Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/624003.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Choose_Not_To_Use_Archive_Warnings, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
  Category:
      F/M, M/M
  Fandom:
      The_Avengers_(2012)
  Relationship:
      Maria_Hill/Bucky_Barnes, Steve_Rogers/Tony_Stark, slight_phil_coulson/
      clint_barton
  Character:
      Maria_Hill, James_"Bucky"_Barnes, Tony_Stark, Steve_Rogers, Nick_Fury,
      Clint_Barton, Phil_Coulson, Thor_(Marvel), OC_-_Character, Pepper_Potts,
      Bruce_Banner, Natasha_Romanov
  Additional Tags:
      His_Dark_Materials_AU
  Stats:
      Published: 2013-01-04 Words: 15012
****** Swallowed in the Sea ******
by scarletbluebird
Summary
     When Maria was very small, she wanted to be a dancer. After her
     father would head to work she would stand in front of the old full
     length mirror that had been her mother’s and spin around, holding
     Barbar in sugar glider form tightly against her chest. She’d spin and
     spin until the world around her grew fuzzy and soft, colors blurring
     into a dreamscape mess. Then she’d stop, breathing heavily, and stare
     into her own eyes while the world slowed again.
     -----
     In public Pepper took the form of a giant Tiger. “Is this really
     necessary?” She asked him the first time he suggested it, 21, drunk
     out of his mind and hammering angrily at a piece of metal. “Tony,
     it’s not a big deal that I haven’t settled yet. A lot of daemon’s
     don’t settle until mid twenties.”
      
     “I’m a genius,” Tony had slurred at her, slamming the hammer against
     his work shop table, denting it beyond repair. “I’m the newly minted
     Stark Industries owner, I am the master of my own universe.” He
     hiccuped, voice breaking, eyes glassy. “It makes sense that you would
     settle now.”
      
     His Dark Materials/Avengers Crossover. Part of a larger series.
Notes
     This is part of a larger HDMAvengers fusion series my friend is
     making. She was nice enough to let me mess around with the
     characters. Don't own anything! (Avengers, HDM, Coldplay, or any
     poem-esq thing in here)
     WARNING: so much coffee drinking it's like the 'Girl with the Dragon
     Tattoo' up in here
     Bonus STEVE/TONY at the end. (also don't own the Weepies)
     EDIT: list of daemons, sorry I didn't do this before!
     Steve Rogers: Peggimut 'Peggy' (white Lioness)
     Tony Stark: Texomanuspiper 'Pepper' (Striped Possum)
     Bucky Barnes: Hibernamicus 'Hiberna' (Alaskan Malamute)
     Clint Barton: Grape (Tawny Frogmouth)
     Natasha Romanov: Adfirmatoinfitalis 'Ad' (Black burrowing Asp /
     Humanoid)
     Phil Coulson: Stedanstandtus 'Steed' (Sika Deer)
 
 
The streets you’re walking on, a thousand miles long. Well that’s where I
belong. And you belong with me. Not swallowed in the sea.
 
000000000000000
 
When Maria was very small, she wanted to be a dancer. After her father would
head to work she would stand in front of the old full length mirror that had
been her mother’s and spin around, holding Barbar in sugar glider form tightly
against her chest. She’d spin and spin until the world around her grew fuzzy
and soft, colors blurring into a dreamscape mess. Then she’d stop, breathing
heavily, and stare into her own eyes while the world slowed again.
 
 0000000000000000
 
“Shhh Barbar you’re gonna get us caught.” Maria hissed down at her daemon.
Barbar, shivered against her neck, body heavy against her shoulder in the form
of a runty black wombat. Maria heard her mumbled apology, which she ignored,
too busy peaking through her lashes as the man rummaged around the kitchen,
loudly banging the kitchen cabinets.
 
“Where is it, damn it all!” He yelled, slamming the cabinet so hard the door
shut and then bounced open again. His daemon, a sleek red fox stood still as a
statue watching him. Maria tried to mimic her and pretended to be stone.
Eventually her father stopped shouting and leaned his elbows on the countertop,
face in hands, panting.
 
“You’re going to be late,” Falentana said, looking as bored as a fox ever
could.
 
“Yes, yes shut up.” Joe snapped, and then as he turned toward her, Maria held
her breath. She closed her eyes completely, and thought about the wide open sky
at the edge of the city and how you could see for miles when you stood with
your feet in the water. She often dreamed of swimming across that river. Of
picking a direction to walk and never turning back.
 
“Stupid girl.” She could hear her father mutter to himself. “Taking my sweet
Carolina away from me.” She continued to hold her breath as he fumbled around
their one room apartment, probably looking for his shoes. Falentana did not say
anything, but Maria imagined she could feel the fox’s strangely pale green eyes
staring at her in the dark.
 
When the door clanged closed she released her breath in a deep exhale, running
shaky hands through sweat dampened hair. Barbar scooted away, shook out his fur
in violent relief and melted into the form of a small chocolate lab. He gently
licked at Maria’s face, making the girl smile despite herself.
 
She sat up and shuffled into their small kitchen, getting a grimy glass from
the open cabinet, rinsing it as best she could and filling it with water.
Sipping she looked out the small window to the alley below. Homeless Bob was
wandering around one of the dumpsters again, reaching in and pulling out what
looked like a hunk of rotten fish. Maria sighed as Barbar hopped up onto the
counter, a grey tabby now and looked out the window with her.
 
“We have some biscuits left we could give him,” he said, licking at a paw.
 
“May as well,” Maria grabbed one of the old biscuits, wrapped it in some wax
paper and jammed the last one into her mouth, saving a bite for Barbar. “I’m
not wasting it on Joe.”
 
 00000
 
The city of Chicago in early September already held the promise of winter in
the bite of the early morning air. Maria inhaled sharply and wrapped her worn
jean jacket more tightly around her shoulders. Homeless Bob had wandered away
from the dumpster and was leaning against the wall, muttering something about
nuclear fission to himself. Maria walked up to him and smiled as he looked over
to her.
 
Homeless Bob had been a staple in Maria’s life for the last eight years. His
sad brown eyes used to scare her when she was younger. In the early days, she
had avoided him in her walks back from school but when he never yelled at her
or glared at her, which is more than she could say about her own father, she
had begun to ask Bob questions. Like, why her dad was the way he was, why she
could not afford new stockings when most of the girls in her class could, why
Bob did not have a home. Homeless Bob’s answers rarely made sense, but his
smile was kind and his eyes were soft although sad.
 
He took the biscuit from her with a soft thanks, devouring it quickly. “What
are you doing out so late girlie?” He questioned her kindly, leaning down to
nod at Barbar, back in puppy form. “Streets of this city aren’t safe for pretty
girls. Especially at night.”
 
“I’m hardly a pretty girl,” Maria frowned at him, blushing despite herself. She
did not mention the fact that it was only morning. “I’m going to the park, want
to come? We can play chess.” Playing chess with Homeless Bob was Maria’s
favorite thing to do, but she was careful not to ask him to play with her too
often.
 
“Chess? Sounds like a wonderful night to me.” She felt a smile creep over her
face at his enthusiasm.
 
On the way to the park, Homeless Bob talked to her about the movement of the
Mob through the city. Somehow, he always seemed to know the ins and outs of the
seedy underside of Chicago. Maria never asked where he got his information, but
he always seemed to know what he was talking about. When they settled on the
chess benches, she waited patiently for him to make his first move watching him
mutter to himself in a strange language and shake his head.
 
“What do you think I should do?” He asked the air next to him and then nodded
to himself scratching his chin and saying “yes yes yes” over and over again.
Maria paid him no mind, gently reaching her hand down to pet Barbar who was in
a small bunny form and watching the man with silent, dark eyes. Bob got like
that sometimes, well, most of the time he had the look about him of a man lost
on a great sea, or a man who was the soul survivor of a plague or a great hero
who lost his true love to tragedy like in one of Maria’s story books.  She
always wanted to ask him, what had happened to make him look like that.
What,what was it that gave him the energy to walk around day in and day out.
 
He was the only person Maria had ever seen without a daemon.
 
“I lost her,” He would say to Maria sometimes, after they had played chess or
walked until their feet were sore. His eyes would widen with desperation and an
infinite sadness. “I don’t know where she went.”
 
Maria did not have to ask him who he was talking about. At those times, she
would reach out and take his cold hand into her own and tell him about the
latest book she was reading. At the end of her story he would always smile
faintly at her and tell her she was a good girl.
 
 00000000
 
One day, when Maria was thirteen, she went looking for Homeless Bob, but she
could not find him in the park, or by the river front or even curled up next to
his favorite dumpster. Heartsore, she had sat in his favorite spot and
discovered, wedged between dumpster and alley wall, a balled up napkin on which
cramped writing was written: the chime goes unheard. We are together at last,
though far apart. Never forget what you did, who you are.
 
She could not say whether this was left for her, or even if it was in Homeless
Bob’s handwriting but the message was received and although Maria never saw
Homeless Bob again, she never forgot him.
 
 00000000
 
At fourteen she left her father, a drunken wreck throwing glasses at her from
across the kitchen and cursing her very existence to the gods, behind and set
off with her old jean jacket stretched tight across her shoulders and Barbar a
lithe dark lynx running fast beside her feet.
 
She spent the night in the park where she had played chess with Homeless Bob 
for so many years. It was a cold spring night with just her thin jean jacket
and she had a new respect for the many homeless around her. Barbar snuggled up,
still in lynx form tightly to her side, his gold eyes were trained on the other
bums in the park. Some were talking in groups, mangy daemons huddled at their
sides, some others wandered around alone with no visible daemon Maria could
make out.
 
“We’ll be fine,” She whispered down to Barbar when she felt him shiver. “It
will get better.”
 
