middaeg | [closed] Bonding boys and awkward things

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[closed] Bonding boys and awkward things

Who: Tony Stark (

definingfuture), Bucky Barnes (

captenacious)
When: First part of August
Where: The Smugha Cave
What: Babysitting the cave (Quest #2 surveillance job), camping, fighting Shades, having awkward talks.
Warnings: Arachne transformation talk if spiders creep you out, but should be tame other than that.

It's almost a normal adventure for them. A group of Avengers on a job to defend the important production that will benefit the city? It could happen. They've even had camping trips before. It's just that this time the adventure has gotten a little bit more complicated. The Bond between Tony and Bucky is still new and, at least for Tony, kind of exciting, but it does put their relationships with each other at slight odds with Steve added to the group. There's tension that all of them can probably feel -- nothing bad, but definitely uncomfortable. Maybe they shouldn't have agreed to camp out in front of the cave together right off the bat.

But they are there now, and as the sun sets, at least there are distractions. During a patrol looking for potential danger, there's some rustling heard in the trees around the cave site. Tony pauses, breaking a momentary silence to peer into the shadows cast by branches.

"Well, this is creepier than I expected. Is it too late to un-sign up for the job?"

A thread of genuine unease filters through the Bond between Tony and Bucky, but even without it, the typical cover up can be heard in his voice. They've known each other for too long for Tony to really pull that off.

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It seemed like something to get out and do, at the very least. Bucky gets antsy in the city with not a lot going on. He's been looking for work and dodging festival stuff, not to mention getting used to his and Tony's new Bond, but he'd jumped at the prospect of getting out of the city and doing something useful. Steve showing up had been- not entirely unexpected, from the dream of burning forests, but it had still been a surprise all the same. He's delighted to see his best friend again, but things have been a little odd, with Tony and Bucky having an extra two months in Aefenglom on him.

Steve never did like being the odd man out.

Bucky is leading the way, realizing his vision is somehow better in the low light than it used to be, armed with a crossbow since he couldn't get his hands on a rifle this time. "Nope, we're stuck out here til at least morning," he replies, breezy and casual, an attempt at reassurance trickling through the bond to Tony in response to his unease - a wordless 'I've got you'. "How long has it been since the three of us got together on a mission, anyway?"

Steve has barely gotten a chance to adjust to this new place, but the second they'd suggested heading out on some kind of guard duty he'd been more than willing. Sitting around and trying to get his bearings has never much been his style when there are more active options, especially not after the past year of constant action. He can't help but be more than a little grateful that he's standing next to two of the people most likely to know that about him, even if they don't know all the specifics.

Mostly grateful, anyway. Steve can't help his eyes tracking between the two of them every so often, though it seems reasonable enough considering where they're heading. He may not have anything like his usual senses, and isn't that a kick to get used to again, but he can tell there's something happening between the two of them. There doesn't seem to be any easy way to bring it up and neither of them are talking, so Steve's mostly trying to ignore it for the time being. But. He notices.

"Long enough, anyway," he says after a moment, trying to match Bucky's easy-going tone.

At least Bucky seems happy. Tony guessed that he would be happy for the mission, and he had to assume that Steve Rogers, ever the active volunteer, would be eager to patrol and get a good active feel for the place he ended up in. It does help that both of them are with him on the job. Without his armor, Tony feels naked. You don't need it. He knows that and repeats it to himself, but somehow it never makes him feel completely safe. Without the armor, he's missing a lot.

The reassurance helps. Tony finds himself looking to Bucky before he even thinks about it -- a look of gratitude that he doesn't actually need to offer, but does instinctively -- which ends up being followed by an awkward turn back to the shadows. He doesn't want to start acting weird in front of Steve. How is he going to tell him about that? He has to, of course, but he hasn't found a way to say it that doesn't sound a little bad. And he can't upset Steve again when he just got there. So he tries for a brighter tone.

"Does almost dying count? That's the last one I remember."

He might have tried a bit too hard there. Abort.

"We're going to have to make a fire, aren't we? I don't remember the last time I had to do that one."

Weirdly, Bucky is delighted to be out here in nature, with an actual purpose. The dark doesn't bother him at all (and he'll try to unpack that later) - he barely needs the muted lanterns they were given to light their way. His eyes have adjusted really well.

