yet,” Steve laughed, snatching the remote from Nat’s hand while she was distracted.
“No fair, Rogers!”
As Steve grabbed the remote he accidentally pressed a button. The intro of the movie changed into the ending of an advertisement for a fast food restaurant. A new ad began for something called Build-a-Bear Workshop’s special edition Avenger Bears.
“Oh my God,” Clint sat up straighter on the couch. “My kids were talking about this the other week.”
Steve watched images flash over the screen. A fluffy brown bear dressed as Captain America, complete with a plush shield. Another dressed as Iron Man, then Thor, then Hulk, then Black Widow, then Hawkeye, and finally Nick Fury.
“And now,” the TV announcer intoned as if it were the most important news in the world. “Introducing for the first time, the new Avenger Bears!”
A Falcon bear appeared in a much more colorful costume than Sam’s actual EXO flight suit. Sam didn’t seem to mind the change.
“About damn time.”
There were also images of bears dressed as War Machine, Scarlet Witch, Vision, Ant-Man, and finally, a bear in the friendlier version of Bucky’s Winter Soldier gear with a silver sleeve mimicking Bucky’s prosthesis over its left arm. Steve chanced a glance at Bucky, wanting to see his reaction. An idea was brewing in the back of his mind. Bucky’s face was blank, unreadable. The commercial ended and a competitive cooking show came on.
“My kids already have the ones of me and Nat,” Clint said, almost boastfully.
“Well, clearly they need to expand their collection,” Sam said. “With the best one.”
While Steve was distracted, Nat snatched the remote back from his slack hand. He let it go without a fight. Bucky shook his head slightly and looked at up Steve, smiling softly when he caught Steve already looking at him. He rose from the floor.
“Oh, hey, I like this show,” Nat said as she settled back on the couch.
“Fine, whatever,” Sam agreed easily.
Bucky sat on the couch. As he did, Nat shot Steve a look, silently asking him if Bucky was okay. Steve nodded and Nat relaxed. Steve sat by Bucky on the couch, throwing an arm over his shoulders. He remembered Bucky in his arms the night before, relaxed and content in their bed. They’d been sharing a room for months now.
“I’m going out,” Steve decided, kissing Bucky on the mouth before he stood. “Anyone need anything?”
Everyone shook their heads and told him they didn’t. As he roared down the road on his Harley, heading for the mall, Steve hoped he wasn’t making a mistake.
*
“Hey,” Steve said when he returned a few hours later and found Bucky in their room, pacing. “What’s going on?”
“We all got bored with cooking shows,” Bucky shrugged. “What’s in the bag?”
Steve had a large plastic shopping bag in his right hand. He looked at it. He was sure this had been a mistake.
“I had a thought, and I, uh, didn’t want to ask, ‘cause I wanted it to be a surprise, but- ”
He closed the door behind him and went to the bed, strewing the bag’s contents over the comforter. Bucky stared at them. The same fluffy brown bear dressed as Bucky that had been in the commercial. A Captain America outfit for the same type of bear. He looked up at Steve.
“Yeah, I know, it was stupid. I got Sam a Falcon one, too, left it outside his door- ”
“Steve,” Bucky was smiling as he stepped forward to hug Steve. “Thank you.”
The Steve bear was a little smaller than the Bucky bear. It swam in the Captain America uniform.
“Like old times.”
Steve made a face at Bucky.
“Sorry.”
Both men were competent with needle-and-thread. They were considering taking some of the stuffing from the new bear and plumping up the old, when Bucky had a realization.
“Wait, have we washed this? Since- ?”
Bucky held up the old bear with a wide-eyed look. Steve shook his head.
“That’s gross,” Bucky said. “We’re gross. We should wash him.”
“This is gonna be more of a project than I originally thought,” Steve sighed. “I was just looking to make some big romantic gesture and have sex.”
"That's still in the cards," Bucky assured him.
Bucky went to a craft store while Steve took apart the old bear, removed the stuffing, and put it in the washing machine. It was dry when Bucky returned, hands full of bulging shopping bags.
“Think you overdid it there, pal,” Steve raised an eyebrow. “What took you so long, anyway?”
“I got distracted,” Bucky growled, dropping the bags on their bed. “They had two aisles of just buttons. Who the hell needs that many types of buttons?”
They filled the clean Steve bear with the stuffing Bucky had bought. He still wasn’t as big as the new bear, but he could fit in the Captain America costume when Steve hemmed the arms and legs. Bucky sewed on a replacement left ear, and put two sky blue buttons into the empty eye sockets.
“That’s what took you so long, you were trying to match my eye color,” Steve needled him. “Weren’t you?”
“Bite me, Rogers.”
When they’d finished, they looked at their handiwork sitting on the end of their bed. The Steve bear was still mostly without fur, but it didn’t look sad anymore. It sat by its new friend in its bright new costume, holding its shield and staring with its blue button eyes. They hadn't put the mask on, and Bucky had sewn its mouth into a smile.
“I don’t know,” Bucky said beside Steve. “Do you think it’s creepier now?”
“I love it,” Steve decided, pulling Bucky by the hand to sit beside the toys on their bed. “And I love you.”
Bucky landed heavily in his lap, swinging his legs up out of instinct and kissing Steve deeply with a moan. Blood surged hot between Steve’s legs. He handed Bucky both bears, and Bucky held them tightly as Steve began to rock him.