She lived on the streets for a while, after the slow to warm spring, the summer
in Chicago was perfect for homelessness and while she did some unseemly things
she never lost her self respect and could always face her reflection in the
mirror. Barbar despaired at her hippy lifestyle and her loose sexuality but as
she stuffed her face with cheap hotdogs and spicy mustard she reminded him that
a girl had to do what a girl had to do.
 
In a few weeks she managed to land a job waiting tables in a small café.  For
once, her gawky height worked for her and she lied straight faced about her
age. Maria could not afford a place to stay and spent a few more nights in the
park until some of the homeless guys got a little too close for comfort. After
that she stuck to community shelters and the sides of dumpsters in the
financial district when she absolutely had to. She still went to school during
the day and worked as late as she possibly could and then finished her homework
and studied in the kitchen as Tomi the  Jamaican chef cleaned up and forced
food on her.
 
“Why don’t you come and live with me and Gemma?” He would constantly ask her.
“We have plenty of space for you.”
 
“I need to be my own person for a while,” She would reply to his good natured
badgering. Later, when she and Barbar were crouched together in a crowded
shelter she felt a brief pang of regret for turning him down.
 
“Would it be so bad accepting his help?” Barbar whispered to her, in calico cat
form.
 
“I don’t need handouts,” She whispered back, stung. “We will be fine. It’s warm
in here and,” She accepted Barbar’s apologetic lick against her palm. “it’s
safe.”
 
“I just want to go home.” Barbar’s voice was sad and he curled around her knee.
 
“We are each other’s home.” Maria said as exhaustion swept through her. She
fell asleep sometime in the night, curled up like that, against the wall with
nameless faces surrounding her.
 
 00000000
 
Maria turned fifteen on a freezing cold day in late January. Barbar sang her a
birthday song as she rubbed her cheeks to try to get some feeling back into
them. She hadn’t eaten in three days, all of her money going towards the rent
for her one room studio. It was a rather pathetic living space but Maria was
inordinately proud of it. It was hers, only hers and no one else’s.  She had
been afraid for a while that she would not be able to get the apartment but
Tomi had forced her to let him cosign the lease.
 
That first night in their home, Maria and Barbar, in wombat form, had sat
together and looked out the sole window in the living area that faced the
street and an out of business Dry Cleaning store. The moon was barely visible
in the smog, and Maria felt a wave of contentment sweep through her. She knew
in that moment, that whatever life swung at her, she would be alright.
 
She became a pick pocket, a clever one. She was never caught. She quit her
waiting table job and became a dancer, although admittedly not the type she had
dreamed about becoming. In those early years, she could honestly say, looking
back, that she was happy. Happy and free.
 
 Her hours at school were spent diligently focused and her nights were spent
dreaming about far away places beyond the river and dirty city. She turned
sixteen and celebrated by splurging on a chocolate cupcake from the bakery in
down town. Cupcakes for some reason were all the rage. Maria had to admit that
the blue icing on top her cupcake was divine and she split it in half with
Barbar who was crouched low in his typical fat wombat form. He hadn’t changed
for a few weeks and Maria was sort of getting the feeling that maybe this was
his final form. She did not feel fully settled in her body, in her life but she
was, she supposed, the most content that she had ever been.
 
“To us!” She cheered, taking a large bite out of her cupcake. Barbar delicately
nosed at his. “Not gonna eat it?” She chewed, mouth open.
 
“Manners,” She rolled her eyes at Barbar, who rolled his right back. “I’m
savoring it!” He took a dainty lick of the blue icing and then with a sudden
ferocity, began to eat his half. “This is very good.” He said, surprised.
 
“I know right, maybe there’s something to paying ten dollars for a cupcake
after all.” They looked at each other for a minute.
 
“Nah.” They both said, then started to laugh.
 
 000000000000
 
A few weeks later, Maria was mugged on her way home from work. She lived about
a block away from the dancing lounge. Barbar had decided to stay in the
apartment for the day, lazy daemon that he was and Maria had been thinking
about the warm bed waiting for her with envy when the thug had grabbed her by
the back of her hair and slammed her head against the wall.
 
She fought him, as best she could but he was so strong and well, Maria had
always leaned towards the skinny side of things. She came to, some unknown time
later, wearing nothing but her underwear and wasn’t that the great thing about
living in Chicago? How many people, she thought bitterly, had passed her and
not done a damned thing. Sometimes she really hated the city.
 
Sore and bleeding, she stumbled her way home. Barbar greeted her at the door
anxious with worry.
 
“Maria, Maria!” He kept gasping, “Maria are-“
 
“Fine,” She let her momentum carry her to the small bathtub, urged shaky
fingers to turn the tap all the way to the furthest red bar. “I don’t….” Her
voice caught over the sound of the water, and suddenly she could not hold back
her tears. “Barbar, what am I going to do?”
And Barbar, who she was so surehad finally settled, came to her in the form of
a big Alaskan Malamut. For some reason that only made her cry harder. He
snuffled into the hands that she had pressed to her face. “Maria,” He pushed
into her arms. “Maria, I love you, I’m sorry, I love you.”
 
“Barbar.” She cried into the warm fur of his neck. “I’m sorry.”
 
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” He repeated back to her and they sat in silence, until
the tub overflowed.
 
00000000000000000
 
At 18 she graduated high school and worked in another dancing lounge on the
same block as a Marine Recruitment office. One day on her lunch break she went
in. The man at the desk was very young and he leered at her even as he passed
over the contract papers. “You really gonna sign up?” He asked her as she
slowly printed out her name.
 
“Yup. We’re at war aren’t we?”  She reached a calming hand down to Barbar, who
was an Alaskan Malamut and growling at the guy’s grey tabby cat.
 
“Yea, but you’re a girl.”
 
“And you’re an asshole.” She folded the papers up. “I can send this in myself.
Thanks and have a nice day.” She left him sputtering in his chair.  “Males,”
She muttered to herself, stalking down the street.
 
“We’re not all bad Maria,” Barbar said sardonically as they came to a stop at
the corner and waited for the light to change. A few other people were standing
around doing the same thing and Barbar turned to give a friendly hello to a
pretty white poodle. “Hey babe, lookin’ good,” he leered and the dog gave him a
wide eyed look. “What? Oh,” he said, noticing the leash. “My bad.”
 
Maria rolled her eyes, glared at the ‘WALK’ sign when it started flashing.
 
“What? Hey wait up!” He hustled after her, tail wagging.
 
0000000000
 
So she joined the Marines, whether it was to offset her father or because she
truly believed in the cause she honestly could not say. What she did know was
she could not spend her life as she had been spending it.
 
She finds herself in Okinawa, found herself in England, found herself in Iraq,
she found herself in Hondoras. Years sped past like yellow lines blurring on a
highway. When she forgot herself, Barbar was always there to remind her of who
she was.
 
She was 24 when Barbar finally stopped shifting. It was the aftermath of a long
and gruesome guerilla battle. One of the problems with the Taliban, was that
they had no sanctity for human life – not even their own. It made it nearly
impossible to wage a logical war against them and even less possible to
effectively win without wasting undue amounts of weaponry and resources.
 
Resources in this case being Maria’s squadron.
 
When the guns started going off, Barbar shrunk himself down to a small dormouse
and shifted to hide within her collar. Most daemons who had not settled did
this. Those that had settled, and were big enough, were equipped with Stark
Armour and protected as best they could be. Maria hated when a daemon died on
the battlefield – especially when their human counterpart had not met the same
fate. By their vacant eyes and pale faces in the aftermath, Maria was sure she
would gladly face death then a life without Barbar at her side.
 
 She was tending to a wounded soldier, tying a bandage around his leg and
speaking softly to his leopard daemon when Barbar slinked up to her side in a
mountain lion form.
 
“Rather big for you out here,” She commented idly, nodding in his direction.
Taking her helmet off the ground she buckled it under her chin and told the
Leopard that her human counterpart would wake up soon. “Just a small
laceration.” The Leopard looked relieved and spoke her thanks quietly.
 
Maria absently pet Barbar’s head as she began to walk towards the Track. As
soon as she touched him and he purred she knew. She looked down into his eyes,
a warm amber color, and felt a astonishing happiness despite their dismal
situation.
 
“You’ve settled.” She said, in awe. “But…I’ve never seen you take this form.”
He looked lovely, and very much a satisfied feline – fur shining despite all
the dust.
 
“I know,” He shrugged, purring under her scratching fingertips. “It just feels
right.”
 
And it did.
 
0000
 
It was Agent Phil Coulson who recruited her.  It was funny their meeting - what
Barbar would call a planned Kismet.
 
“Just meant to be!” He trilled out years later lounging on the Avengers’
couch.  “From the moment I saw that awkward Sika Deer lounging outside the
mark’s pad. I knew.”
 
Even by then she was not sure she believed him. And it had been planned after
all.
 
Hondoras.
 
She was 21, exhausted and had been tailing her target for the past 48 hours,
running on no sleep. Barbar a silent shadow at her side. They came upon a
building half collapsed upon itself in ivy, and yes, there was an awkward Sika
Deer grazing outside.
 
“Daemon.” Barbar whispered to her before she even had to ask. “I’d say this is
it.”
 
“Honestly,” She hissed back, holstering her weapon. “One would think he
wouldn’t be so hard to find with a huge deer hanging about.” She peaked around
the corner.
 
“I’m not thatlarge.” The Sika (who evidentally had very good hearing) groused
out. She stood, guarded by the entrance way, glaring at them. “What do you
want.”
 
Maria sighed and came into the open, hand still casually at her sidearm. “I
want to speak to your Other. It’s Military business.”
 
“Ah,”  The door behind the Sika opened and a amused sounding voice carried out
from inside. “I was wondering when you’d find me. Good job.” The man stuck his
head out of the door and smiled at her. “I’m Phillip Coulson. Would you like to
come in? I have a opportunity for you I think you will like.”
 