And he and Tony are... adjusting okay to the bond. He feels that little look of gratitude and doesn't even need to look to his face for it, and he consciously tries to push through another thread of comfort, of safety. "Not the happiest get together we've ever had," he points out, tone deceptively light, ranging ahead a couple yards toward the underbrush, where the foliage rustles. He raises his crossbow, kicks a pebble in that direction, but the only thing that scurries out - this time - is a frightened rabbit.

Lowering his weapon, posture relaxing, he glances back toward Steve and Tony. The idea of a fire is less than pleasant right now, a vague twisting of 'no' that probably trickles through the Bond without him meaning to send it. "Couldn't hurt to have a base camp to go back to. Think this'll work, Steve?"

The reference earns Tony a dry look that he probably can't see, even if Steve's not completely sure what he's referencing, and he turns back to Bucky just in time to meet his gaze head on. One side of Steve's mouth curls up just a little, something he doesn't even have to think about as he gives the ground around them a measuring look. Bucky can probably pick out a campsite just as easily as he can if not better, but if he's looking for input then fine.

"It'll do," he agrees, letting the shield slip down off his shoulder to lean against his legs. "I can take care of the fire, if you two want to get me wood for it." And maybe it'll give them a chance to talk out whatever's causing the strange not-quite-there tension in the air. Or maybe just let Steve have a moment's breathing room to figure out how he feels about it.

Tony notices the silent reassurance the same way he anticipates the dirty look from Steve, even if he doesn't see it. There are certain intangible things that just feel natural and normal, and then there are the feelings that come through the Bond, which Tony is still trying to get used to. He's processing all of it, going quiet as they decide how to set up camp. He let's Bucky and Steve go about deciding the area, smiling to himself at how much like home that feels, and he wanders by Bucky as they group together so he can pat him on the shoulder. Fire is fine. They can control that one.

"So you're basically sending us out into the dark on our own? What if we get lost?"

He asks that with a teasing tone, because he's determined to act normally with Steve. They're starting over and he wants them all to be a team again. So Tony throws effort into humor, because that's the best way to relieve tension that he knows.

It's easy for Bucky to default to letting Steve be the leader. It's nice to fall back into old dynamics again with the three of them on mission together. Has that ever happened? He's not sure. Maybe he just wants things to feel normal, because the thread of tension in the air is driving him crazy.

The hand on his shoulder is more comforting than it should be, brief a touch as it is. Another side effect of the bond, maybe, and a little curious, he reaches out to casually touch Tony's arm as he passes by, wondering if it'll have the same effect on him. It's still a lot to get used to, figuring out how to separate his logical mind from the bond. He's snapped out of those thoughts by Steve's voice, and he replies, "Yeah, we can go get some wood." Looking at Steve, he might need a moment to puzzle things out himself.

"C'mon, give me some credit as a navigator. I got great night vision." It's a weak attempt at humor, and he pushes through the impression of a thought - we should just tell him.

He's trying not to watch them so closely but part of him can't help it, tracking every little idiosyncrasy despite himself. Is it just that they've been stuck in this place longer than he has? Something else he's missing? Eventually he has to force himself to glance away from the casual contact, though the way he's hunkering down to sit cross-legged on the ground they've marked out as theirs is a decent distraction.

"At least one of us does," Steve says with more than a hint of dryness. Which is probably as close as he's getting to discussing unprompted the sudden lack of serum in his system and how exactly he feels about it. But they're all trying for humor to smooth things over, aren't they, so he casts a drier look at Tony as well.

"Tell you what. If he gets you lost, feel free to tell us both you told us so."

Tony knows that Bucky is right. They should just talk to Steve; tell him the truth. But he's still tense from the recent events that he apparently started by doing or saying too much and he isn't sure how much of that he wants to continue in this new world. The doubt ripples through the Bond, tucked away beneath his warm smile and light humor. He naturally just wants to hide his insecurity, which doesn't work so well when you're around one person spiritually bonded to you and another that you've lived with for years before. Tony sighs as he steps away from the other two, just enough to create a little more physical distance for himself.

"Okay, not everyone loves the wilderness survival experience as much as you two," he says, putting more energy than he needs to into the complaint. Exaggerating helps him cover up any real anxiety he might have, and using that method here comes just as easily. "You know, for being thrown in a brand new world full of magic, you seem pretty comfortable."

He gives Steve an accusatory look, before turning his gaze toward Bucky.

