Work Text:
The compound was quiet after midnight, the kind of quiet that still felt watched. Even pardoned, the rogue Avengers moved like ghosts in their own home—media vans parked at the perimeter, headlines that never quite faded. *Winter Soldier Walks Free. Heroes or Hypocrites?* Bucky had stopped reading them weeks ago, but the scent of distrust lingered in every public room like cheap cologne.
He slipped down the private corridor Tony had quietly reassigned months earlier, hood up, metal fingers clenched tight around the small bundle under his arm. One soft knock—two, then pause—then the door opened.
Tony stood there in an old MIT hoodie and sweatpants, hair messy, smelling like motor oil, coffee, and that warm alpha spice that always made Bucky’s knees want to buckle. His brown eyes softened the second they landed on him.
“Get in here, Snowflake,” Tony murmured, tugging him inside by the wrist. The door sealed with a quiet click. “You’re late. I was starting to think Rogers dragged you into another 3 a.m. guilt spiral.”
Bucky let out a shaky breath and pressed his face into Tony’s neck the moment the alpha’s arms came around him. “Mission debrief ran long. Sam kept lookin’ at me like I might snap.” His voice was muffled against skin. “Didn’t wanna risk anyone followin’.”
Tony’s hand slid up to cradle the back of his neck, thumb stroking the sensitive gland just under his hairline. A low, soothing alpha rumble started in his chest—automatic, instinctive. Bucky melted into it like he always did, tension bleeding out of his shoulders.
“You’re safe,” Tony said quietly. “In here, you’re safe. C’mere.”
He guided Bucky toward the low, wide couch that had become their nest-away-from-nest. Bucky had brought the bundle: one of Tony’s worn black tank tops and the softest blanket from his own room. He arranged them with careful, almost shy movements, cheeks faintly pink. Tony watched with fond eyes, not teasing for once.
When the small nest was ready, Bucky hesitated, glancing up. “Can I…?”
“Always,” Tony answered before he could finish. He sat first, legs spread, and Bucky crawled into his lap without hesitation, curling big and deadly and needy against the alpha’s smaller frame. His face tucked back into Tony’s throat, inhaling deep. A tiny, involuntary omega whine slipped out.
Tony’s arms tightened. “I’ve got you, Buck. Let it out.”
“I hate it,” Bucky whispered. “Still feel like everyone’s waitin’ for me to go feral again. Even Steve sometimes. But you… you don’t look at me like that.” His metal hand flexed against Tony’s chest, then gentled, fingers tracing the arc reactor through fabric. “Makes me scared I’m gonna need you too much. That you’ll get tired of an omega who jumps at loud noises and wants to hide in your shirts all day.”
Tony pressed a slow kiss to his temple, then another to the mating gland he hadn’t claimed yet—hadn’t pushed for, even though Bucky’s scent sang for it every time they were alone. “Hey. Look at me.”
Bucky lifted his head. His blue eyes were wide, a little glassy, the soldier’s mask completely gone.
“I’m not tired of you,” Tony said, voice low and steady, alpha timbre threading through every word. “I’m greedy for you. I like that you let me see this part. The soft part. The one that steals my hoodies and purrs when I scent you.” He rubbed his cheek against Bucky’s, deliberately spreading his alpha scent until Bucky’s whole body loosened and a quiet purr started vibrating in his chest. “My omega. Secret or not, you’re mine. And I’m keeping you.”
Bucky shivered, pressing closer, legs tangling. His voice came out small. “Yours.” The word tasted like safety. He nuzzled under Tony’s jaw, lips brushing skin in the lightest, most submissive kiss. “Alpha.”
Tony’s rumble deepened with satisfaction. He carded fingers through long brown hair, massaging Bucky’s scalp until those pretty eyes fluttered half-shut. “That’s it. Good boy. Just breathe me in.”
They stayed like that for a long time—Bucky heavy and pliant in his lap, occasionally turning his head for slow, lazy kisses that tasted like reassurance and want. No heat, no rush. Just the two of them wrapped up in stolen blankets and each other while the world outside still whispered traitor and monster.
Later, when Bucky had dozed off with his nose tucked against Tony’s scent gland, Tony brushed a thumb over the omega’s slack mouth and whispered into his hair, “One day we won’t have to hide. But until then… I’ve got the best damn secret in the world.”
Bucky’s only answer was a sleepy, contented sigh and a tighter curl of his arms.
Outside, the compound lights stayed cold and watchful.
Inside, it was warm.