A few minutes later Maria was sitting across a small table from him in what she
supposed was his kitchen. In reality it was a cramped small room with a
portable burner in the corner, two mismatched lawn chairs and a three legged
plastic table propped up with a piece of wood as the fourth leg. The air was
very humid and she watched in bemusement as Coulson rubbed a sweaty hand across
his forehead.
 
“Sorry,” He smiled in a self deprecating fashion. “The heat kind of gets to
me.”
 
“Why all the subterfuge if you know what I’m here for.” She asked, cutting to
the chase. “I’ve spent a few precious days looking for you.”
 
“Right.” He eyed her with a smile. “Well, it was a test really.”
 
She stared at him blankly, could feel Barbar’s annoyance radiating from beside
her. “What?’
“For some months we’ve had you noted for possible recruitment. We’ve marked you
down as a competent soldier, sniper, etcetera, but we needed to make sure you
could also do solitary recon. Hence, the test.” He leaned back in his chair,
raising a brow at his daemon who clipped up beside him.
 
Maria felt a headache coming on. “what,” She rubbed her temple. “What are you
talking about?” She felt somewhat like a broken record.
 
“Have you ever heard of SHIELD, Ms. Hill?” She did not bother to ask how he
knew her name, but she did glare at his self satisfied look.
 
“SHIELD?” She muttered to herself. “Maybe in passing?” The agency did sound
vaguely familiar. Something about Black Ops and scientific research. And NASA? 
“Isn’t there a SHIELD based research development center in New Mexico?” She
remembered seeing signs for it on her drive through the desert.
 
“That’s right.” He nodded at her. “I’m impressed. Anyway, SHIELD stands for
Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division.  I work
for them. We tend to deal with…well, the unusual side of homeland security. I
can’t say much more than that until you come in for a formal briefing.”
 
Maria gave Barbar a slanted look. He frowned at her. Looking back at  Coulson
she crossed her arms over her chest defiantly. “And what makes you think I’m
interested.” She cocked a brow.
 
He leaned forward, elbows on the table and stared at her, a serious look in his
eyes. “Because you want freedom Ms. Hill and I am handing it to you on a silver
platter.”
 
0000
 
It was not exactly freedom – working for Nick Fury and SHIELD. It was however,
interesting.  Working with Coulson, Phil as he liked to go by, was also
interesting. For the first few months, she had thought he was borderline
personality disorder the random shit he would say at random times that did not
make sense.
 
Like, example: Their first mission together was to track down a young girl (the
daughter of a leading Geneticist – and also,why was SHIELD so focused on the
science-y side of things? Maria did not have that high of a clearance and it
was frustrating at times) who had been abducted by Albanian terrorists. After a
week of staking out their likely location – according to SHIELD intel – Coulson
came into the room, a strange look alit in his eye.
 
“We’re not at the right place.”
 
Maria, who had been looking through her binos at one of the guys in the other
building who seemed to be texting, said: “Oh really?”
 
“Yea.” His voice was so strange she had to look over her shoulder at him. He
was frowning.
 
“What is it?” She put down her binoculars.
 
“We have to go to Budapest.” She suddenly noticed he had his bag packed and
held in a clenched fist at his side. “Now.” He added urgently, and
Stedanstandtus clipped up to him and stared at Coulson as if promptly him to
shut up immediately.
 
Maria stared at him. “Are you insane?” She hissed at him and Barbar stiffened
at her side. “We can’t just leave our post.”  Military training; it was a hard
habit to break.
 
“Maria,” Coulson crouched down next to her, and the look of insistence in his
eyes made her breath catch. “Do you trust me?”
 
It seemed to be a serious question because he stared at her unblinkingly. Her
own eyes widened and she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise. “What….”
She took a deep breath, exhaled and felt the calmness of Barbar at her side. He
obviously was not worried.  She looked into Coulson’s grey eyes. “Yes.” She
said quietly. “I do.”
 
“Then trust me when I say we have to go now.” He picked up her binos and put
them in his bag. Standing he went to shut the blinds and gather the rest of
their surveillance equiptment.
 
And what could Maria do? She followed.
 
Three days later they found the girl, tied up and left for dead in an abandoned
warehouse in Budapest.
 
That was the first time she realized there was more to Phil Coulson then met
the eye.
 
0000
 
It was a year later that she confronted him about it as they all sat around a
cramped table and played poker. He had laughed in a friendly fashion, ducking
his head as Clint nudged his shoulder.
 
“What can I say?” He smiled down at his cards. “I’m just lucky I guess.” And he
proceeded to wipe the floor with her and Clint.
 
0000
 
A year after that, when they were crouched behind a crumbling wall and Maria
was frantically trying to stop the bleeding in Phil’s stomach as explosions
went off around them, she tore open his coat and a golden compass fell out. At
the time she had shoved it into her own pocket, focused intently on stopping
the blood flow and calming down Steed who was laying beside Phil and panting in
agony. It was only later, after Phil was laying on a bed in the Recovery Ward
and Maria had washed her hands and arms clean of blood and was stripping her
clothes off to take a shower that she felt the lump in her pants pocket and
remembered.
 
Standing naked in her small bathroom she stared at the compass. It was bigger
than a normal compass, bulky, it covered her whole hand and fingers. She pried
open the lid and stared at the strange allotment of pictures and dials, three
of which seemed broken and the fourth of which was moving around in no
discernable pattern.
 
“What the hell is this?” She stared at it. Looking up she squinted at herself
in the mirror, at her bloody face and tired eyes. Was she dreaming? Looking
back down at the weird compass she frowned. No, definitely not. Setting it down
on the bathroom sink she sighed at it and went to take a shower, shaking her
head. Coulson.
 
After her shower and changing, she grabbed the compass thing and went to the
Recover Ward. Barbar stayed sleeping on her bed, exhausted from the past few
days.
 
The look on Phil’s face when she pulled it out of her pocket was one of intense
relief.
 
“Oh thank god,” he gasped out, sitting up in bed and wincing. “I thought I had
lost it.” He stared at it and her with wide eyes.
 
“What is this?” She hefted it in her palm for a moment, frowned at it and then
gently tossed it into Phil’s lap. He immediately scooped it up, opened the lid
and stared avidly at the weird dials and pictures. “Phil?” She crossed her arms
expectantly. “You’d better explain yourself.”
 
Phil sighed and looked up at her, resignation in his eyes and strangely enough
– humor. He patted the space beside him on the bed and Maria took a seat,
pushing his legs over and crossing her own.
 
He cleared his throat, rolled his eyes. Sighed. “Uh…”
 
“Phil….” She glared. He sighed again and then gave her a hesitant smile.
 
“Have you ever heard of the Alethiometer?” 
 
And that was when she learned the truth about Phillip Coulson. She was pissed
at him for a while for outright lying to her (and alright, she still brought it
up from time to time when he was sassy to her) but she was smart and saw the
necessity of keeping secrets. After all, they all had them.
 
0000
 
When Bucky Barnes first joined SHIELD he did not really talk. Maria later read
his file, found out about his history as the Winter Soldier and what he’d been
through but it still did not prepare her for the pallor of his face and the
darkness in his eyes.  Looking at him sometimes made her feel like she was
standing barefoot at the edge of the Chicago River, on a midwinter night when
the smog was particularly heavy, and she was freezing but desperately trying to
make out the stars. All she could ever make out was darkness and ambient light.
After a while she was convinced there was nothing there to see at all.
 
Something about him reminded her of Homeless Bob. When she’d mentioned that
comparison to Barbar he had looked at her and sighed heavily.
 
“Some people just slip between the cracks.” He had rubbed his big head against
her leg, shocking her with his insight. “This Barnes fellow looks like he’s
been wandering around in the woods without a compass. His daemon feels so sad.”
 
But that came later.
 
Fury’s initial briefing had been, well, for lack of a better word - brief. A
short overview of his retrieval and Maria had been told to check on him in the
Recovery Ward.
 
“He’s basically functional,” Fury had said, sighing as he took a sip of his
coffee. Alessandrazz lounged on the back of his chair and every once and a
while she would give Barbar a sly eye and stick her tongue into Fury’s ear.
When Fury twitched and brushed at her in annoyance, Barbar would huff out a
laugh. Even Maria had a hard time keeping a straight face when he finally
snapped, “Would you kindly fuck off, Jesus!” At her to which Alessa did not
give even twitch, just waited for him to turn away before sticking her tongue
back into his ear.
 
Fury sighed, stuck his nose into his coffee cup and pushed the folder towards
Maria, a resigned look in his eye.
 
“You see what I have to deal with?” He gestured to the bat, but did not wait
for Maria to answer. “Go check on Barnes, please.”
 
“Will do Sir.” Maria managed to get out into the hallway before she let out a
quiet chuckle.  “You are such a flirt!” She accused down at Barbar who looked
pleased with himself about something.
 
“I can’t help it if all the ladies want me,” He purred against her leg. “I am
irresistible.” He drew out the r’s.
 
“Fury and I will never happen, so you had best stop that train of thought right
there.”  She stomped down the hall and pressed the lift button for Floor 8.
 
“Spoilsport!”  He called out in her wake.
 
The other thing she had not been prepared for when meeting Bucky Barnes was
Hibernamicus.
 
Her fault really, she had forgone reading his file, the thickness of it had
admittedly seemed rather daunting for a short lift ride. Still, as she pushed
open the door to his room and the big Alaskan Malamut ran towards her, tail
down in a show of defensiveness she had felt a jolt like electricity run
through her body. Mindlessly she had pushed the door shut after Barbar whose
wide gaze looked very much enthralled. The Malamut had stopped just short of
her and growled. Maria had never seen a daemon act so wild when unprovoked.
 
“It’s alright Hiberna,” A soft voice said and Maria had taken a bracing breath
before looking at the bed.
 