"Okay, fine, I guess I'm a wood-fetcher. Tell me how this is better than a real kitchen again?"

"C'mon, it's practically a five-star resort experience out here. Nice weather, nice scenery, nice company, and only some things that'll try to kill ya." He shares an amused look with Steve; they've camped out rougher than this before, back during the war. "And I ain't getting anybody lost."

He can feel Tony's doubt niggling at the edges of the bond, and it puts his own emotions on edge, a little. He doesn't like it. Tony is his friend, and he doesn't want him to feel anxiety and doubt, especially not when they're just around Steve.

"We'll be back in less than an hour. I won't let anything eat our buddy here," he tells Steve, motioning to Tony, and then in true Bucky fashion, he throws them into this without a plan by continuing, "That'd probably suck for me since we got one of those Bond things." He's not a big fan of the 'dancing around topics' thing.

There's enough familiar teasing that Steve finds himself smiling faintly as he lets it all wash over him. This is what he'd been missing during that terrible year, or at least a big part of it. Bruce and Ben had been great, but he'd never been as close to either of them, and they'd all been too busy to really ever relax anyway. He can feel himself untensing slightly now, even if sitting on the ground in the middle of nowhere isn't appreciably better.

At least until Bucky's last shot instantly drives everything else out of his head, anyway.

"Sorry, what?" It's out of his mouth automatically before his brain catches back up. They'd mentioned something about bonds, hadn't they. That they were important. Steve's eyes dart between the two men again. "That's. Congratulations?"

It's pretty clear by his expression that he has no idea what the correct reaction here is.

Shit. Tony can't help the instant gut reaction of guilt and shame that comes from the secret being exposed. It's not even a real secret, and there's no real reason he should be embarrassed, but his immediate reaction to having information about himself out in the open, particularly in front of Steve, is that ingrained bitter self-loathing. He hurries to tamp it down, shooting Bucky a look of both shock and apology, before facing Steve.

"Yeah... We, uh, we didn't want to end up tied to a stranger. That could get messy."

Yup. That's a great explanation. Tony lets out a long breath. On the positive side, having Bucky take initiative and just putting it on the table at least relieves some of the fear.

"I know it sounds weird, but if what the Coven has been saying is right, if we don't bond with each other it'll either drive you two crazy or make me explode. It's... working out so far. I'm glad we did it."

That last part comes out with a fond note. Talking really does make him feel better.

"I don't want this to make things weird for you. Or for you two."

Tony nods to Bucky. Is it stealing if he Bonds with Steve's best friend? Not that he expected them to Bond with each other, but they're already close and he's technically the new one of the trio. What if he learns things Steve doesn't know?

Steve doesn't seem to know how to react, which, fair, and then Tony's giving off twinges of embarrassment and shock, and Bucky has to suppress the urge to roll his eyes. They're all friends, there's no reason this should be some weird secret thing. He punches Tony's shoulder very lightly, and admonishes, "You quit that. I got enough guilt for both of us." Just wait til the next full moon if he feels like starting another bar fight!

"Fact of the matter is, whatever this place is doin' to me, I got riled up the last time the moon was full. Got real aggressive. This whole, bonding thing, it's supposed to help. It's weird but it ain't the worst thing in the world." At least he's still pretty much in control of himself. He can deal with the exchange of feelings.

Then he actually does roll his eyes. "Tony, you're the only one makin' it weird acting like it's some kind of secret. It was better to just get it out. You know Steve, you keep secrets from him and he's a dog with a bone til he figures 'em out."

Bucky at least feels better. Honesty is a good thing. He's giving it a go these days.

"Any weirder than things already are, you mean?" Steve can't help a faint smile at that. Not that all of them haven't probably dealt with stranger, but still. And this is much preferred to the two of them trying to keep secrets. If he had to deal with them looking awkward around him all the time, he'd probably lose his mind pretty quickly. Things are unsettled enough that he needs his friends.

And Tony's already looking like he wants to twitch out of his skin, so Steve tries to arrange his expression into something calmly curious.

"So what's this bond thing do, exactly? Other than keep you both calm. I don't think they mentioned much at the welcome wagon." Or it's possible Steve hadn't really been listening. He'd had a lot on his mind at the time. But he'd like to hear it from people he implicitly trusts.

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[closed] Bonding boys and awkward things

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