Right. Not so scary; brown hair, brown eyes, at first glance Bucky Barnes
looked like your average fellow. It wasn’t until second glance that one was hit
with the air of darkness that seemed to permeate through him. Confusing,
considering he also seemed very nice. Maria decided that she didn’t much like
him.
 
“Sorry about that,” He smiled softly at her as Hiberna came back to his
bedside. The daemon laid down without saying anything and settled her nose
against Bucky’s arm. “She’s just a little protective right now.” He looked
genuinely apologetic.
 
Maria cleared her throat and glanced down at Barbar who was still eyeing the
Malamut silently. It wasn’t like him to pass up an opportunity to flirt. “No
problem.” She went to the chair next to the bed, biting her lip and ignoring
the fact that she could feel his eyes on her the whole way. She was
uncomfortable, though she couldn’t say why and that angered her. Obstinately,
she raised her eyes to meet his eyes but he held only a quiet tiredness in his
gaze and maybe a little curiosity.
 
“My name is Maria Hill,” Maria held her hand out to him and waited as patiently
as she could as he reached his own hand out to take it. He looked like he
didn’t know what to do so in order to put a stop to any potential hand kissing,
Maria gave his hand a tight shake. For as pale as it was, it was also
surprisingly warm. Letting go quickly, she threaded her fingers together. “I’m
an Agent here at SHIELD – a direct liaison to Fury actually.”
 
Bucky gave her a placid look, calm confusion clearly visible on his face. He
looked resigned.
 
“I help manage The Avengers?” She tried, relieved when his eyes sparked with a
look of familiarity.
 
“Ah, yes.” He said quietly. “Steve mentioned that team. You help manage them?”
He eyed her with renewed interest.
 
“Well,” She shifted, frowning. “Me and a handful of other people. It’s not
really a one person job-“
 
“I wouldn’t say anyone can successfully manage them,” Barbar put in helpfully,
his strange reign of silence seemingly at an end.
 
Maria cast him a sour glance. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t try to undermine
my authority in public,” She hissed to him quietly.
 
He gave her an unimpressed look and a big feline yawn. “Fine, fine. Your show.”
He settled his head down on his paws and turned his eyes back towards Hiberna
who continued to ignore his existence.
 
Maria gritted her teeth when she heard Bucky chuckle. Turning back to him she
forced herself to frown in response to his surprisingly friendly smile.
 
“Nice to know I’m not the only one with an obstinate daemon,” He raised a brow
towards his Malamut.
 
“You’ll thank me later.” Hiberna finally spoke, her voice was as dry as dust. 
Bucky hummed at her softly.
 
“I’m sure I will Hiberna,” He turned back to Maria. “I’m sorry Ms. Hill, what
were you saying?” His dark eyes were so earnest, Maria felt her anger melt away
leaving her with a strange feeling of ineptitude.
 
“I guess,” She began, falteringly before shaking her head, “I just came in to
introduce myself and to see if you needed anything?”
 
That seemed to be the wrong thing to say because whatever humor lit Bucky’s
face faded.
 
“I’m alright thank you.”  The bags under his eyes stood out in the harsh over
head glare. He looked very tired.
 
She left shortly after that, nodding at him politely as she pushed the door
closed behind her. Barbar stood silently at her side as she took a deep breath
of the cold hall air. It smelled like metal and antiseptic. Maria rubbed at her
chest.
 
“You okay?” Barbar asked quietly. When she looked down at him his eyes were
staring down the hall.
 
“Sure,” Her voice echoed faintly. After a dazed moment she shook herself and
started slowly walking down the hall. “Was that-“
 
“Weird?” Barbar put in sardonically. “Very.”
 
Maria shook her head.
 
Phil got assigned to his case and Maria, upon hearing the news, felt a weird
mixture of remorse and intense relief.
 
0000
 
When she walked into the living room at the Tower some months after Bucky had
joined, she found him sitting upright, stiff and still on the couch. He was
reading from a book, Hiberna sprawled out loyally at his feet. Maria cleared
her throat and went to sit on the second couch, reaching for the remote. Bucky,
having nodded at her when she sat down, did not really move, just rested his
elbow on the couch arm, chin in palm.
 
“Sorry,” She said awkwardly, turning on the news. “I’ve got to see the news
every day.” She didn’t mention that it was part of her job but that probably
went without saying.
 
 “No, it’s fine.” His voice was hoarse sounding, mellow as if coming from a
great distance. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and saw him
watching her.
 
“What?” She turned to him.
 
“Nothing,” He slowly shook his head, eyeing her form for a moment before
turning to squint at the television. After a moment of silence he sighed.
“Sorry, I’m just not used to,” He waved his arm in her direction. “All this.”
 
“All this?” she looked down at herself. She was dressed in her SHIELD uniform.
“what do you mean?”
 
“Just that…well, dames from my time didn’t usually dress in trousers. It’s not
a bad look,” He added quickly, meeting her eyes. “Just…I’m not used to it. Even
in the times when I was around in later years, it didn’t seem too common.”
 
He rarely mentioned his years between. Maria read in his files that he’d been
mostly active in the 1960s and that after 1970 he was only used periodically
for Black Ops training purposes. It wasn’t until Steven Rogers that Bucky
Barnes finally came back to himself.
 
“That’s how it is sometimes,” Barbar explained to her that night, philosophical
in the late hour. Maria was going over the old tapes of Bucky Barnes’ de-
brainwashing in the Recovery Ward’s files. The pixilated Steve Rogers sat at
his bedside, reading aloud from a book. “Family always calls us back.”  He
purred against her side as she squinted at the pale figure of Bucky Barnes
against white sheets.
 
Never forget what you did, who you are. She thought.
 
0000
 
As the months went by, Maria found herself spending more time at the Avengers
Tower. Fury had told her back when the Avengers first been assembled, that it
would be mainly up to her and Phil to keep them under control and that he did
notwant to be involved.
 
“I have enough problems as it is. I do not want to have to deal with Stark
every day.” Was how he put it. Personally, Maria thought he found her and
Phil’s stress at managing them amusing – but she kept that between her and
Phil.
 
“Do you think this is some form of punishment?” She asked him quietly, while
watching Tony blow up a French government building that he was definitely not
authorized to blow up, whooping with glee as he did so. They were in Paris,
fighting some of Doctor Doom’s bots. “I mean really.” She watched Thor boom
with laughter as he swung his hammer around.
 
Phil sighed and reached up to wiggle his ear piece. “Who knows.” He glanced at
her and gave her a smile. “Probably.”
 
“What are you two flirting about now?” They look up at Clint who was perched
fifteen feet above them on the awning of a building. He looked amused at
Maria’s expression of surprise. Phil on the other hand merely rolled his eyes.
Clint blew them a kiss.
 
“Hawkeye, we need you,” Steve’s voice cut in through their ear comm and Clint
jerked his head up.
 
“Right,” He said, before winking at Phil. “Gotta go, try not to miss me too
much.” And then he was gone, grappling up the side of the building like some
kind of svelte predator – Grape fluttering around him.
 
“Definitely a punishment.” Phil said, not looking upset in the least.
 
0000
 
She still went on the occasional mission with just her and Phil.  She also
started being assigned to field missions with Bucky Barnes - much to her
chagrin.
 
They worked surprisingly well together. He was competent and respectful. On
their first few missions, he did not even really talk, which was somewhat
discerning after working so long with Phil who loved to talk once he got to
know you. Maybe it was the same thing in this case, although she had never met
such a silent daemon before Hiberna.
 
One of their cases together was relatively simple, a common surveillance on a
couple of Iranian nuclear physicists who were in New York for the International
Conference on Nuclear Data for Science and Technology, for which Tony Stark was
a keynote speaker. Tony had casually dropped this information to both Bucky and
Maria that morning as he gulped down his cup of coffee.
 
“Yup, should be realinteresting,” He ignored the napkin Steve was holding out
to him and wiped his mouth on the back of his hand. Maria rolled her eyes and
fiddled with her cell phone, annoyed because of course Tony had hacked into
SHIELD’s private intel files. “Pepper made me promise not to give the speech
drunk this year.”
 
“Tony.” Pepper said mildly from the sink where she was rinsing out another
coffee cup.
 
Steve frowned at him. “Tony…” The other man quirked a brow and Steve seemed to
reluctantly smile at the earnest look in his eyes. “You’re something else.” He
said quietly, shaking his head.
 
“I know.” Tony said proudly, though his smile was tight and his eyes averted.
“Anyway, must be off, got lots of stuff to do today-”
 
“Oh really,” Pepper said archingly, “You planning on actually going into the
office?”
 
“-lots of work in the shop, so much stuff to fix,” Tony went on, right over
her. He set his empty cup in the sink. “See yah.” He waved a hand at all of
them and scuttle butted out of the kitchen, Pepper at his heels. Steve watched
him go for a moment, moonfaced.
 
“Oh Steve,” Peggy sighed and rolled her eyes. “You are ridiculous.”
 
Maria privately agreed, looking at Bucky out of the corner of her eye she could
see he was amused with the situation.
 
“Just gotta go for it pal,” Bucky said, smiling. “I think you’ll be pleasantly
surprised.”
 
“You think so?” Steve rubbed the back of his neck and sighed but his eyes on
Bucky were bright with hope. “I don’t know…” He jumped as Peggy rubbed against
his leg, letting his hand fall he scratched behind her ears.
 
Barbar butted up against Maria’s side, jealous and wanting to be petted
himself. Maria rolled her eyes but reached down to scratch him. “Silly thing,”
she muttered down to him and he purred. She looked up and nodded at the two
men. “I think it will be fine Steve.” She couldn’t help but smile as he seemed
cheered by her advice.
 
“Yea,” He set his own coffee mug into the sink and headed in the direction of
Tony’s workshop. “I’m gonna go see how he’s doing. He seemed off just then.”
And he was gone.
 
So there they were, eight hours later, setting up surveillance equipment in the
hotel room next to their Iranian friends.
 
Maria finished screwing in one of the long range listening devices and flipped
on the audio recording, sitting back and cracking her knuckles. Barbar was, as
usual, cat napping on the couch behind her – though he would deny it later. It
was a pretty nice suite, living area spacious with an attached kitchenette,
bedroom and walk in bathroom. She and Bucky had already worked out the sleeping
situation with her taking the bed the first night and him taking it on the
second. He had wanted to give her the bed both nights but she had insisted upon
taking turns.
 
“It’s only fair.” She’d said firmly when he had tried to protest and he had
given her a surprised look before nodding.
 
Now she was bored out of her skull listening to these science guys talk. She
was pretty sure nothing untoward was going on and she was definitely not
looking forward to going to watch Tony Stark’s speech. They had decided, since
the man drew trouble to him like a rare earth magnet, they had better be
present in case anything happened. Incidentally, Steve was coming to meet them
as well.
 
“You about ready to go?” She called towards the direction of the bathroom,
reaching down to straighten her suit’s jacket.
 
“Yah,” Bucky came out of the bathroom, tugging at his collar, frowning. He
looked up at her and shrugged. “As ready as I’ll ever be I expect. Modern suits
are strange. You look nice.” He nodded towards her, face suddenly hesitant.
 
She nodded back, somewhat perplexed. “Thanks. Alright, I’m leaving Barbar here,
he should be fine and will only fall asleep and snore obnoxiously through the
whole thing if he goes. Let’s go.” She leads Hiberna and Bucky out into the
hall and makes sure she has the key in her pocket as she closes the door.
 
“This should be really interesting.” Bucky joked as they stepped into the
elevator. Maria couldn’t help but laugh, pleasantly surprised at his humor and
catching his eye, they shared a grin.
 
“Oh yah.” She drawled out. “A blast.”
 
The sad thing was that Steve Rogers seemed genuinely interest in Tony Stark’s
speech. Or no, wait, Maria revised that in her mind. Steve Rogers seemed
genuinely interested in Tony Stark. She was pretty sure he could have been up
on the podium spouting about how cool Pokemon was or something and Steve would
still be sitting in the crowd, upright with bright eyes and flushed cheeks
watching him with an avid expression, hands fisted in his lap. Geeze, it was
almost like watching soft porn. She had to look away before she laughed
inappropriately.
 
It was funny though, Tony must have known where they were sitting because most
of the speech was made in Steve’s direction. He looked pretty good up there in
his finely tailored suit and dark hair that shined under the stage lights, but
Maria was beginning to suspect that she just had a thing for brunettes.
 
She tried to occupy herself with looking around the room, studying people as
they listened to the keynote speech. After about fifteen minutes though she had
to admit she was pretty bored.
 
“This is almost as bad as Fury’s debriefings. I thought Tony was supposed to be
funny.” Bucky leaned over and whispered to her, making her bite her lip against
a smile. His eyes held a spark of mischief and she found herself thinking he
was not so bad.
 
Steve gave Bucky a dark glare and he waved his hand, motioning politely for
them to shut up before turning back to the stage, soft smile on his lips. Maria
rolled her eyes and Bucky held his hands up in a gesture of surrender, laughing
under his breath.
 
Maria honestly could not remember the next 45 minutes. She called it self
preservation.
 
“So how did you guys like it?” Tony greeted them, after schmoozing with a
couple of government officials who had stopped him on his way out of the
auditorium. “I mean, it was great I know.”
 
“Very interesting.” Maria put in, blandly.
 
“Best sleep I’ve had in ages,” Bucky added, a friendly grin on his face.
 
“Bucky!” Steve glared at him again before smiling at Tony with soft eyes. “I
couldn’t really understand much,” He said with an apologetic shrug. “But it was
really good. I liked when you joked about building your Dummy robot.”
 
“Ah, yea DUM-E,” Tony actually looked kind of embarrassed and he ran a hand
through his hair fluffing it up into a mess, that drew Steve’s eye. “Just kind
of adlibbed that part. Anyway, I think they have an open bar around here
somewhere.” He cleared his throat and made a show of looking around.

“Tony, it’s a science conference,” Pepper put in, from his shoulder. “I highly
doubt they have an open bar here.”
“And why not?” Tony asked, gasping in a mock scandalized fashion. “A bunch of
high strung scientists? Seems like the perfect place! Let’s go find a bar
then,” He motioned to them.
 
“We’ve got to head back to our room.” Maria nodded meaningfully at Bucky,
thinking of the joy of surveillance. “You guys have fun.”
 
“Will do,” Tony lifted a hand in farewell as Maria and Bucky made their way
across the lobby. Behind her she could hear him ask Steve – “You ready for some
fun Big Guy?” And hear Steve stutter out a positive “S-sure.”
 
“Man, he’s got it so bad,” Bucky laughed quietly as they stepped into the
elevator. “I’ve honestly never seen him like this.”
 
“Yea, it’s pretty ridiculous.” Maria agreed, watching him laugh as other people
piled in the elevator. Hiberna was huddled up against Bucky’s side, nervous in
the enclosed space and Maria casually stuck her leg out to provide a small
barrier against anyone getting too close to the daemon. Bucky gave her a
strange look and she shrugged. “Barbar gets like that sometimes too.” He got
like that because Maria didn’t really like enclosed spaces. She could only
guess that Bucky felt the same way.
 
“Thanks.” He said quietly as the lift’s doors closed. She nodded at him.
 
“It’s nothing.”
 
 0000
 
They take to watching the news together every afternoon. Well, as many
afternoons as Maria gets over to the Avengers Tower (AT as Tony liked to put it
because: This is where it’s AT. Barbar privately suggested it should be called
TAT but Maria did not want that suggestion ever brought up around Tony Stark).
Anyway, they spend on average three afternoons a week together, arguing over
politics. Bucky was surprisingly knowledgeable about contemporary issues and
their beliefs were very similar.
 
Maria just liked to argue.
 
“I think we are going to have to agree to disagree,” Bucky finally suggested,
crossing his legs on the table in front of him. He wiggled his socked feet in
her direction and cocked a sarcastic brow. “Do you actually believe all the
garbage you just spent twenty minutes arguing for?”
Maria leaned back into the sofa cushions. “No,” She said blandly. “But it was
fun.” Bucky’s wide-eyed look made her choke with laughter. “I can’t help it if
you get easily riled up.”
 
“Ha,” He shook his head at her, watching her laugh. A slow smile spread its way
across his face and he turned to face the television. “Laugh it up.” He
drawled, but when she looked at him out of the corner of her eye he grinning.
 
0000
 
 
A few months later they go on another mission. This one was not simple.
 
“You don’t have to be tough all the time,” He gasped, leaning against the
opposite wall, winded.  Maria spared a glance in his direction, making sure he
wasn’t injured, before biting her lip and peeking out the window. She could not
see any movement in the street below but that didn’t mean there were not any
Bots around.
 
“Maria,” She heard him say softly behind her. “Just relax a second okay? You’re
arm is bleeding.”
 
“I’m fine.” She narrowed her eyes at one particular building down the street;
somewhat sure she’d seen the shine of metal behind an open window. “There could
be more of them out there.”
 
“They have no way of knowing we’re in this building,” Bucky placed his hand on
her shoulder and she sighed heavily before turning towards him. He was staring
at her arm, brow furrowed, a clean handkerchief in hand. “Let me help you
Maria.”
 
“Fine.” She leaned against the wall and closed her eyes, gritting her teeth as
Bucky wrapped his cloth around her upper arm. A bullet had grazed her, but it
was just a graze although it was bleeding profusely – Bucky was really making a
big deal out of nothing. “Thanks.” She said grudgingly as Bucky tied a snug
knot around her bicep.
 
He looked at her for a moment before smiling and turning his eyes to Hiberna
who was standing very close to Barbar. The two daemons seemed to be in a deep
conversation about something for a moment before Hiberna turned and gave Bucky
a look.
 
“We should rest here for a while,” Bucky said quietly, a strange look on his
face as he watched the two daemons go back to talking. “It’s not safe to move
right now and you’re injured.”
 
“I’m fine-“
 
“Maria,” How could he sound so assertive without sounding angry? His brown eyes
were calm as he met hers. “I didn’t mean that as a slight towards you in any
way. I’m simply tired. We should rest until we hear from the others.”
 
“Hmmm.” She was not quite sure she believed him but as she shifted and her arm
gave a painful twinge she was willing to play along. “Alright then.”
 
They settled in, side by side, Bucky nearer to the door, glock at the ready
against his thigh. Hiberna and Barbar seemed content to lay under the windows
across from them, still deep in conversation. Maria tried not to feel slighted;
it was ridiculous to feel jealous of another daemon and she did not want Barbar
to feel guilty about having a friend.
 
“They seem to get along well.” She said eventually, voice dry, as the light
outside dimmed and the setting sun painted the walls of the room a bright red.
She turned and gave Bucky a small grin. “Ironic huh?”
 
Bucky let out a small chuckle, but he had that weird look on his face again.
“Definitely,” He eyed her before sighing, body relaxing against the wall and
exhaustion lining his face. “Maria…” He looked at his hands, looked back at
her.
 
“Barbar what are you doing?” She snapped, when she saw out of the corner of her
eye the cat reach out like he was going to touch Hiberna. He gave her a look of
annoyance when she yelled at him but seemed to settle down further away from
the Malmut then he had been before. At least Hiberna didn’t seem bothered.
Weird. “Sorry about that, he’s a flirt but I’ve never seen him act like that
before.” She slanted Bucky a look, embarrassed. “What were you saying?”
 
The moment seemed to have passed, because Bucky just shook his head, a strange
smile curling his generous mouth up. “Nothing.” He also seemed unbothered by
Barbar’s behavior; brown eyes soft as he looked at the two daemons for a moment
before turning his gaze to her. “How are you feeling?” His voice seemed sad.
 
“I’m okay. You?”
 
Bucky turned to stare down at his gun. “I’m good.” He said.
 
0000
 
“You know, the first time I saw Hiberna she kind of scared me.” She confessed
some time later when the sun’s light had long faded.
 
“Oh really?” He sounded concerned and when she squinted at his fuzzy
countenance she could just barely make out a frown. “Why? Because she was
running towards you like a mad beast?”
 
“Heyyy…”  Hiberna scolded quietly from the corner.
 
“No,” Maria softly hastened to reply. “Nothing like that. Just that…well…”
 
“Maria?” Bucky asked softly as she failed to continue. “What is it? Is your arm
okay?” She could hear him shuffle closer and even though she was expecting it
she couldn’t help but flinch as he laid a gentle hand on her arm.
 
“No, it’s nothing like that, it’s just kind of embarrassing.” She confessed and
he hummed at her in that quiet way he had, a slow encouragement for her to
continue. The words spilled out of her. “When I was younger, before Barbar
settled he’d always take the form of an Alaskan Malamut when he sensed I was in
a sticky situation. He lookedexactly like Hiberna, so when I saw her it kind of
threw me off for a second.”
 
She could feel her face flush and was thankful that the darkness hid her blush.
When Bucky failed to say anything after a minute she reached over and covered
his hand on her arm with her own hand. “Are you okay?” She asked him, lifting
her hand until it was only grazing his. “I’m sorry if…I don’t know why I even
told you that-“
 
“No!” It was the most abrupt tone he had ever used on her and even still she
knew it was not out of anger. His hand turned on her arm and his warm fingers
laced easily with her own, causing her breath to catch in surprise. “I’m glad
Maria,” He said it softly and urgently like it was very important. “I’m glad
you told me.” The dark blur that was his face moved closer to her own and she
opened her eyes wide to make out the outline of his own brown eyes. They seemed
to be staring at her intently as if urging her to speak.
 
“Why?” She asked him, and oh lord he just kept coming closer and she couldn’t
seem to look away from his mouth now and her face felt like it was on fire and
thank God it was dark in the room.
 
“Because,” He was saying quietly, “I w-“
 
“There’s someone on the stairs,” Barbar cut in urgently, standing up suddenly
and growling deeply. “Maria!”
 
‘Got it,” Bucky was a dark blur, crouching at the door way, gun up. “Stay
here.” Maria wasn’t sure if he was speaking to her or to Hiberna but either way
no one moved when he went into the hall. Shortly thereafter Maria heard a
scuffle and a muted shot. She stiffened but Hiberna seemed calm.
 
Shortly after that Bucky came back, posture professional and voice distant.
 
‘Ready to go?” He asked quietly
 
0000
 
A week later Maria was drinking coffee in the Tower’s main kitchen when Tony
stumbled in, presumably from his workshop since he was wearing baggy sweatpants
and a maybe once white shirt. Hard to tell what color it had been because it
was covered in grease. His hair was a wreck and he was wearing his thick
glasses. Maria would never fail to find it funny that Tony Stark was as blind
as a bat.
 
 “That’s a nice pussy you’ve got there,” Tony said as he yawned and leaned
against the counter next to Bucky who was slowly eating a bowl of oatmeal, own
cup of coffee untouched next to him.
 
 “Excuse me?” Bucky snapped out, straightening abruptly and turning towards
Tony a deep frown marring his face.
 
“Why thank you,” Barbar said calmly from the couch. “I get that all the time.”
 
“I hate you both,” Maria sighed. “Tony, what do you want? Scratch that, take
whatever it is to Coulson, I’m not in charge of your division.” That was a lie.
 
“Oh really? Cause I was under the impression that Fury had put you in charge of
the Avengers and that does include our friend Steven Rogers does it not?” Tony
smirked at her with tired eyes, but she was not going to rise to the bait – not
today.
 
“I can’t make him talk to you Tony, I’m sorry you’re too afraid to tell him how
you feel,” Maria snapped at him making him jerk back in surprise, dark eyes
wide and mouth opening in denial. Maria held up a hand to forgo any word of
protest. “Please. Everyone knows you’re head over heels for the guy and he
actually likes you too. Stop being stupid.”  It was embarrassing to watch the
two of them, really.
 
The kitchen was silent. Tony was still looking at her, eyes wide in disbelief,
glasses having slid down to the tip of his nose. Bucky, standing next to him,
was staring intently at his bowl of oatmeal, mouth in a tight line.
 
“Well done,” Pepper chirped cheerfully from Tony’s shoulder. Somehow her fur
was completely clean and free of grease. “I’ve been telling him the same thing
for ages now, thank you Maria. Can you also tell him to take a shower? Please?”
 
“What?” Tony gaped like a fish at her, ignoring Pepper. He cleared his throat
and shook his head, a sudden earnestness drawing his brows together. “Couldn’t
you maybe-“
 
“No Tony,” Maria rubbed the bridge of her nose, feeling a headache mount behind
her eyes. She sighed, giving him a stern look. “You’re a grown ass man, if you
can’t summon up the courage to tell him how you feel then you don’t really
deserve him. I really don’t get paid enough for this,” She said that last part
jokingly to Bucky who had finally looked up from his oatmeal. The expected
smile from him never came however, rather he gave her a pinched look making her
tilt her head in confusion. “What?” She asked him but he just shook his head,
brown eyes unreadable.
 
“You’re going to be late for your meeting, Maria.” Hiberna said softly from her
seat next to Barbar and Maria realized with a feeling of dismay as she looked
at the clock and saw that it read9:35 that she was in fact going to be late for
the first time in her life because of Anthony Stark. Oh, the irony.
 
“Damn,” She said softly, pouring the rest of her coffee down the sink and
ignoring Tony’s look of betrayal. “Thanks Hiberna. Barbar, you staying or
going?”
 
Barbar actually seemed to contemplate staying for a moment before heaving
himself up with a put upon sigh. “Coming.”
 
“Right, see you guys later,” She nodded at Tony, tried for a smile at Bucky but
he still had that strange look he seemed to be wearing a lot lately on his face
and he didn’t really smile back. It looked like dawning realization.
 
“I would have drank that.” She heard Tony say morosely as she walked out. “I
guess I need to have a talk with Steve.”
 
0000
 
“This is unbelievable.” She muttered to herself watching as Tony leaned back in
his cushy office chair and smirked, hands behind his head. “Is this because of
what I said earlier?”
 
“Ooh I don’t know Hill,” He leered at her. “I think this could be a good time
for everyone involved. And no. Let’s not mention that ever again. In fact I
should probably bring out some confidentiality forms for you and Barnes to fill
out and your daemons too now that I think about it. Can daemons be found
legally obligated? I don’ t even know. I should probably look into that. I
mean, one would think that on principle they couldbe but at the same time I
could see the argument on the side of them not being legally held accou-“
 
“I’m leaving now.” She hissed at him as she stomped away.
 
Later, looking sideways at herself in the mirror she had to admit she looked
pretty damned good. It had been years since she’d dressed up and she had
forgotten one of woman’s greatest weapons: her sex appeal. The dress was black,
thin strapped, clingy and rather sheer.
 
The look on the guys’ faces as she strolled into the living room was priceless.
 
“What?” She snapped, smirking to herself and raising a brow. “You ready to go?”
She glared at Tony who was winking at a blushing Steve. Honestly, she liked
Tony despite herself – he had a kind heart to offset his ridiculous crudeness –
but she didn’t need to see them making love dumb faces at each other.  “Save
that for later.” She said, cracking a grin when Steve turned tomato red.
 
Turning she passed Bucky in the front hall, talking quietly with Hiberna. When
she walked by he looked up, eyes widening as he took in her dress and loose
hair that curled around her neck.
 
“You look very well Maria.” He said in that quiet voice of his. Steve swore
that Bucky was loud and cocky before but Maria had a hard time picturing his
serious face anything other than serious. He was handsome in his army dress
uniform, clean shaven and shoes shined and his lips did curl up into a grin
when he saw her smile at him, dark brown eyes softening.
 
“Thanks.” She grumped out, conscious of Barbar coming up beside her and talking
friendly like to Hiberna.  “You ready to go? The boys are flirting in the
living room.”
 
“Ah, yes I’m sure they are. Let me get the door for you.” He strode quickly
through the marble floored foyer and help wide the door for her.
 
“Thanks Bucky.” She nodded to him as she moved past.
 
“My pleasure.”
 
0000
 
 
“You remind me of someone I used to know.” It came out of her unwittingly over
her morning coffee. Bucky had slipped in while she was stirring her two sugars
in, soft and silent as a ghost, eyes a friendly brown when she’d jerked around
in surprise at him clanking a mug on the countertop behind her.
 
“Oh?” His note of interest was softly asked. “Dare I ask who?” There was a
sparkle of mischief in his eyes when he glanced at her, a relic Maria knew, of
his flirtatious past.
 
“A homeless man I once knew,” Her face flushed but she couldn’t deny that she
felt pleased when he released a surprise bark of laughter. “I didn’t mean
anything by comparing you to-“
 
“No, no Maria,” he gave a wave of his hand, grin curling his mouth up. “I take
no offense. Believe me, I have been compared to much worse.”
 
Still, she took a gulp of her coffee, uncomfortable. “I explained myself
poorly.” Putting the empty mug into the sink she braced her hands on the
countertop behind her and met his eyes. “He was my only friend for a long
time.”
 
“You’re only friend was a homeless man?” His eyes darkened, smile wilted away
to a pensive frown.
 
She shrugged, “I had what one could call a ‘misplaced childhood.’ It’s rather
common for SHIELD employees you’ll come to find.”
 
“Like acute alcoholism!” Clint Barton strolled into the kitchen, hair
reflecting a cat’s fur after being electrocuted. “Coffee?” He squinted at Bucky
before moving around the counter to the coffee machine. “What’s up Agent Hill,”
He said to her. “You’re looking perky this morning.” He made a sloppy attempt
to hip check her out of the way. An attempt Maria easily dodged.
 
She moved towards the door, rolling her eyes. “And you seem to be channeling
Tony Stark this morning.”
 
“Naw,” He grinned, glancing over at Bucky again who was still watching Maria
with a quiet look in his eyes. “If I was channeling Tony Stark I would be in
bed doing the beast with two backs with your blond best friend.”  He reached
for a coffee mug.
 
Bucky didn’t look surprised, merely gave Clint a mild look. “You’re not leaving
are you?” He asked turning to look at Maria.
 
“I have a meeting with Fury.” Which was a lie since she’d had one yesterday,
but she could not stay in the kitchen for much longer, not with the knowing
smirk Barton was throwing in her direction and with the resigned expression in
Bucky’s eyes.
 
“Alright,” Bucky’s voice was soft. “I’ll see you later then. Have a good day,
Maria.”
 
“Thanks,” She said absently, throat tight. “You too.” She nodded at him over
her shoulder and walked out unsure of what just happened.
 
0000
 
Tony Stark’s Christmas party was ridiculously extravagant. Maria had heard of
them in her years at SHIELD but had never been to one until now. The Stark
family mansion had been completely decked out in Christmas décor: huge wreaths
on every floor to ceiling window, huge Christmas trees in every foyer, huge
chandeliers in every huge ball room, huge balconies – Maria grasped the theme
well enough. The mansion was lovely, it reminded her of one of Russia’s old
imperial palaces, with gilded mirrors in the halls and ornate portraits lining
the walls. It looked like something out of a dream.
 
It did not however, look like a home.
 
Maria watched Steve Rogers orbit around Tony Stark’s axis, chatting with the
brunette and making him throw his head back with laughter. Steve reached up and
adjusted the antlers Tony was wearing on his head, and joined in the laughter,
a blush bright on his cheeks. Tony reached up and flicked the ball on Steve’s
Santa hat in retaliation. God, they were just nauseating but for some reason
Maria could not look away.
 
Yes, it was a good thing Tony did not live here.
 
Steve grasped Tony’s elbow and seemed to unconsciously steer him around the
room. When they disappeared into the crowd, Maria was forced to find another
object of observation and focused on watching Bruce try to flirt (was he trying
to flirt? It was very hard to tell) with Natasha who looked drop dead gorgeous
in her red dress.
 
“Having fun?” She jumped as Bucky appeared at her elbow, festive in his dark
green sweater and-
 
“What is that?” Maria choked.
 
Bucky tilted his head, Santa hat at a jaunty angle in his dark hair. “What is
what?” She motioned at his hat and his eyes widened. “Oh that? Gee, well Steve
got them so I thought I might as well.” He shrugged, smiling. “Merry
Christmas?”
 
“Merry Christmas.” Maria smiled back. “You look happy.” She told him, before
her brain caught up with her mouth. At his surprised look she shrugged. “Well,
you do.”
 
“Christmas has always been a good time of year for me.” Bucky said quietly,
eyes content.  He gazed at her for a moment before bringing his eyes to her
head. “You’re missing your antlers.” He said helpfully.
 
“she won’t wear them!” Barbar exclaimed from her feet, where he had plopped
himself and was wearing Maria’s antler headband as best he could. “I think it’s
a travesty.”
 
“Very much so.” Bucky said seriously. “May I?” He grabbed the right antler and
gently tugged off the headband. He held it up to her and gave her an expectant
smile until she rolled her eyes and grabbed the stupid thing, fitting it on her
head with a sour look.
 
“You look very nice,” He said, and Maria knew that he was serious. Other than
the horrible headband she did feel pretty well put together in her dark green
dress.
 
“You know,” She leaned in conspiringly, “We match.”
 
“That we do,” He grinned at her.
 
“Asgardian mead!” She heard Clint yell loudly from somewhere in the crowd.
“Thor, I love you, this party just got real.”
 
“This is where it’s AT!” Tony’s voice was just as loud and she thought she
could hear Steve laugh.
 
“My noble warriors, I bring mead for everyone!” And yes, Thor’s voice was
loudest of all.
 
Maria could not help but chuckle. She turned to Bucky and they shared a look.
As one, they made their way into the mass of party revelers to find their
friends.
 
And yes, it was a wonderful Christmas. She swore she would never ever drink
Asgardian mead again. Ever.
 
0000
 
 
He kissed her, one night when it was just the two of them standing out on one
of the Tower’s many balconies. Hiberna and Barbar were inside, swapping war
stories and Maria had slid out to get some air and look up at the stars that
were visible despite the smog simply because the tower was so tall. Bucky had
followed her, a calm presence at her side.
 
“It’s amazing how much has changed.” The wind ruffled his inky hair, curling
it. He leaned on his elbows and gazed down at the city lights. “It’s crazy.”
 
“I’m sure it was a horrible thing to wake up to.” Maria watched the lights
reflect off of his eyes as he looked up at her, surprised. “What?” She asked,
strangely defensive.
 
“Nothing,” He smiled. “It’s just…That’s not people’s usual reaction when I talk
about the past. Usually it’s to tell me how lucky I am, and how great this
world is with its advances.”
 
“Well…” Maria thought for a moment, she looked back up at the stars. “I do
think this time period has its advantages: we have longer life spans, better
technology. But. I think because we have so much going on that we forget. We
forget the important things sometimes.” She let the thought trail off.
 
“And what is that?” He had a strange tone to his voice, like he was looking for
a specific answer and when she turned to frown at him she found he had stood
upright and was very near to her, looking at her intently.
 
“Uh,” She stuttered, staring up into his face. “I don’t know, nothing specific
I guess.”
 
He stood watching her for a moment longer, eyes dark. The silence between them
seemed to stretch out forever. When he finally spoke his voice was choked, “I
don’t want to forget the important things.” And then he was leaning down and
kissing her, hands gently cradling her neck.
 
Maria’s heart felt like it was going to beat right out of her chest, her mouth
opened in a surprised gasp, hands coming up to clutch blindly at Bucky’s sides.
He moaned softly, letting his tongue sweep into her mouth.
 
After a moment he pulled back, panting. “I’ve wanted to do that for a while,”
He admitted, face alit with a burst of happiness. His words and the look in his
eyes made Maria’s breath catch almost more than the kiss.
 
“Oh?” She tried to sound nonchalant but her own grin offset any casualness. “Is
that so.” Her face felt hot.
 
“Maria,” He laughed, and in all the months of knowing him she had never seen
him laugh like that before – head thrown back, eyes crinkled with joy. Looking
down at her he gave a wide grin. “Maria. I’ve thought and thought about this,
and I know I probably shouldn’t say it but…I’ve never been one for patience
despite what it may seem.” He moved to kiss her again and against her lips he
murmured. “I’m in love with you.”
 
And Maria found, despite all her best efforts to avoid this, she loved him too
and taking his head between her hands she looked into his eyes and told him so.
 
0000
 
They did not tell anyone at first. Maria had told Bucky she was fine with
telling Steve but warned him that telling Steve most assuredly meant Tony would
know. And if Tony knew, well, she’d never live it down. Ultimately, they decide
to keep it private for a while.
 
Of course that lasted until Barbar slinked into the living room and sprawled,
quite effectively over Hiberna, who nuzzled into his ear making him purr. Maria
blushed a bright red as Tony sputtered and pointed from the couch. He slapped
Steve’s arm as the blond stared first at the daemons and then at Bucky.
 
Bucky’s face was also slightly flushed but he played it off with a crooked
grin. “Well,” He turned to Maria a question in his eyes. She rolled her own but
reached out to take his hand in her own. This made his smile widen to a full-
fledged grin. “Well,” he said again laughing at the expressions on Steve and
Tony’s face. “That didn’t last long.”
 
0000
 
 
“Your legs,” he gasped out, pushing them apart and running calloused hands up
the insides of her thighs. “I’ve wanted to feel them around me for a long
time.” He whispered this, a confession against the hollow of her throat as he
pressed his lips there and then to her jaw, chin, mouth. He kissed her deeply
and panted against her, pushing his pelvis against hers and making her moan at
the hardness she felt there. “Maria.” He pulled back to look into her eyes, his
own had gone soft and dark.
 
“Jim,” Her face was flushed and she could feel her hair sticking to the sweat
of her forehead and neck. “Please.” She tightened her legs around him and the
resulting moan that came out of his lips made her feel deliciously wicked. That
she had the power to make this reserved man lose control would never cease to
amaze her.
 
“Okay, okay,” he panted against her cheek and fumbled for his pants. Soon
enough he was bare against her and straining. “Maria,” He called out her name,
cradling her body against his own with his big hands. “May I?”
 
“Always so polite,” She teased him, running her hands through his soft sweaty
hair. He rubbed his head against her shoulder, panting before looking up at her
with a grin – reservation gone.
 
“I can’t help it.” He smiled before biting his lip and pressing against her.
“May I?”
 
She pulled his mouth back down to hers and pushed against him, pressing him
inside her and making him cry out. “Yes.” She gasped. God, he felt good.
 
“I like when you say my name,” He whispered to her, quiet in the aftermath.
They were pressed together, legs tangled and his hands were buried in her hair.
Hers, spread against his chest. “It makes me remember who I am.” 
 
The look in his brown eyes was so different from when they first met. He looked
like he had just awoken from a deep sleep, cheeks flushed red with life. He
looked happy. Maria put a hand to his cheek and he turned to kiss her palm.
 
“Jim.” She whispered again just to feel him shiver against her and smile into
the curve of her hand. She pulled her hand away and kissed him.
 
 Later, she would show him the wrinkled note she kept safe in her dresser
drawer. Later, she would tell him that story.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
BONUS STEVE/TONY
 
 
now in a summer’s day, spring a ripened plum. How will you live under the sun?
You follow the open road, remembering the guns when you get lost under the
trees.
0000
 
In public Pepper took the form of a giant Tiger. “Is this really necessary?”
She asked him the first time he suggested it, 21, drunk out of his mind and
hammering angrily at a piece of metal. “Tony, it’s not a big deal that I
haven’t settled yet. A lot of daemon’s don’t settle until mid twenties.”
 
“I’m a genius,” Tony had slurred at her, slamming the hammer against his work
shop table, denting it beyond repair. “I’m the newly minted Stark Industries
owner, I am the master of my own universe.” He hiccupped, voice breaking, eyes
glassy. “It makes sense that you would settle now.”
 
She did not respond to that, but she stayed in Tiger form from then on whenever
they were in public. Tony loved her for it.
 
It was something he privately despaired about, but rarely gave himself the
leeway to angst over. He was always busy, busy, busy and he knew Pep could feel
his anger, and self doubt whenever he turned to the bottle. It would happen, or
it wouldn’t and as he hit thirty, thirty three, thirty seven, he clenched his
fists and told himself he did not care anymore. As far as the world was
concerned, Pepper had settled.
 
0000
 
Steve asked him about it, years later when they are luxuriating one Sunday
morning in bed.
 
“Why do all the pictures of you in public have Pepper as a giant Tiger? Isn’t
that a little ostentatious even for you?” He was clever in his questioning, had
Tony curled in a well-sexed sleep slump against his shoulder and was petting
his hair with a big, warm hand the other arm wrapped around his back. Tony
could not even summon up the strength to stiffen against him, he was that worn
out. Sneaky Steven. He managed a disgruntled moan before glaring upwards.
 
“Nothing is too sacred Steve, you should know that by now. And why do you make
me explain these things out loud when you already know the answer?” He squinted
as Steve’s mouth quirked into a grin and his blue eyes got that dopey look in
them. “You know I…I never took the time. I never wanted to figure out who I
was, why I couldn’t settle into the role I thought I was supposed to be in.” He
blinked, snuffled into Steve’s shoulder and sighed. “It wasn’t until it was
forced upon me quite literally,”
 
“Afghanistan.” Steve said, continuing to pet Tony’s head.
 
“Afghanistan.” Tony agreed, voice mild. He let his own hand drift across
Steve’s chest. “I guess you could call that my wake up call. I spent my life
drifting through a mass of booze and drugs. I’d like to say I was just too
smart for my own good-“
 
“You are,” Steve put in, cheerfully.
 
“Thank you,” Tony scowled, mollified when Steve pressed a kiss against his
hair. “Anyway, I realized that I wanted to fight for something after that. Made
Iron Man, found my calling, blah blah blah. Took me a while to realize Pep
hadn’t changed though, I was so used to her not being settled. I think it was
something like two weeks before I noticed.”
 
“Three,” Pepper called helpfully from the next room.
 
“Everyone’s a critic!” Tony shouted through Steve’s laughter. “Whatever.”
 
“I’m glad you realized how much you’re worth.” Steve said softly, once he had
stopped laughing at Tony’s expense. “I could tell the moment I met you.”
 
The pleasure Tony felt at that statement would go with him to the grave. “Well,
aren’t you just a special snowflake.” He can’t hide his grin though, and he
presses his mouth against Steve’s. “Thank you.” His voice is equally as quiet.
 
“No need to thank me.”
 
0000
 
The first time Tony touched Steve’s daemon they were in the bedroom and Steve
was distracted with reading a book. Tony watched him from the bathroom door,
hair still wet and curling around the nape of his neck from the shower. He was
hard under his towel as he took in the soft lamp light and how it put shadows
on Steve’s face and enticingly lit his chest. God, he was really something.
 
He could see Peggy lounging next to the bathroom door, licking idly at a paw.
Pepper was asleep beside her. He hummed at Peggy and she jerked her head up,
ears at attention.
 
“Hey Peg,” He said quietly to her, shuffling over. He bit his lip, something
hot pooling in his belly. He brought a hand up and Peggy looked at it for a
moment before tilting her head softly into his palm. Her fur was soft, soft as
baby down feathers and Tony could hear Steve’s surprised gasp from the bed.
 
“Tony,” Steve said, sitting upright and Tony watched as the book fell off
Steve’s lap and the man leaned forward panting, eyes wide on Tony’s face.
 
“Yea,” Tony hummed again, crouching and running a hand down Peggy’s back,
making her purr. She rolled over and he rubbed softly at her belly. Steve
keened.
 
“You okay?” Tony asked, voice hoarse. His erection twitched beneath his towel
and he bit his lip, shifting his hips and pressing his other hand against his
crotch while stifling a moan.
 
“Yea,” Steve’s eyes were dark with arousal and he watched Tony’s hand on Peggy
in a daze before looking up and meeting Tony’s eyes. His own hips moved
restlessly against the bed, hands fisting and unfisting against the sheets.
“Come here.” He ordered, voice low.
 
Tony gave Peggy one more soft rub, making her purr and Steve moan loudly,
before he stumbled in a haze onto their bed. Steve immediately reached up and
grabbed a handful of his hair, pulling him down into a rough kiss and rolling
him over onto his back. He whispered how beautiful he thought Tony was as he
pushed his knees apart and felt between his thighs with long fingers.
 
“You drive me crazy,” He growled into the kiss and Tony could do nothing but
hold on, and cry out as Steve’s fingers left him and then came back, slick with
lube.
 
“Wha- oh god,” He whined as Steve pressed in with two fingers. “Please, don’t
stop.” He clawed at Steve’s shoulders and pushed his hips back onto thick
fingers, wanting more.
 
“Always so tight,” Steve was saying against his neck; he gave a hard suck and
then moved up to mouth his jaw. “So tight, every time I take you.” When he
looked up, his pupils were blown black with arousal. He watched Tony with a
possessive look in his eye and pushed in with another finger.
 
“Please,” Tony babbled, leaning up to bite at Steve’s mouth and the other man
gave another growl, voice so deep it made Tony shiver against him. He curled
his fingers inside Tony and pressed ruthlessly against his prostate. “Oh
please, I can’t-“
 
“It’s okay,” Steve kissed him deeply, pulling his fingers out with a soft
slurping sound that made Tony’s face flush hot. It seemed to turn Steve on, and
he spread Tony’s legs even further apart and watched as he pressed his big cock
against Tony’s hole. “Ready.” It wasn’t really a question but Tony gasped out
his response nonetheless, flexing his fingers against the bed sheets and
arching his back.
 
Steve pressed steadily inside, watching as Tony closed his eyes and let his
head fall back. He released a low breathy whine as Steve bottomed out, 
shifting his hips and squeezing down trying to urge him to move. It was to no
avail; the other man was like iron and would not be rushed.
 
“Look at me,” Steve ordered, leaning closer, pushing Tony’s knees up towards
his shoulders and bending him almost in half. Tony choked on his breath as the
movement pushed Steve deeper but peeked through his lashes to meet Steve’s dark
eyes.
 
The other man was panting and he pressed his head against Tony’s chest for a
moment, mouthing at the arc reactor and making Tony moan. Then he lifted his
head and took possession of Tony’s mouth, catching his noises and flicking his
tongue in, finally pulling his cock out and thrusting it back in.
 
They were like two opposite magnets; Steve could not help but thrust in and in
over and over again, pressing Tony’s prostate with every push and feeling his
cock jerk inside as Tony’s muscles clamped down. Steve maintained eye contact,
sweaty hair stuck to his forehead, and Tony watched as sweat beaded on his
broad chest. His nipples were in small points and he couldn’t help but reach
out and touch them. Steve responded by giving a particularly hard thrust and
biting along Tony’s cheek. White spots crowded Tony’s vision, and he gasped as
Steve leaned his head on the pillow next to Tony’s head and turned to catch his
eye.
 
“Feel that? Feel me inside you?” The blond gritted out, thrusts quick and sharp
as Tony began to flutter around him and reach his hands out to grasp blindly at
Steve’s big shoulders. “I know you can. Come on sweetheart, let me feel you
come.”
 
Oh god, Steve dirty talking to him and yup that was it, Tony felt his ass clamp
down around Steve’s cock as his prostate was hit again, again, again and then
he was gone, cock twitching violently against his belly, come warm and wet
smeared between their bodies. He heard Steve moan and felt him thrust deeply
despite his clenched hole and then he felt the warm rush of his come flood him
deep inside. It made him whine and his own cock gave another pleasurable
twitch. They lay gasping against each other, and Tony opened his eyes realizing
he must have closed them at some point.
 
“Wow,” His voice was wrecked, his hands shaky as they reached up to run through
Steve’s damp hair. Steve hummed against his neck and thrust his hips again
making Tony gasp. “Oh god, really?” Steve said nothing but when he looked up
there was lust and mischief clear in his eyes.
 
 “Oh yea?” Tony tightened his legs around him and bit his lip, flexing around
Steve’s rapidly hardening length. “Bring it on big buy,” He said softly, making
Steve huff out a breath of surprised laughter, red flush blooming across his
cheeks and down his neck. “Ah yes,” Tony couldn’t resist licking his cheek,
“Super stamina. Super blush,” He bit the blond’s plush lower lip and the other
man growled. Tony hit his heel against Steve’s ass. “Moosh, moosh,” And he
choked on his laughter as Steve took him on his word and began to thrust deeply
again. Blue eyes alit with laughter and love met and locked with his.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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